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Report-July 2011, John Harrison Report-September 2011, John Harrison |
Report-August 2011, John Harrison |
 Water and Sanitation read more. . .  Education and Recreation read more. . .  Nutrition and Food read more. . .  Farming and Gardens read more. . .
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Report-December 2011, Committee CCS
Report-November 2011, John Harrison
Report-October 2011, John Harrison
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Report-November 2011, John Harrison.htm
Farming and Gardens
Christi and Francis are heading for a week long residential course on using medicinal plants and how to grow them www.anamed.net/anamed.org in Dedza which should be useful when applied.
Health and Disability
Transport 13 orthopeadic patients for assessment and referral at 500 miles prosthetic clinic. Also take 1 cleft lip baby and a child with haematoma on lip for assessment-the child with haematoma is admitted
Disability
Take some patients for MAP (Malawi against Physical Disability) assessment including polio patient (Nicholas) who needs a tricycle-hand bike. Also include some other patients who require assessment and treatment from Mr Kalipindi but he is suffering from malaria-leave Nicholas.
Evelyne arrives with representatives of MACOHA and JTI to look at options for vocational training of disabled individuals.
Chimteka Life
UNICEF calls to enquire about progress of community based management training Journey of Life, which they support. Attempt to explain progress but still not entirely sure what it actually is…
Diesel fuel increases from 260 Mkw to 360 Mkw-Overnight! And still none available.
Later manage to get some diesel but a bit shocked at how much it costs to fill tank, public transport and all basic commodities have increased by at least 20 percent yet the value of the kwacha is less than it has ever been….big problem.
Later in month fuel problems seem to be easing with diesel and petrol available in Mchinji but the 40% increase has seen a big increase in the cost of basic commodities.
Last week of Tenteleni volunteers
Employment and Enterprise
Travel to Mchinji by motorcycle to get information relating to the grant for the maize mill engine. The price of the engine has already gone up by over 30% in the space of 3 months and is continuing to rise so rushing to get it purchased, which requires getting a letter from the bank stating that an account in the name of Chimteka Village Aids and Orphan care exists at National Bank of Malawi proves more difficult than I anticipated……directed to Lilongwe – there follows:
On return to Chimteka collect a big load of cardboard for use of ladies who are coming to train people in Appropriate Paper Technology (furniture construction using c/board).
Evelyne, Alice (O/therapist) and Titti (OT) arrive with Ruth and Wendy (Ruth-Alices Mum) to begin training on APT and undertake therapy for children.
The people attending the weekly APT training will be a mix of disabled and youth, and most of the items constructed will be known as Assistive Cardboard Equipment.
Hear that Benjamin “Fish” transferred to Ntcheu, slightly unfortunate as he was a great deal of help in re-starting fish farming in the area.
On the way back from taking 2 sick patients to Mchinjie hospital, Mchinji head to Ludzi mission to discuss with Sister Agnes the possibility of sourcing fingerlings for 5 of our ponds.
Education and Recreation
Take the last group of Secondary school students on a careers visit to Mchinji Police station.
Amazed at incredibly generous donation of 2500 euros from Tim Lee who was with us for less than 5 days….but I am really glad we took him on our team building trip to the lake!!! Head for Ministry Education to ask about sourcing text books for program as suggested by Tim.
Construction and Roads
Nutrition
News from Board of Chimteka Children Support, Sutton, Dublin.
A scaled drawing of the existing clinic at Chiosya was received from John, together with the input from the leaders and chiefs of the villages as to future plans to re-organise and extend the totally inadequate area reserved for maternity care and births.
This is being studied by the committee in Dublin with input from member and architect Catherine Pauline. Paul and Carol have visited here this year and can also give practical input.
Report-November 2011, John Harrison.htm
Purchase 300kg of maize and get it shilled so that it can be used by Chimteka II in our school feeding program twice per week.
Health
Already starting to see a small increase in malaria cases due to the early rains
Meet up with World Vision rep in Kamwendo to discuss borrowing sprayers and personal protective equipment for our program….he arrives 3 hours late (due to fuel..he says) but thinks it should be no problem if a few bits of paper with rubber stamps are supplied!
Sort out logistics for Indoor Residual spraying of Chimteka households. Those people that have already been trained in spraying will undergo a two day refresher course and we will have a community mobilization meeting with chiefs etc on Friday.
At a meeting; talk about Integrated Vector Management; 3 parts-
Send Francis to collect spraying equipment from World Vision with motorcycle ambulance.
Take in Eranger m/cycle ambulance for 6000km service-still in good condition due to regular servicing but going through a lot of rear wheel spokes, tell guys to slow it down a bit especially when going around corners.
Fuel problems have returned to Malawi so dependent on using the motorcycle much of the time.
Collect Orthopedic and ART outreach teams from Mchinji.
Discuss with Emmanuel and Christi about the possibility of introducing a Triage system in the OPD of the HC based on a traffic light system, as we move into the malaria season it is important that those who are suffering from (especially pediatric) malaria receive rapid treatment and those who are critical are quickly referred, receive a positive response to the idea. Also would be v.useful if a major outbreak e.g. measles
Collect large amounts of drugs for the HC and 250 rapid test malaria diagnosis kits which are a very exciting development and used in conjunction with the HB machine and thermometers should lead to rapid diagnosis and identification of severity of illness.
Disability
Epilepsy/orthopedic outreach from Mchinji District Hospital
Water and Sanitation
I then call a meeting of the chiefs to discuss the ongoing ODF program in the rest of the villages and encourage them to make progress as the rains appear to be arriving early this year.
Chimteka Life
Large number of funerals in close vicinity to Chimteka affects our programs slightly but Pavla manages to continue her work with the HIV/AIDS group and Christina/Ellie work at the Sec School and Health Centre.
Stay in Mchinji and very luckily a fuel tanker arrives and manage to fill vehicle, the deliveries are very small (less than 3000 liters) and usually last less than 2 hours once pumping has begun
Travel to Lilongwe:
Unfortunately the vehicle MZ3147 keeps conking out due to dirt in the fuel tank, and have a very long trip back to Chimteka with lots of stops to pump lifter pump etc, luckily I managed to pickup someone I recognized in Lilongwe (who is traveling to Mchinji) with mechanical experience and we manage to limp home.
Education and Recreation
Take 7 of the CDSS girls on a trip to Musa Watu radio; these are girls who would like to follow a career in journalism, next week hospital.
Great being able to show girls potential career paths and meet some positive female role models along the way….the idea of Ellie; tenteleni volunteer.
PTA meeting at Chimteka II discussing absenteeism of learners (wish it had also included teachers!), feeding program and development work.
In try to emphasis the ownership of the school is with the community and (parents/guardians) they must take part in activities of the school when asked and not expect us (CCS) to bail them out. Also mention the school garden and ask what they are planning concerning growing of maize this year for the 2012/13 f/program.
The school presents me with a budget to undertake a trip they are planning with the school wildlife and environment club to a nature sanctuary.
There followed a meeting with the School Management Committee, PTA, Chiefs and teachers of Chimteka II regarding education
The youth perform some drama/songs they have been working on to encourage people to enroll in education
Energy
Return spraying equipment to World Vision, it was very generous of them to lend such expensive (brand new) and fragile equipment and I certainly would not have done the same under any circumstances!! Give the project manager a puppy as way of thanks…
A spraying evaluation meeting followed to discuss how the program of IRS was conducted; problems, lessons learned etc
90 ART patients and 17 orthopedic patients were treated by the Orthopedic and ART (Anti Retroviral Therapy) outreach clinic from Mchinji Hospital. On the way back I collect a lady (Hilda) from MACOHA (Malawi Council of the Handicapped) to witness what activities we are conducting for the disabled at Chimteka
Also representatives from the Malawi Association of the blind to discuss potential options for vocational training in the future
While in Mchinji get the 4WD on vehicle maintained as the rains mean we may need it to be engaged again soon! Replace front wheel bearings on vehicle MZ3147
Pavla and the Aids group have a small party with food, soft drinks etc
Ellie is given a chitenje by the school to reward her for work done and Christina assists Fortina at the clinic
Start preparing for the grinding mill program, will have to ensure proper structures in place for daily operation and management this time, although we have a bit of a budget shortfall as the original quote for engine was 895,000 the cost is currently 1,200,000 Mkw and increasing weekly due to the devaluation of kwacha and end of duty free status of grinding mills. Look for other grinding mill options in Lilongwe and find an engine for 1,070,000 which may be a better option.
* Collect a new pro-forma quote for grinding mill engine
* Attempt to contact the American Embassy to discuss progress of disbursement for grant-we are against the clock as the supplier will only give us a proforma invoice valid for two weeks-it was going to be only 7 days!!
* Meet Sarah Oddo at American embassy to discuss grant progress and also by chance meet the US ambassador
www.paperfurnitureenterprise.com
www.peoplepotential.org.uk
Evelyne, Alice and Titti leave while Ruth and Wendy will stay.
Some interesting pieces of assistive furniture (for the disabled) start to take shape. Then unfortunately Wendy became unwell overnight, so I stood in to help Ruth with completion of furniture.
The APT method of construction is very interesting and cost effective but the only concern would be the complexity of the operations.
There was a presentation of certificates for those that have attended the APT course
Wendy became increasingly ill and may need to return to England for medical assistance
While returning Tenteleni girls to Mchinji, I included 7 students on a career visit to Mchinji District hospital visiting; radiography, lab, pharmacy, wards etc. The hospital staff love talking about there jobs and I think they have benefited from the visits as much as girls.
Meet Chimteka CDSS teachers to discuss the purchase of text books; titles, number etc
Collect CDSS text book list ready to purchase books from Lilongwe.
Purchase text books for Secondary School with Tim Lee donation
Back to Top
Head for Lilongwe to meet Ministry of Land’s personnel, eventually meet Commissioner for Lands (second after Minister) and he assures me that I will have it in the afternoon or Tuesday of next week. On my return, vow I will not return without a title deed for Ministry of Education land at Chioshya (Girls hostel).
After my arrival in Lilongwe at 7am, there followed a great deal of waiting around; finally manage to meet the principle Secretary for Minister and explain why we need Ministerial approval and that deadline for application is tomorrow. At 4.30 pm receive signed document and thank Minister of Lands in person - head back to Mchinji.
I completed the grant application for girl’s hostel and also final touches to end of Water and Sanitation project that needs to be submitted at same time
Collect 400 packets of vitameal from Feed the Children-requested 650 but due to fuel shortages, forex etc etc they are suffering a shortage.
The grant application for the construction of a girl’s hostel to Miseain Cara was submitted this week and thanks
to John's perseverance and tenacity the title deeds included; it is hard
to believe that it has taken 2 years to get a document like this. Public
organisations are not supporting communities that want to help
themselves, even when these public organisations are paid to provide a
service.
Farming and Gardens
The Clinton Foundation finally schedules a meeting to Chioshya EPA to meet the farmers groups and explain what support they can offer in terms of Conservation Agriculture. Unfortunately they are supposed to arrive at 9 am but eventually arrive at 3:30pm, and what they are offering will be restricted to offering loans for those wanting to grow Soya under the CA system and no support will be available for Maize production, which is pretty disappointing.
Considering the possibilities for Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) of households to reduce the transmission of malaria during the rainy season months of November to April
When used in conjunction with mosquito nets in a framework known as Integrated Vector Management IRS has been shown to significantly reduce malaria cases and therefore reduce childhood mortality.
The recommended product is Fendona (BASF), it costs 7,065 Mkw per litre and the District coordinator assures me that he will make a calculation on amounts based on treating approx 1000 h/holds before the end of the week.
When applied correctly it can be effective for over 6 months with a long acting residual impact.
1. Improve capacity for diagnosis and treatment malaria
2. Use of bed nets
3. Indoor Residual Spraying
We will try and do our bit with 1 but stress how important it is to use nets and IRS in conjunction with each other.
Organize who will spray and plan on completing whole operation in 7 days-chiefs must tell community what is going to happen and stress safety of procedure.
Distribution of soap Katakungwa CBCC, glad to see a large number of children attending and people are preparing to construct a new kitchen for the facility.
In the afternoon conduct a meeting with Health Centre staff to discuss possible improvements to the Health Clinic (H/C). I already took dimensions of Chioshya HC using Liam’s measuring wheel.
There were some interesting suggestions for change the use of certain rooms and provision of increased accommodation capacity for guardians…report to follow.
Back to Top
Evelyne arrives and conducts a toy making workshop for disabled children and splits parents into groups for Community Based Rehabilitation.
Groups are formed and agree to meet once a week to conduct specific exercises that will assist in the development of the disabled children and act as a good social interaction for parents facing similar issues.
Unfortunately epilepsy nurse refuses to join me as she insists on undertaking a Continuous Professional Development course at the hospital instead of putting the patients first…the training no doubt comes with a monetary allowance. Eventually manage to resolve the issue and get another nurse after pulling in some heavy weight contacts.
Still upset with nurse who refused to join me for epilepsy outreach but instead of confronting her again try a different tack and buy her a live chicken……..I think the adage keep your friends close but your enemy’s closer applies here!
The Community Lead Total Sanitation (CLTS) functions were held at Katakungwa and Liwinga villages on October 7th when Open defecation Free (ODF) status was declared.
Katakunga celebrates an Open Defecation Free (ODF) village after the building of the Pit Latrines.
The District Commissioner signs the plaque in Katakunga and there is a walk of honour with the plaque.
Liwinga also celebrates an ODF village.
Entertainers are there for the celebration.
Collect Tenteleni volunteers from Mchinji; Mark and Christina assist at Health Centre and
Ellie travels to the CDSS for work with the secondary school girls
Pavla continues her work with the Aids group
Beginning of a long weekend; Monday is Mothers day. Take the opportunity to go on a bus trip to Zomba.
Travel to Chipata (Zambia) to have a wander about and generally have a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend!
* Collect balance of vita meal from feed the children
* Deliver hard copies of letters to lady in Lilongwe who donated malaria test kits last week (150)
* Discuss with Lilongwe diocesan office about extension of work permit
* Follow up Ministry of Lands Title deed application
The title deed application has been sent back to Lands Dept for Ministerial approval after alterations; will further follow up next week by phone but should be entering final phase!
In the afternoon, Christina and Ellie start putting together a small grants proposal through the Irish embassy to purchase new instruments/resources for the Chimteka Band.
They are a great tool for disseminating information messages related to health, sanitation, education etc and also they are looking at ways to allow the youth to play music and perform. A proposal was submitted to the National Aids Commission (NAC) but has limited chances of success and I believe this small project would be a good fit.
Start by breaking into groups and pose two questions; why do children not attend CBCC/primary and why should people send children to school. Get some interesting responses and then start to develop strategies for getting more kids to attend but also encourage adults to make use of adult education programs.
Attempt to draw some parallels with ODF and how we can make an illiteracy free zone and have 90-100 percent attendance. I also take the opportunity to ask the chiefs if it is possible to reduce other negative cultural practices e.g. excessive drinking but get a fairly negative response!
Meet ESCOM to ask about situation regarding connection of staff houses at Chioshya HC and when electricity meter will be installed at Chimteka Full Primary, apparently ESCOM have never been paid for connection of staff houses and plus there is the issue of no materials. Will take the issue up with hospital Administrator but don’t hold out much hope of any connection soon although the ESCOM manager gives his normal assurance that something will occur next week……
