Another Day with the Outreach Team

Garden Project visits We visited three garden projects this morning. Two in Likhubula and one in Mulangozi, both outlying villages on the edge of Chilomoni. The CC Outreach team are involved with these projects which are shared with Ministry of Agriculture. They are part of the work of the Parenting Groups. Local parents are helped to find locally available land for gardens which they work on a voluntary basis and share any profits. The project was kick started by the provision of seeds and tools but in future years these should come out of the profits when veg are sold, before they are shared. There are enough seeds for families to have some to use in their own back yards. These veg are for the use of the family for their own meals. They were growing many leafy green veg but also aubergines, amaranth, pumpkin. I took lots of photos. Water is a problem. The third garden was next to the river but carrying cans from the river is a problem for those who are further away and parents get dispirited because it is a long job that must be done every day. Therefore some drop out, thereby increasing the load for those that remain. The Outreach Manager was with us today and he pointed out that a portable solar pump would be really useful. They could transport it around several projects each week and it would ease the pressure of watering. Most of the volunteers were women. I hope this is because their husbands are working elsewhere. Parent’s Group The Outreach Team of MTCC run three Parenting Groups each week in different locations in Chilomoni. This afternoon I visited the group in Likhubula, the same group who are involved in the first garden I saw this morning. We arrived at about 1.45pm and sat in the shade of a mango tree waiting for the parents to arrive. By about ten past two there were about 8-10 parents and we moved into a classroom. They are nearing the end of this course and next week there is to be an exam. Those who can will write the answers and those who cannot will be asked them verbally and the caregiver will write the answers for them. Today is revision day. They reminisced a bit first about the session two weeks ago when they learned how to make biscuits. Since the whole session was in Chichewa I remain in ignorance about how it is possible to make biscuits over a charcoal stove. The lady who taught the others has since started her own micro business making and selling biscuits and apparently it has begun very well. Then we got down to serious revision which turned out to be health related. For this part I had an interpreter so I learned quite a bit about the symptoms and treatment of Pinkeye, Mumps and Scabies. I was called away at this point because the bike club had arrived and they were keen to show me their prowess. Bike Club We walked about a quarter of a mile to a fairly quiet section of tarmacked road. This was the best surface they could find for practicing tricks. A responsible adult was dispatched a few yards up each of the four roads at a crossroads to stop any traffic and the demonstration of their talent began. I was treated to a quite spectacular display. They raced, they rode bikes backwards, they spun in circles, they cycled with their legs over the handlebars and then the two star riders jumped over first two, then three and eventually five of their friends lying in the road. At this point my heart was in my mouth! What are we doing taking responsibility for a club doing an activity with this amount of risk with very little safety equipment at all, never mind jumping over healthy young boys lying in the road, when they could jump over something inanimate and get the same experience without taking the risk of a nasty accident. All the boys had helmets, although one or two had to be reminded to wear them, but the only other protective equipment I saw was one pair of knee pads. Apparently there is also a girl’s team but today they had come straight from school and the girls were in their school dresses so they were not allowed to ride for safety reasons, much to their disgust. The members of the club obviously love what they do and practice hard.