Good and Bad Things About Gracious – Student composition

October 18th, 2010 by Nicki Kennedy, Volunteer Teacher at Gracious Secondary School

Below is a short composition by one of Gracious Secondary School’s All-Star composition groups:

Gracious Private Secondary School is one of the most popular private schools in Malawi. The school is located to the south of Lake Malawi in a district called Mangochi. The school consists of many students both male and female from various districts in Malawi. It should be known that the school has both good things and bad things about it.

To begin with, Gracious provides a conducive learning environment. It is located on the lake shore which brings fresh air. It is a very quiet place free from disturbances like pubs which can bring a lot of noise and attract the attention of students. Furthermore the school has good infrastructures compared to other schools in Malawi. The buildings are well roofed and ventilated, and surrounded by lawns, fish ponds, trees and flowers which beautify the campus. The school also has good teaching facilities, and well equipped laboratories for physical science, biology, and computers. As a result, many students are able to pass their examinations with flying colours because of the good facilities.

Apart from the good things about Gracious, there are also some bad things. One of the bad things is that it has inadequate equipment for entertainment. There is not much for the students to do when they are not studying. Although this is true, the students at the school do not consider this to be a really big problem because they are always busy with their education. They know that time is money.

Entertainment aside, the school has good, professional teachers who are very knowledgeable, skilled, and friendly. They are professionals in terms of the way they dress, teach, handle issues concerning students, and also the way they communicate with students. These skilled teachers know their roles as educators. This seen in the way the students look at them as their parents, judges, role models, and advisors. The students really appreciate the knowledge that teachers impart to them.

While the teachers are good, Gracious School has another academic issue that is not so good. Out of nineteen teachers at the school, only two are women. The female teachers play a big role in the way that they act as role models to the girls. However, since there are few of them the female students lack good role models of women in education.
In conclusion, the points listed above are some of the good and bad things about Gracious Private Secondary School. As they say, every rose has its thorns. Although the school has some bad things about it, students really like it because it helps them to perform well.

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The Composition Allstars, Group Two

October 18th, 2010 by Nicki Kennedy, Volunteer Teacher at Gracious Secondary School

Esme Makhaza
I am Esme Makhaza. I come from Lilongwe where I used to live with my parents. Now I live in Mangochi with my grandparents. I have three brothers and four sisters. I am 16 years old and I am in Form 4 at Gracious Secondary School. My hobby is singing gospel songs. I have a good friend named Elinear who likes to sing gospel songs with me. After I finish my schooling I want to become an accountant.

John Gondwe
My name is John E. Gondwe. I am aged 19 years, and the first born in my family of four. I am originally from Lilongwe, but now I live in Mangochi district. I am attending my Form 4 at Gracious Private Secondary School. I enjoy reading, writing, and also listening to music. Currently I write poems and plays which are sometimes displayed at my school. I am also an actor in the “Together! ACT Now” project. My favourite subjects at school are English, biology, mathematics, and physical science I wish that one day I should step my foot in the college of medicine to complete my dream of becoming a doctor.

Pemphero Mpaso
Hello! My name is Pemphero P. Mpaso. I am in Form 2 and I come from Mangochi district. I was born on 13th August, 1993 at Namitete hospital in Lilongwe. I was born in the family of two boys and one girl, and I am the first born son.
As the first born son I have a very big responsibility of taking care of my brother and sisters by providing them with necessary basic needs.
As most young men in Malawi, my favourite sport is soccer, and I support the Red Devils (Manchester United).
I have always dreamt of being a professional lawyer. I am proud to say that I am about to achieve my goal.

Martha Chikapa
Martha Chikapa is my name. I live in Mangochi at MCV. I was born in 1996 on 23rd July and Queens Hospital in Blantyre. I live with both of my parents and there are two children. I am the first born. My original home is Ntcheu district. We are from the Ngoni tribe. My ambition is to become a lawyer.

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The Composition Allstars, Group One

October 18th, 2010 by Nicki Kennedy, Volunteer Teacher at Gracious Secondary School

Thocco Mulingo
My name is Thocco Mulingo. I am a Malawian by nationality. I come from Mangochi district. I am aged 17 and am the last born in a family of six. I did my nursery school at Phylo private school, and my primary school at Koche primary school. As of now I am doing my secondary school education at Gracious Private Secondary School. I am doing Form 4, the last class. When I ponder about my career goal, I am anxious to become a doctor. I am doing everything possible to accomplish my goal. Thus, I abhor things which may doom my future like involving myself with bad company, drinking beer, and smoking.

Mafuno Maseya
My name is Mafunoabwino Maseya. I am the second born in the family of four. I am the only female child of Mr. and Mrs. Maseya. I am 16 years old and I am in Form 4. My ambition is to become a nurse.

Nelson Banda
I am Nelson Banda, aged 16. I am in Form 2. I come from a family of three children. I am the first born. I live in Club Makokola in Mongochi district, nearby the lake shore.

Treza Sakonda
I am a girl of 15 years old. I live in Maldeco village in Mangochi district. I live with my aunt. My father lives in Ndedza district. I am the only child from my mother and father. I like singing and writing. I am a quiet girl. I don’t like talking too much. I don’t like to quarrel with my friends. When I complete my education I would like to be a singer or a nurse.

Holys Sawa
My name is Holys Sawa. I am from Dowa district, particularly Mponela Trading Center. I am the first born child in a family of two children. I am aged 18 years. Right now I am doing my Form 4 here at Gracious Private Secondary School. My hobbies are watching Nigerian and other movies, listening to music – both international and local. My ambition is to study at University of Polytechnic and become an important citizen in my society.

Magret Mangochi
My name is Magret Mangochi. I am originally from Zomba, but now I live in Mangochi at MCV. I am a girl aged 13. I am in class 2B at Gracious Private Secondary School.

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My Unforgettable Day – Treza Sakonda (Gracious Student Composition)

October 10th, 2010 by Nicki Kennedy, Volunteer Teacher at Gracious Secondary School

By: Treza Sakonda, Form 2A

I will never forget about this day. I was confused about my life and I did not know what to do anymore. I was like someone else. I did not believe that this horrible thing was happening to me. They told me my mother had died. It was unbelievable to me to hear such a thing. The day my mother died is my most unforgettable day.
My mother died on a Monday morning. It was 12th March, 2008. When I woke up that morning I was very tired. I felt like I had come from the farm. When I looked at the time it was 10o’clock in the morning. I took my bath and I ate my breakfast. I did not do any work that day because my body felt sick like I had malaria.
My uncle came that morning and told me to be ready because we had to go to the village immediately. He said that my mother wanted to see me. I told him that my mother lived in Lilongwe. I asked why he was saying that we must go to the village, and that my mother wanted to see me. He did not answer, he just walked away. In my mind I knew that something was wrong and I tried to hold myself together, but some tears came out from my eyes. When my friend asked me what I was crying about I did not answer her, I just went inside the house.
The day I lost my mother is the most memorable day of my life. I will never forget about it and I still cannot believe that my mother is gone.

Treza Sakonda is a shy, perceptive 15 year old girl from Madelco village. Since the death of her mother, she and her siblings (2 brothers and 2 sisters) live with their aunt. She commutes about 2 kilometers to school each day, either walking or by bicycle. Her father lives about an hour and a half north up in the hills in Ndeza and sends money home to support the kids. It is as a result of this composition that Treza was chosen to participate in the after school composition group.

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My Unforgettable Day – Francis Chabukar (Gracious Student Composition)

October 10th, 2010 by Nicki Kennedy, Volunteer Teacher at Gracious Secondary School

By: Francis Chabukar, Form 2B

I was very surprised that I was a J. C. candidate. I am very happy with secondary school. The day I started secondary school is my most unforgettable day
This day is so memorable to me because it was my first time to go to secondary school. It was very exciting for me. When I arrived at school I felt happy to see that the teachers were ready and waiting to teach us.
Secondary school is my chance to learn geography, biology, history, and do experiments in the laboratory; therefore, I was very happy to start school. In primary school we did not have these things. “Fantastic” I said when I saw these wonderful things.
In class Miss Kennedy taught us English. She taught us about traits of good writing. After that I went for lunch and had some delicious food. When I finished eating, I came back to school again. At that time Mr. Maliki, the French man, came to teach agriculture in the class. He left and another teacher came and taught us biology and geography. After all that I went home.
The day I went to secondary school for the first time is my most unforgettable day. On that day I started learning geography, biology, English, and agriculture. It was so memorable to me to do experiments in laboratory! I felt happy when I started secondary school.

Francis Chabukar is a quiet, serious 16 year old student in 2B. He lives in Mbapi village with his father, stepmother and six brothers and sisters spread out with aunts, uncles, and grandparents in their area. His father, Mr. Phiri, teaches English at Gracious school. Francis commutes to school twice each day, either by walking or by bicycle, for class and evening study hall. It was as a result of this composition that Francis was chosen to participate in our after school composition group.

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The Allstar Composition Group!

October 10th, 2010 by Nicki Kennedy, Volunteer Teacher at Gracious Secondary School

It seems that I have become the composition maven around here. As soon as it became clear that writing is a strength of mine I was commissioned to teach almost exclusively that. (Stop. I need to take a moment to offer up appreciations, respect, and probably humble apologies to those skilled and patient English teachers I had during my own secondary schooling. It is only as a result of your excellent teaching that I write as well as I do, and that I remember the process well enough to teach it to others with some degree of fluency. I also offer my apologies, because I’m sure that I moaned, groaned, whined, and looked at you like you were crazy when you began the process. I assume this because these are the reactions I get every day in class. I don’t remember doing this myself, but I’m sure it probably happened.) I began teaching only the Form 2s, but soon the Form 4s heard about what we were doing and started coming to me in twos, threes, or alone to have extra help. I have never worked with students who were so willing to do extra work outside of class. It seems that every day I am marking compositions that students (particularly the Form 4s) are writing on their own time. It’s incredibly motivating and inspiring to me!

With all this good material coming in I got to thinking….I could dutifully write a weekly article or so (which I will continue to do) about what I’m teaching and how it’s going, or I could SHOW you what we’re doing by having the students do some of the work themselves. To that end I told the students in my Form 2 classes that I would publish the best two compositions, one from each class, from each of the types they must learn for their exams (narrative, argumentative, descriptive, etc…) on this blog, along with their names, basic information, and a picture (when the camera situation is resolved).
In addition, one of the other language teachers (Eunice Dzikiti…the only other girl teacher) and I brought together a group of the most promising writers in Forms 2 and 4 for an after school composition group. The students are divided into two groups containing three Form 2s and three Form 4s each. Their job is to write one composition per month (per group) relating in some way to Gracious, MCV, Mangochi, Malawi, etc. so that they may update you, our fine readers, on the goings on in this part of the world. They are currently working on their first compositions, and it’s very exciting! They are learning to ask questions, add details, and work together creatively.

Also, keep in mind when reading their work that English is not their first language. Additionally, they have a very different way of teaching composition here. I’m still trying to convince my students that this way will be successful. As a result, dear English professors reading this out there, these are a long way from perfect. However, I think they’re a good start, eh? Last thing, and then I promise I’ll let you read their words and not mine, I often choose students (and their work) not based so much on their writing conventions, but on what they see. Regularly when I assign a composition I get many back that say the same general thing. Sometimes I will choose the best of these to publish, but I will also be choosing students who can tell a good story, are creative, and see the world in an interesting way.

I’m really excited to see the work the students turn out, and to share it with you. These are some pretty amazing kids. Enjoy!

Zikomo kwambili!

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Out and About with ‘Together! ACT now!’

September 18th, 2010 by Nicki Kennedy, Volunteer Teacher at Gracious Secondary School

Last Saturday I went on tour with MCV/Gracious’ touring HIV/AIDS awareness theater troupe…

We were ‘supposed’ to leave at 1:30pm, but sat and waited around until finally our transportation huffed its way into the driveway an hour late (which is really pretty prompt by Malawi standards). At the same time as the truck chugged to a halt in front of us, I received a phone call from the director, David Mtemang’ombe, telling me, essentially, that I was in charge until the truck could pick him up at his house. Uh, ok? This would have been all well and good except that I had no (nine, zip, zero, zilch) idea what was going on. No idea who was supposed to be there, when we were leaving, or where we were going. Sure, no problem!

Eventually all the performers and groupies were loaded into the back of the truck (I’m still not 100% sure which was which). To my surprise, we stopped at the gate to pick up another director. Seriously. She was sitting right around the corner (maybe 100 yards) from where I had just been trying to ‘herd cats’. I could only sigh and smile.
With all the students piled into the truck, it heaved to a start and we trundled slowly in search of our most esteemed director. David (or Davie) is an energetic man with a sharp wit, a clever mind, and a snarky sense of humor. He is the head of our language department at Gracious and speaks fabulous English. In addition to his responsibilities at Gracious, he also teaches English to the staff at Open Arms (the orphan nursery program next door), and directs the Together! ACT Now productions. On this day he squished himself into the back of the truck with the rest of us and we were finally on our way. Whew!

The students performed in a dusty open space on the outskirts of a small village. There were 100+ people in attendance, which evidently is fairly poor. Nonetheless, there was enough work for everyone to do. Each production is staffed by Davie (director), Florence (community organizer), a doctor (from a rotating cast), several trained volunteers (Dixon Malakula, another teacher from Gracious is one), and a cast of youth currently attending and recently exited from Gracious. Additionally they always “…try to have a white person along. It makes us look serious.”

The program begins with singing and dancing by the students (in Chichewa of course). The songs are usually written by the students (often on the spot), and cover a variety of topics from HIV/AIDS to the anticipated success of their production. From here they launch into the actual play “The Three Spirits”. It was written by Alaskan college student, Together! Act Now Founder & Director, Kyle Horne and translated into Chichewa by Davie. The plot is based on the classic “A Christmas Carol”. In this case a young couple has decided they’re ready to ‘sleep’ together. They are not planning to use a condom. Enter the Spirit of the Past who tells the boy (Kenny) that he has HIV, given to him by his mother at birth. The next spirit, that of the Near Future, shows Kenny that he will soon become ill with full-blown AIDS. The last spirit, the Spirit of the Distant Future, flashes them forward three years. Kenny is still suffering, and the girl (Shakira) has died from the disease after having been infected by Kenny. In the end, naturally, Kenny and Shakira make the right decision.

Following the performance the volunteers pull people from the audience to participate in small discussion groups. The groups talk about prevention, treatment, and making safe choices for yourself and your family. When the groups return there is more singing and dancing by the students. Each group takes the stage to present their findings. Between groups, the cast entertains with songs, short plays, poems, etc of their own composition. Much clapping and cheering is done, and each village volunteer is rewarded for their participation with a bar of nice laundry detergent (bestowed in a slightly bumbling fashion by the resident white person). More singing and dancing brings the ‘curtain’ down.

During the performances, discussions, etc. the doctor privately tests all those interested to see if they are positive for HIV/AIDS. On this particular day 34 people (of 100+ in attendance) agreed to be tested. Of that number, one was infected with HIV/AIDS. Anyone interested (whether positive or negative for the virus) receives counseling on the spread of the virus, and everyone is given free condoms as party favors.
As there are almost no props (just a drum, some sarongs, and a banner) clean-up is a breeze. The hooligan performers and groupies, flush and buzzing with their performance high, piled into the back of the truck; whooping and singing all the while. The staff walked home, with less whooping, but equally pleased.
I was blown away by the skill, motivation, and conviction expressed by the youthful performers and tag-alongs. Their performance was honest because they believe in what they’re teaching. It was truly a pleasure to see such talented kids in action, and I wasn’t the only one impressed. As the cast and band-aides drove away, I handed the remains of my soda to a group of young children who had seen the performance. They took the bottle with smiles, and promptly turned big eyes to watch the departing figure of a matola loaded down with a new batch of heroes.

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A newly arrived volunteer’s First Impressions

September 16th, 2010 by Nicki Kennedy, Volunteer Teacher at Gracious Secondary School

It is not an exaggeration to say that I have wanted to come to Malawi almost as long as I can remember. My mother lived in and around Blantyre (the largest city) while her father taught at the university there. I grew up hearing stories about the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’: of the good people, the delicious mangoes, bananas, and fish, and of the monkeys playing in the branches whilst she and her siblings played around the tree trunks. Through these stories my mom inspired my brothers and I to travel the world, and also planted in us (certainly me) a deep desire to see the place that had so captured her heart.

For several years I put my curiosity about Malawi aside and focused on learning my trade. I grew up (at least in theory) and became a teacher. More specifically I became a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing. I spent the early part of my twenties going to college (Hastings College, Hastings, Nebraska) and graduate school (The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota), and teaching in schools from Watertown, Massachusetts to Gainesville, Florida to Faribault, Minnesota to Pinole, California.

During these years I also devoted a great deal of time to traveling (primarily in the U.S. and Europe). I saw many wonderful places, met many extraordinary people, and was privileged to teach many truly amazing and inspiring students. Always, though, Malawi was singing in the back of my mind and calling me to Africa.
I heard it, but I kept saying “One day, Malawi, one day” until finally I realized that ‘one day’ could be right now! However, it seemed not only a great folly, but also incredibly selfish to go on vacation when I have a skill that others could benefit from… With that thought in mind I set out to find a way to move to Malawi and teach. Lucky for me, my grandparents were friends with several Peace Corps. volunteers that were in Malawi at the same time as they were. One of these volunteers knew Bill Schmidt (who is a member of the MCV board of directors). Bill put me in touch with Conor Brady (another board member) who offered me the opportunity to combine my love for my profession, my curiosity about Malawi, and my desire to help others into one grand adventure. I could move to Africa and work as a volunteer teacher at the Malawi Children’s Village in Mangochi District, Malawi. In an instant the decision was made.

In order to afford to volunteer for a year I had to do a lot of fundraising. I contacted (almost literally) everyone I knew, and gave presentations to schools and Rotary Clubs in my area. (Thank you so much to all the donors!) Repeatedly people asked me if I was nervous, scared, excited, etc. The answer was always no. While I was sometimes a bit overwhelmed by the mania of preparations, my strongest feeling on the subject was always one of readiness. To be honest, I can’t even say that I was ever really excited, just very anxious to get there and get started! I had thought about it, talked about it, and prepared to go long enough; it was time to be on with it! So it was that approximately one year after my phone call to Conor, to my great joy, I found myself stepping off a plane and into the bright warmth of the Malawi sun.

When the sun and African heat (along with a cadre of well dressed, serious faced Malawians lining the entrance to the airport… Huh?) greeted me my first thought was ‘Wow!’ “Wow! I finally made it! I live in Malawi now”. I thought that maybe I was afraid or nervous and just hadn’t noticed yet, so I checked in with myself a bit… Nope. I felt only relief at having arrived. It felt right. It felt, I realized, like coming home.

Upon disembarking the airplane I learned that the former president from Malawi was onboard and required the vast majority of the luggage space. (Ahhhh, well that explains the stern, official looking people.) This was interesting news to me, made even more so because it meant that my luggage had been removed from the plane to make room for his many boxes and bags. Sigh… No worries, in a rare moment of thinking ahead I had packed my toothbrush, hairbrush, a few clean clothes, some snacks, and lots of clean underwear in my carry-on. I waited in line (a long time) to fill out a lost baggage form and went out to meet a cheerful, if slightly worried by now, Felix. What a grand, warm human being he is!

It was my intention to take many pictures on the way home from the airport, but I forgot. I was simply too excited; talking to Felix, looking around, and seeing all the things. I’d always thought that the quality of light in my grandparents’ photographs was a function of their fading with time. Not so, my friends! The sky is truly that brush of russet as the sun prepares to set (at a classically equatorial 6:00pm). The earth beneath is a palette of dusty reds, oranges, and browns. Small circular or square huts seem to have sprung up from the soil alongside the road. Each house is thatched with long, stiff river grass; sometimes over a tin roof, sometimes not. There are children of sundry sizes, goats, and chickens milling about in the yards. Alongside the road a seemingly endless stream of people walking and riding bicycles parade along both sides: men and women confidently and delicately balancing enormous loads upon their heads, bicycles so creatively packed and weighted down that the tires looked flat. And, given the generally manic approach to driving here, it is no small miracle that goats, pedestrians, cyclists, and those driving cars all live to try again tomorrow. Beyond the traffic insanity trees and plants of various flavors compete with maize, cassava, and village gardens. The landscape is dusky and hazy, a wash of sepia with bursts of color, but feels lit from within. Everything: earth, sky, trees, people, seems to glow just a little.

Roughly 28 hours of traveling (train, airports, planes, and a car) after leaving Anna’s house in Kampen (maybe 40 if you count from Colorado to Anna’s and back to Schipol airport) I arrived at MCV. As soon as I got out of the car I met James, the caretaker of the grounds. With a smile and a “Muli bwanji?” (How are you?), he handed me a papaya (popo) and welcomed me to my new home. It turns out that he would be the first of many Jameses that I would meet in the next 24 hours. I had in my possession my backpack with odds and ends and laptop, another bag with some books and my hiking boots, and a grocery bag containing a bottle of water, a jar of peanut butter, honey, a loaf of bread, shampoo and conditioner, some canned fruit, and a set of sheets.
My house (one of the guest houses) is cozy and appropriate: brick walls, thatch over a tin roof, a number of screened and barred windows, and a smooth cement floor. In one room there is a small fridge, stove, table with three chairs, and a cabinet with an odd assortment of dishes. In the other room the bed (with blessed bednet, and new bright pink and orange floral print sheets) dominates, but there is also another small table, another cabinet, and some shelves. Tucked behind the bedroom is a tight bathroom containing a sink, a standing shower (sans curtain), a toilet, and a bathtub. It was to this room that my travel-dirty body was pulled as if by magnet. Ahh, to be clean! I ran myself a very skinny, shallow bath after finding that only the cold water worked in the shower. With a cup I sloshed water over my hair and body and felt much better. I got out, unpacked, and ate a peanut butter sandwich. With a note of amazement at the early darkness, I put myself to bed (in my clothes) at probably 8:30pm. This may be my earliest bedtime to date. Katie, you should be proud!

Before dawn I awoke to a cacophony of birdsong. There was no going back to sleep, and I’d done dueling with the Houdini mosquitoes who’d teleported their way inside my bednet anyway, so up I got. I had no idea what time it was. In short order I learned that my nearest neighbors are a flock of laying hens, and made a new friend called James (of course). I spent the bulk of Sunday trailing after him as he worked around the school. He’s a clever lad who, despite being the ripe old age of 31, has been working at MCV since he was 15. He speaks Chichewa, English with decent proficiency, but also some Arabic, Yao, Afrikaans, and something else that I forgot. James took me on a grand tour, introduced me to many new friendly faces, and began a zealous offensive move to teach me Chichewa.

And I leave you with that. There are more pictures and impressions of the grand tour (and other things) to follow shortly.
Tiwonona! (See you later!)

  • [editor's note: Nicki Kennedy will be serving as a volunteer teacher at Gracious Secondary School for the 2010-2011 school year.  You can follow her personal blog here: http://kennedynicki.tumblr.com/ She's not able to upload photos from Malawi at the moment, but we stole one from Facebook so you know what she looks like!]

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Measles Outbreak at Open Arms Nursery

August 24th, 2010 by Dr. Tom Nighswander, MCV Board Member

A measles epidemic has hit Central and South Africa; Malawi and the children at Malawi Children’s Village did not escape.

Unfortunately eight of the reported 197 deaths since the first of the year were children from the nursery associated with MCV and operated by a British nonprofit Open Arms.  The staff is devastated.  All died in the Mangochi District Hospital.

One of the earliest children was sent to the hospital because the Open Arms staff had suspected measles, but the child was sent home to Open Arms, cleared by the hospital as not having measles.

The Ministry of Health said that this year, as many as 77,000 more have been infected with measles. The last epidemic occurred in 2000 when 54 people died. (Read the Reuters article here.)

By this last May the country with the help of Medicine Sans Frontier MS F   had begun a vigorous campaign to provide vaccinations throughout the country.  This effort suffered a serious setback at the end of June when a fire at Central Poultry, a renowned poultry company, in the capital, destroyed about $280,000 worth of vaccine that was to be used by MSF.

Malawi’s current measles immunization rate is close to 60%, the goal is 90%.

Current reports from MCV are that people are lining up in the villages for their immunizations. One of our Board members Mary Palmory is currently in Malawi helping with a community orphan survey.  She wrote of August 18, “When going to Kela village today there were over 50 (probably 100) people waiting under a tree. We all got excited to think that many people were waiting for our survey. The most that had been waiting was probably 30. At any rate, today was first day for beginning immunization campaign; targeting 6 million children aged 6 months to 15 yrs”

Measles is a devastating disease for unimmunized children.  I have never seen a case until working at the Kamusu Central Hospital in Lilongwe in 1985.  We had an isolation ward of measles, probably 30 kids all miserable with high fevers, weeping eyes and nose, skin rashes and many with pneumonia.  Of course this was frequently complicated by malaria and malnutrition.   They did not have a chance.  The youngest were the most at risk.

I wonder if the country has been so overwhelmed with HIV/AIDS that it let down its guard on other preventable diseases of childhood.

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Welcome to the new MCV Website.

August 8th, 2010 by Conor Brady, Communications Officer, MCV Board

Welcome to the new MCV website: www.malawichildrensvillage.org The new site uses a variety of media to make more information available to our friends and donors than ever before.  We hope that you’ll find the navigation easier to use than the old site, and that you’ll be able to find out everything you want to know about Malawi, our organization’s work there, and ways that you can donate and become involved with the program.

This site has a couple of exciting features that we think you’ll enjoy.

  • The new media section gives you access to radio stories, videos, photos, and print media from Malawi.
  • The MCV blog, will keep you up to date on the latest information from Malawi.  You can subscribe to the blog via email to receive MCV updates from a variety of contributors, including MCV staff, board members, and other volunteers and donors.  We will keep you up to date on the latest news from Malawi, and we invite you to contribute your own thoughts by leaving comments.

We plan to make lots of improvements to this new site.  While we are now live, we are not finished with our site, and we will continue to make improvements until both we and our donors our satisfied with the new site.  As we continue to build out the content of our new site, please keep in mind that we are a small organization with no paid US staff, and inconsistent internet access in Malawi.  We appreciate your patience with us as we improve our site and make more information available to all of you.  If you have feedback about the new site, or would like to help us improve it in anyway, please contact me at conor@malawichildrensvillage.org

Thanks for visiting www.malawichildrensvillage.org.  We hope you enjoy it!

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