Household chores and business as UNusual

Trip Start Jan 13, 2009
1
5
11
Trip End Mar 20, 2009


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Where I stayed
home of Wordsworth and Roslyn Rashid
(Lilongwe hotels)

Flag of Malawi  ,
Monday, February 2, 2009

With six hard-working girls in the household, it's hard to take care of myself. My clothes are washed by the Rashid's niece and sister Fanny and Harriet as good as any Whirlpool. My breakfast is prepared by Ellen, tea and dinner is served by Mrs. Rashid and plates are washed by Linda. The security guard, Daniel, takes my money to the LifeNets grocery store (pictured) to buy telephone units and cream. So, in trying to stay active, I moved my morning jump rope regiment to the afternoon and Mr. Rashid and I begin running in the morning at 4:45am. Yes, that's early but it's imperative that we leave no later than 5:00 so we're back by daybreak so that I'm less visible on the street. Last week I told Mr. Rashid that I ran a marathon a year-and-a-half ago and he took it as some sort of challenge. Score! The first day we started at 6:00 and by 6:30 we were close to a major taxi pick-up stop with riders hollering at the staggering African running behind the white girl. In the light, someone with evil intentions could more easily track down our home. We don't want to be robbed. Being a good guardian, and competitive runner, Mr. Rashid decided we should begin at 4:45.

I'm getting used to the fragrance of mosquito repellent, and as a result I've only been bitten once. My malaria medication makes me nauseous, but the combination of Trader Joe's Almond Butter and Malawi honey on a slice of wheat bread is just the "spoon full of sugar to make the medicine go down." I'm malaria free - but I wish I could say the same for Loveness, Harris and Harriet's son Joshua who all have the common symptoms of lack of appetite, hot/cold sweats and headaches.

Interviews at Government of Malawi

Workers in the Ministry of Education are beginning to recognize me as a familiar face. It has taken a few weeks but beginning today I have clearance to conduct wide-spread interviews in schools. My proposal letter indicating the research objectives and methodology, passed through the many department heads who must grant their approval. The memorandum by the Minster of Education, Science and Technology will be sent to all school officials in three of the five educational districts of Malawi. As an addition to LifeNets' research objectives, the Minister stated that this research will be used by the Government of Malawi as they try to understand the situation in schools. Relevant, valid and insightful research may be used as a reference by officials advocating education reform policies. My objectives are still to provide LifeNets with the most relevant data to further develop the scholarship program but it's great if the Government of Malawi and the people of Malawi can benefit in the process.

Today I interviewed the Head of Higher Education who acts as the voice for the two public universities in Malawi. Government is responsible for funding all workings of the university-teachers' salaries, infrastructure, teaching and learning materials-in addition to providing full tuition loans for over 75% of all students. With so many expenses, the government cannot extend access for many students to achieve a four-year degree. When I asked how many Malawians have a college degree, he stated that with a population of 14 million, only 2,000 Malawians graduate from an accredited university each year. This number was an improvement from previous years. (In comparison, Seattle, WA, USA has a population of 3.2 million and graduates over 30,000 students each year). There are other private higher education institutions in Malawi, but these offer certificates and diplomas, which are NOT recognized by government. So, how do you get into the University of Malawi? Grab a bed!

Nearly all university students live on campus. As a result, government pays a much larger amount to educate one student due to housing and other living costs: "You know our enrollment is increasing but our admission is based on bed space so we are limited by that...And maybe it is high-time that stopped using bed space as a criterion for selection," says Mr. Bisika.

Last week I interviewed the head of student financial need for all of higher education--also in the Ministry. In his own words, "My main duties are to coordinate loans for needy students who are studying at public universities in Malawi. So our loans are targeted towards those who are needy and they cover tuition, books and stationary. That's all." Nearly all students are needy. The Government of Malawi loans 75% of all enrolled students at the two public universities--University of Malawi or Mzuzu University--enough to cover tuition and MK10,000 ($71.43USD) for books and school supplies. Both are granted upon application. Loans cover tuition costs--MK25,000 ( $178.57USD) for UM and MK55,000 ($392.86USD) for MU. These loans are need-based only and must be repaid within six years of graduation.

FINDING WORK TO PAY FOR SCHOOL

While many college students in the US pay more for books during a semester than Malawians do for an entire year's education, these students scrape their pockets to find these kinds of funds. As one LifeNets scholarship recipient was reminding me today, even the most "mediocre" job is very hard to come by. Victor, a computer studies student at the National College of Information Technology, wants to continue his education all the way to the doctorate level, but cannot find a job to scrape together the funds. "I've applied to over 60 jobs in the last three months...It takes an average of three months to hear back," he said.



Thanks for reading! I know you want to hear more from the students. As I continue to transcribe my video and audio interviews, so I can provide quotes that speak for themselves. I'll have more student and scholarship recipient content coming your way soon.
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