Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteers Mr. Abdellah Azizi and Ms. Soukaina Bouihi
In a few days, we will move to the villages that we are assigned to, our village will be in Mulanje district, many people told us that it is one of the most beautiful places in Malawi, it must be true. After spending time getting to know the community, we will work with them to create a project that will answer their needs and contribute to the development of their community.
Working with communities was one of the key lessons that we learned during the five weeks of Pre-Service Training (PST). The training was held in Naomi Katengeza Lay Training Center, at the foot of Chongoni Mountain. We had one full week of First Aid and Disaster Management training, where many NGOs visited and shared their knowledge, challenges, and goals with us. Then, the Human-Centered Design team checked in, and Garrett the tall energetic Human-Centered Design trainer, brought the spirit of New Orleans to Chongoni. And Aziz, oh we will miss you, Aziz, he brought us the Moroccan teapot, and the Tajine, and Ahidous -Amazight chants-, Aziz made us miss Morocco even more.
Chongoni fields
During the two weeks of the Human-Centered Design workshop, Garret t and Aziz changed our views towered human development work, they opened our eyes to how to detect the right problems, how to find the solutions, and then re-find the right solutions. Two weeks of theory classes and practices in the nearby villages made us more prepared to serve our new communities.
Malawian officials, the US ambassador in Malawi, and Liz Fanning, the founder of Corps Africa, will witness the swear-in of the 1st CorpsAfrica Malawi Volunteers, Nine Malawians, and us the two Moroccans, we will swear in to do our best to serve people of Malawi for one year. It is not an easy task, indeed, but it’s an adventure, and every adventure comes with challenges and rewards, challenges that make you grow, and rewords that bring happiness into your life, which is a true victory.
Garrett Mason with CorpsAfrica Malawi Volunteers and Staff.
