Apparently, so I’m reliably informed, the UK has finally experienced its first rays of sunshine this year. I’d like to take this opportunity to also shed some light on just two of the projects that we’ve recently engaged in, both of which epitomise sustainable development.

This week, we’ve all been busy in the fields, harvesting maize. The stalks can grow upwards of 10 feet and take some effort to cut down, pile together and then strip of the cobs. Nonetheless, it’s given us a great insight into the success of ‘conservation agriculture’. This basically means farming so as to make the most of all the natural resources that are available and thus maximise crop yields. I won’t bore you with all the technicalities, but suffice to say it uses simple methods (like mulching) to achieve stunning results. The villagers we were helping had only just adopted it, yet enjoyed vastly improved yields, some double or triple previous amounts. In a country where 85% of the people live off what they grow (i.e. subsistence lifestyle), this is a welcome step forward. 

We’ve also been passing on skills and knowledge in the area of sanitation. We’ve visited various rural communities and taught local workmen how to construct ‘ecosan’ toilets. These toilets can be easily constructed with readily available materials and tools, but dispose of the waste in a safe, hygienic and environmentally friendly way. The workmen join us as, together, we build a demonstration toilet; they can then use their training to build toilets elsewhere. This equips the workmen with employable skills and simultaneously benefits the wider community, such as by reducing diseases associated with poor sanitation.

Both these schemes provide expertise whose lifespan and benefits will be endure long after we have returned back home. There is no ongoing investment required. To reiterate a common thread that has run through many of these blog posts, the people have been empowered to help themselves. 

Before the London 2012 Olympics, one of the key buzzwords was ‘legacy’. Once the fleeting moments of sporting spectacle had passed, what would be left to show for it all? What would be the long term impact on the surrounding community?

In a similar vein, I’ve been thinking about the ‘legacy’ of our trip out here in Malawi. Maybe legacy is too grandiose a term, but I think it aptly conveys the sentiments that I’m seeking to express. We’ve only one month left in this country, so what will we leave behind? What will be the lasting effects of our time spent here?

Obviously, as brilliant as our collective talents are, we’re not expecting to witness some sort of national transformation in the wake of our stay. Nevertheless, the impact that we’ve had can still be observed, measured and continued.

Much of our work has entailed passing on skills and knowledge to communities, whether in schools, villages or churches. It may be (inter alia) how to manage a business, how to obtain better crop yields, or how to ensure basic personal hygiene. These things, although intangible, will benefit not only the immediate recipients, but also can be passed on to fresh audiences: the ripple effect (cf. earlier blog). It empowers people to help themselves, rather than rely on others for help.

Accordingly, we can start to undermine the insidious dependency culture that has arisen in Malawi (and indeed in much of Africa). We may not have a freshly painted classroom or a gleaming new block of toilets to show for our own efforts, but the success of our trip is not to be measured in bricks and mortar. Our focus has been on people; on equipping and empowering them to break out of the cycle of poverty that has entrapped them.

We hope that our work echoes the ethos of The Big Issue magazine back in the UK, whose slogan is ‘a hand up, not a hand out’. Many Malawians simply need a helping hand to get them on to the first rung of the ladder, the ladder by which they can climb out of their impoverished circumstances and improve their lives. Imparting skills and knowledge is one means of achieving this. Another means, equally sustainable but requiring initial capital outlay, is setting up microfinance schemes.

These projects all concern what has already happened on this trip – our immediate legacy. I hope soon to share information about a new project that will start once this trip has finished, which will, I trust, be a blessing to Malawi too.

It was both refreshing and heartening to celebrate Easter here in Malawi last weekend. Absent were all the commercial trappings and media distractions to which we have become so accustomed in the UK. No eggs, no rabbits, no self-aggrandising celebrities. The focus was solely on ‘the reason for the season’ – Jesus Christ.

More generally, life is a lot less cluttered here. Societal superficialities like materialism and hedonism do not hold much sway. And, with these stripped away, it becomes clearer to discern what people truly value. The focus is on people, not things.

For Malawians, relationships are vitally important. They possess intrinsic, not instrumental, value. People are interested in and value each other. It’s not restricted to family ties and bloodlines. Nor is it about maintaining a façade of friendliness, or making a connection in order to grab a deal in the marketplace. Anything more than an exchange of pleasantries with a stranger in England and we automatically get suspicious. ‘What are they after?’ ‘What’s their motive?’ But here, people go out of their way to build relationships, willingly sacrificing their time so that they can get to know you.

Malawi is heralded as ‘the warm heart of Africa’, owing to the friendliness of its citizens. After spending nearly 2 months here, I can certainly affirm this sentiment. Without wishing to sound judgemental, I do believe that it is something that we can learn from in our own culture. Don’t get me wrong, things are far from perfect here. Yet, in spite of the daunting problems that face Malawi, its inhabitants still exhibit a measure of contentment, fulfilment, even joy, that I rarely encounter back home in England. I think a principal reason for this is the investment that people make in relationships; poverty may preclude the pursuit of possessions and pleasure (as we conceive them), yet the people here are not dispirited. Far from it, for they treasure something else instead – each other.