JohnPaul Portelli felt like there was something missing in his life, so he set off on an adventure of a lifetime to Malawi to see if he could make a difference there.
Malawi is located in south east Africa and is landlocked by Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world and has been repeatedly affected by famines in the last six years. During those famines up to 30 per cent of the population has been short of food. One million people currently live with AIDS in the poverty stricken country.
Portelli has travelled to Malawi with the Engineers without Borders. For the last five years, he worked at Syncrude Canada.
“I will be here for a year, and I just arrived on Feb. 29. I had the house and car and good job, but there was still something that wasn’t quite being fulfilled. So I decided to try something different. I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and I also feel that I have a certain skills set, and I thought maybe those skills might be better used for the poor of the world,” said Portelli in a telephone interview this week.
“And the third reason I came was that I come from a Christian background, so I felt that something was always speaking to me to do something like this,” added Portelli.
Right now Portelli is working with Malawi’s Department of Science and Technology. They take ideas that already exist in the country and try to improve upon the technology and implement it on a larger scale. The current project is a maize, or corn mill. They hope to make it more efficient so that people will take less time to mill the maize, which is a main staple of the Malawi diet.
“With the group, we don’t necessarily do engineering work. It’s more systems work and we typically partner with non-government organizations and instead of doing our own designs, we try to learn or improve and then apply those practices to those who can use them best,” said Portelli.
The first two weeks of Portelli’s stay gave him a bit of culture shock. He was placed with a family in the village of Kadindiza, a tribal village with a chief.
He was put in a mud hut that had an earthen floor, no running water, electricity or bathroom.
Portelli said it was hard, because “Not too many spoke English, so it was hard to communicate. And I also was not working those first two weeks, so I didn’t feel like I really had a purpose.”
Portelli is currently staying in a hostel in the capital city of Lilongwe, but will be moving back into a village in a few weeks for three or four months.
There are no phones in the villages, and even in the city there are few landlines. Many actually have cellphones.
“Even just doing work is a challenge. When working at Syncrude and if you wanted information, or if you needed something done, then you would pick up the phone, or send an e-mail, but that doesn’t work here,” said Portelli.
“My plan is to stick it out for the year here in Malawi. But I do wonder sometimes if I made the right decision. I think should I have stayed in Fort McMurray? My motivation was to come here and make a difference, but now that I am here the problems seem so much greater than me, and I wonder how can I possibly have any impact?” Portelli asked himself.
He’s modelling his stay there on the story about the starfish on the beach. The story goes like this: “A young boy was running along the beach after hundreds of starfish had been washed ashore and was quickly tossing them all back in the ocean. A man came along and said why was the boy bothering because he wasn’t going to make a difference. The little boy tossed another starfish in and said, “I made a difference to that one.”
That’s what Portelli hopes he will accomplish, that he will at least affect one life.
Portelli is writing about his adventures in Malawi on his website: www.johnpaulportelli.com.
Friday, 11 April 2008
University of Malawi to introduce new media degree course
The University of Malawi in collaboration with the Malawi chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa will be introducing a BA in Communication studies, which will help in improving the quality of media in Malawi.
MISA Malawi National Director Innocent Chitosi disclosed that the training is expected to commence at the University's constituent Chancellor College in Zomba City in May this year.
“Journalists will be attending classes during designated times and return to their work places,” said Chitosi on MISA Malawi chapter internet forum on Monday.
For 30 years, Malawi's previous government banned the teaching of any media-related courses in the country's institutions – a decree that only allowed those who had qualifications in other areas like education and other arts subjects to take up media jobs in Malawi.
However, when people voted for a multiparty type of democracy in a referendum of 1993, a number of people established journalism schools that started training journalists, besides a BA in Journalism that was introduced at the University of Malawi's Polytechnic Constituent College in Blantyre.
Malawi's Institute of Journalism was also started and has been offering journalism diplomas and certificates but a large section of Malawian journalists did not have university qualifications.
Commentators say once introduced, the BA in Communication studies degree will help to cover this gap and put Malawi's media on a part par with the rest of the world.
Chitosi said entry requirements include a diploma in journalism, mass communication, or education from recognised institutions.
“Those with considerable work experience will be considered but they should have a Malawi School Certificate of Education qualification,” he said.
The degree course is expected to be comprehensive, and will cover areas such as logic, practical criticism, public relations, communication research, contemporary political philosophy, communication and social change, advanced public speaking.
The electives aspect of the degree course will include parliamentary procedures, broadcast management, critical studies in television, photojournalism, strategic communication and a lot more.
However, Mayeso Chirwa, a journalist working for American Embassy communication department in Malawi wondered if the degree program has been developed enough in terms of its course content.
“I don't know if the people involved in the project will just use a template but I have learnt that framers spend substantial time structuring course work so that curricula hang together across grade levels and address a need,” he said.
Sunday Times Editor Brian Ligomeka lauded the program saying it would easily accommodate those who are working.
Malawi's BBC correspondent Raphael Tenthani while also praising the program suggested that it be made more research-intensive ‘like that long-term MA program at Rhodes where people fly to Grahamstown for two weeks, stay home for two, three months, go back...'
The authorities have announced that fees structure for the program is being finalised although Chitosi said ‘the more students there shall be, the lower the fees they shall pay'.
Currently MISA Malawi is asking journalists who might be interested to pursue the training to apply through it as soon as possible.
MISA Malawi National Director Innocent Chitosi disclosed that the training is expected to commence at the University's constituent Chancellor College in Zomba City in May this year.
“Journalists will be attending classes during designated times and return to their work places,” said Chitosi on MISA Malawi chapter internet forum on Monday.
For 30 years, Malawi's previous government banned the teaching of any media-related courses in the country's institutions – a decree that only allowed those who had qualifications in other areas like education and other arts subjects to take up media jobs in Malawi.
However, when people voted for a multiparty type of democracy in a referendum of 1993, a number of people established journalism schools that started training journalists, besides a BA in Journalism that was introduced at the University of Malawi's Polytechnic Constituent College in Blantyre.
Malawi's Institute of Journalism was also started and has been offering journalism diplomas and certificates but a large section of Malawian journalists did not have university qualifications.
Commentators say once introduced, the BA in Communication studies degree will help to cover this gap and put Malawi's media on a part par with the rest of the world.
Chitosi said entry requirements include a diploma in journalism, mass communication, or education from recognised institutions.
“Those with considerable work experience will be considered but they should have a Malawi School Certificate of Education qualification,” he said.
The degree course is expected to be comprehensive, and will cover areas such as logic, practical criticism, public relations, communication research, contemporary political philosophy, communication and social change, advanced public speaking.
The electives aspect of the degree course will include parliamentary procedures, broadcast management, critical studies in television, photojournalism, strategic communication and a lot more.
However, Mayeso Chirwa, a journalist working for American Embassy communication department in Malawi wondered if the degree program has been developed enough in terms of its course content.
“I don't know if the people involved in the project will just use a template but I have learnt that framers spend substantial time structuring course work so that curricula hang together across grade levels and address a need,” he said.
Sunday Times Editor Brian Ligomeka lauded the program saying it would easily accommodate those who are working.
Malawi's BBC correspondent Raphael Tenthani while also praising the program suggested that it be made more research-intensive ‘like that long-term MA program at Rhodes where people fly to Grahamstown for two weeks, stay home for two, three months, go back...'
The authorities have announced that fees structure for the program is being finalised although Chitosi said ‘the more students there shall be, the lower the fees they shall pay'.
Currently MISA Malawi is asking journalists who might be interested to pursue the training to apply through it as soon as possible.
Madonna due in Malawi court in late April
U.S. pop star Madonna is expected to appear in a Malawian court in about two weeks for a final ruling on whether she can adopt a child from the southern African country, court clerks said on Friday.
"Tentatively the case is expected in court on these dates -- the 22nd, 23rd and 25th (of April)," said one of the clerks, who asked to remain anonymous.
He said Madonna's lawyers had requested those dates and the judge in the case would make a decision when he returns from vacation this week.
Malawi's government recommended earlier this month that its High Court approve Madonna's adoption of David Banda, the child she met in a Malawian orphanage a year and a half ago.
Madonna began adoption proceedings in 2006 and the two-year-old has been living with the pop star and her film director husband Guy Ritchie in their London home since then.
The adoption has been controversial, with critics accusing the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi, which has been badly hit by an AIDS epidemic leaving more than one million orphans.
"Tentatively the case is expected in court on these dates -- the 22nd, 23rd and 25th (of April)," said one of the clerks, who asked to remain anonymous.
He said Madonna's lawyers had requested those dates and the judge in the case would make a decision when he returns from vacation this week.
Malawi's government recommended earlier this month that its High Court approve Madonna's adoption of David Banda, the child she met in a Malawian orphanage a year and a half ago.
Madonna began adoption proceedings in 2006 and the two-year-old has been living with the pop star and her film director husband Guy Ritchie in their London home since then.
The adoption has been controversial, with critics accusing the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi, which has been badly hit by an AIDS epidemic leaving more than one million orphans.
Malawi Tobacco Output to Rise 37% This Year, Commission Says
Tobacco production in Malawi, Africa biggest producer of the burley variety of the crop, will increase 37 percent this year, the state-run Tobacco Control Commission said.
Output will grow to 150 million kilograms (331 million pounds), from 109.8 million kilograms last year, the Lilongwe- based commission said in an e-mailed statement today. The estimate, the commission's final projection for this season, is 11 percent higher than its previous forecast.
Production of flue-cured tobacco, a higher grade of tobacco cured in heated barns, will amount to 23 million kilograms.
Richmond, Virginia-based Universal Corp. will be the biggest buyer of the country's tobacco this year after Alliance One International Inc. announced last month it would withdraw from Malawi.
Output will grow to 150 million kilograms (331 million pounds), from 109.8 million kilograms last year, the Lilongwe- based commission said in an e-mailed statement today. The estimate, the commission's final projection for this season, is 11 percent higher than its previous forecast.
Production of flue-cured tobacco, a higher grade of tobacco cured in heated barns, will amount to 23 million kilograms.
Richmond, Virginia-based Universal Corp. will be the biggest buyer of the country's tobacco this year after Alliance One International Inc. announced last month it would withdraw from Malawi.
New charity launched to help fund student medics in Africa
A new campaign to help fund trainee doctors in Malawi will be launched tomorrow (Saturday 12 April) by a medical graduate of Imperial College London.
Dr Kate Mandeville, now a Senior House Officer at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, is behind the Medic-To-Medic Programme, a new initiative that will see UK doctors and medical students directly sponsoring their counterparts in Malawi.
The programme guarantees to pay the £90 per year tuition fee of 20 trainee doctors in Malawi, selected on the basis of financial need and academic potential, for a full year. Doctors and medical students in the UK will sponsor an individual student, and will receive regular updates from that student on their progress. The programme will be administered through the International Medical Education Trust (IMET2000).
The scheme will also offer teaching opportunities for Imperial medical students at the Malawi College of Medicine. The Malawi College finds it difficult to recruit enough teachers for the medical students in the early years of the medical course, which is mainly science-based. Imperial medical students in the final three years of their course will have the opportunity to go to Malawi for up to six weeks during the summer break to assist with teaching.
Malawi has only two doctors per 100,000 people although it is estimated by the World Health Organisation that a country needs around 250 healthcare professionals per 100,000 people to provide basic healthcare. Dr Mandeville hopes that the Medic-To-Medic programme will play a part in increasing the number of qualified doctors in the country. She says:
"Malawi has just one medical school located in Blantyre, its largest city. Despite government subsidies, it still costs students £90 a year to study and many cannot afford this. I hope by setting up this programme we can increase the number of doctors graduating every year and make real improvements to the healthcare of ordinary Malawians."
She hopes that in future the programme will expand to include other medical schools in the UK and Europe. She also aims to develop a similar scheme for postgraduate medics with the aim of stemming the brain drain of doctors in developing countries to the west. She adds:
"A great problem for developing countries is retaining their staff once they have qualified, with many doctors emigrating to high income countries like the UK, Australia and the USA. I would like to set up a similar postgraduate scheme in which specialists sponsor trainees in the same speciality, supplementing local salaries in order to reduce the incentives for leaving their country."
IMET2000 was founded to promote high quality medical education around the world. It has supported Dr Mandeville in setting up Medic-To-Medic, by taking on the scheme as an affiliated project. Founder Colin Green said:
"Education is the key to solving so may of the world’s healthcare problems and it is certainly the starting point for all development. The average life expectancy in Malawi is just 47 for men and 46 for women. As well as short term improvements in the numbers of practicing doctors, we hope our programme will contribute to raising the average life expectancy in the medium-long term."
Dr Mandeville was born in Malawi when her father was working as an engineer for the Malawian government, and developed the idea for the programme during a return visit last summer. “I had been thinking about the idea for a while, and went to visit the medical school in Blantyre. The Dean told me that many medical students have to spend much of their study time searching for extra funding, and I realised that a scheme like this could have a real impact,” she explained.
The launch event will take place at Hotel Russell in Bloomsbury, London, with a dinner and guest speakers including Colin Green of IMET2000 and Dr Mahmood Adil, Medical Director at The Care Quality Commission Establishment Team in England and Visiting Fellow of Global Health at Yale School of Public Health. The Malawian High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Francis Moto, will also be attending the event.
Doctors and students interested in getting involved in the scheme should visit www.imet2000.org/medictomedic
Dr Kate Mandeville, now a Senior House Officer at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, is behind the Medic-To-Medic Programme, a new initiative that will see UK doctors and medical students directly sponsoring their counterparts in Malawi.
The programme guarantees to pay the £90 per year tuition fee of 20 trainee doctors in Malawi, selected on the basis of financial need and academic potential, for a full year. Doctors and medical students in the UK will sponsor an individual student, and will receive regular updates from that student on their progress. The programme will be administered through the International Medical Education Trust (IMET2000).
The scheme will also offer teaching opportunities for Imperial medical students at the Malawi College of Medicine. The Malawi College finds it difficult to recruit enough teachers for the medical students in the early years of the medical course, which is mainly science-based. Imperial medical students in the final three years of their course will have the opportunity to go to Malawi for up to six weeks during the summer break to assist with teaching.
Malawi has only two doctors per 100,000 people although it is estimated by the World Health Organisation that a country needs around 250 healthcare professionals per 100,000 people to provide basic healthcare. Dr Mandeville hopes that the Medic-To-Medic programme will play a part in increasing the number of qualified doctors in the country. She says:
"Malawi has just one medical school located in Blantyre, its largest city. Despite government subsidies, it still costs students £90 a year to study and many cannot afford this. I hope by setting up this programme we can increase the number of doctors graduating every year and make real improvements to the healthcare of ordinary Malawians."
She hopes that in future the programme will expand to include other medical schools in the UK and Europe. She also aims to develop a similar scheme for postgraduate medics with the aim of stemming the brain drain of doctors in developing countries to the west. She adds:
"A great problem for developing countries is retaining their staff once they have qualified, with many doctors emigrating to high income countries like the UK, Australia and the USA. I would like to set up a similar postgraduate scheme in which specialists sponsor trainees in the same speciality, supplementing local salaries in order to reduce the incentives for leaving their country."
IMET2000 was founded to promote high quality medical education around the world. It has supported Dr Mandeville in setting up Medic-To-Medic, by taking on the scheme as an affiliated project. Founder Colin Green said:
"Education is the key to solving so may of the world’s healthcare problems and it is certainly the starting point for all development. The average life expectancy in Malawi is just 47 for men and 46 for women. As well as short term improvements in the numbers of practicing doctors, we hope our programme will contribute to raising the average life expectancy in the medium-long term."
Dr Mandeville was born in Malawi when her father was working as an engineer for the Malawian government, and developed the idea for the programme during a return visit last summer. “I had been thinking about the idea for a while, and went to visit the medical school in Blantyre. The Dean told me that many medical students have to spend much of their study time searching for extra funding, and I realised that a scheme like this could have a real impact,” she explained.
The launch event will take place at Hotel Russell in Bloomsbury, London, with a dinner and guest speakers including Colin Green of IMET2000 and Dr Mahmood Adil, Medical Director at The Care Quality Commission Establishment Team in England and Visiting Fellow of Global Health at Yale School of Public Health. The Malawian High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Francis Moto, will also be attending the event.
Doctors and students interested in getting involved in the scheme should visit www.imet2000.org/medictomedic
155 illigal immigrants intercepted in Malawi
The Mozambican police have intercepted a truck carrying a container in which 155 foreigners from Ethiopia and Somalia were traveling, reports Wednesday’s issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".
One of the illegal immigrants had already died of asphyxiation, and a further 50 were in a severely weakened condition, and required medical care at the time the container was intercepted.
The truck had entered Mozambique from Malawi and was driving through Tete province on its way to the port city of Beira, where the immigrants would have been offloaded.
The police stopped the truck at a checkpoint at Matambo, in Changara district, some 20 kilometres south of Tete city.
They could hear the concealed passengers screaming, apparently from suffocation.
When the truck driver realized that the police were now aware of the "goods" he was carrying, he sped away, with the police in pursuit.
After a further 20 kilometres, the driver abandoned the truck.
The police opened the container and found 68 young Somalis and 87 Ethiopians inside.
The health authorities were called in to attend to those who were seriously ill.
The passengers had travelled for many hours from a refugee camp in Malawi inside the windowless metallic container, without any food or drinking water.
The Tete police told reporters they hope to deport the group back to Malawi.
They will be the second group of illegal foreigners to be repatriated to Malawi in less than a week.
Another 98 were caught Friday crossing the border at Zobue, also in Tete, in another truck.
In both cases, the police confirmed that the drivers, both of Malawian nationality, managed to run away, but the companies for which they are working have provided the necessary information to have them arrested, and have offered to cooperate with the police.
The owners of those companies, though admitting that the trucks were theirs, denied any involvement in the business of transporting illegal immigrants.
One of the illegal immigrants had already died of asphyxiation, and a further 50 were in a severely weakened condition, and required medical care at the time the container was intercepted.
The truck had entered Mozambique from Malawi and was driving through Tete province on its way to the port city of Beira, where the immigrants would have been offloaded.
The police stopped the truck at a checkpoint at Matambo, in Changara district, some 20 kilometres south of Tete city.
They could hear the concealed passengers screaming, apparently from suffocation.
When the truck driver realized that the police were now aware of the "goods" he was carrying, he sped away, with the police in pursuit.
After a further 20 kilometres, the driver abandoned the truck.
The police opened the container and found 68 young Somalis and 87 Ethiopians inside.
The health authorities were called in to attend to those who were seriously ill.
The passengers had travelled for many hours from a refugee camp in Malawi inside the windowless metallic container, without any food or drinking water.
The Tete police told reporters they hope to deport the group back to Malawi.
They will be the second group of illegal foreigners to be repatriated to Malawi in less than a week.
Another 98 were caught Friday crossing the border at Zobue, also in Tete, in another truck.
In both cases, the police confirmed that the drivers, both of Malawian nationality, managed to run away, but the companies for which they are working have provided the necessary information to have them arrested, and have offered to cooperate with the police.
The owners of those companies, though admitting that the trucks were theirs, denied any involvement in the business of transporting illegal immigrants.
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