On the flight

The team have been dropped at Blantyre airport and are on their way home....

Thank you so much for reading the blog and all your amazing comments! We know the team can't wait to show you their own photos and share their experiences with you too.

It's been an absolute pleasure working with TGS again and we can't wait for the next team to come back to Malawi to work with Joshua Orphan and Community Care again!

Thanks

All at Team Inspire 

Day 15: On the way to the airport

Day 14: Last day in Malawi

Blog post 14 - Marv and Tori

 

We woke up this morning in the safari park, after a peaceful night in tents with no hippo trampling. 

At 6.30 we embarked on a beautiful sunrise boat safari where we encountered numerous crocodiles, hippos and a variety of birds. 

This amazing experience was topped off by our first porridge free breakfast in 2 weeks which included BACON and sausages. We all enjoyed it very much. 

After packing away our tents we set off on another 5 hour coach journey back to Fishermans Rest which was filled with "singing" with the windows down, much to the delight of the many local markets we drove through. 

After arriving at Fishermans Rest we have all had a nice relaxing evening enjoying our last night together in Malawi. 

We are all looking forward to seeing you on Sunday morning (8.30 sharp please, we all want McDonalds) however we first have to overcome the long 24 hour journey back to England. 

As this will most likely be our last blog post of the trip we would like to take the opportunity to say what an amazing time we have had and we hope that you have enjoyed reading just a small glimpse of it and following our journey with us. 

PS. Happy Birthday to Rachel's mum Helen :)

Day 13: Safari!

Blog post 13 - Lou and Issy 

 

Hey everyone! 

We have just finished eating dinner after an afternoon and night safari - the chicken and sausages were most welcome! 

So far the list of seen animals includes:

Elephants

Hippos 

Mongeese

Impala

Antelope 

Kudus 

Crocodile 

Guinea foul

Monkeys 

Baboons

(And a beautiful, red sunset). 

We have an early start tomorrow morning as the boat safari starts at 6:30, but breakfast is at 8:30 and won't be porridge!

Today we spent five hours on the bus after leaving Manjenje and none of us will forget the gratitude in the children faces, and none of us will forget the sadness we felt as the children said 'see you tomorrow', when we knew we wouldn't.

The chief came to wave us off, and Stevie and Ian (the Joshua Field Officers) had tears in their eyes as we said our goodbyes. We would not have understood anything without their help as they were our translators.

Arriving at the safari park was strange as there are various electrical items AND PROPER SHOWERS AND TOILETS!!!!! 

We are just about to start dessert and the wifi is soon to go off.

See you all very soon, 

Lots of love, 

The Malawi team x

Day 12: Last day in the village

Blog post 12 - Niamh and Niamh

We're finding it hard to believe this was our last day in the village. 

The day began with half the team having a go at getting stuck in the mud making bricks barefoot, and the rest of us heading to Mwandika to put the finishing touches on the playground and the interior of the feeding centre. 

Just before lunch we united to reflect on what we've achieved these past 10 days; we were all so proud and even got some tears out of Twinham! The kids were ecstatic and the teachers overwhelmingly grateful - we couldn't have foreseen the impact our help has had for both adults and children alike. 

After waving goodbye to our handiwork we all piled in with all the village for a huge meal cooked by the hero of the trip, Ida our cool. WE HAD CHICKEN! Our first bit of meat all trip went down a treat. 

The day was closed with an extravagant closing ceremony including singing, speeches, and of course dancing. Saying goodbye to all our friends was a lot harder and more emotional than we'd have ever thought, and tears weren't only issued by Mrs Twinham this time!

The day closed with several more card games and rounds of Bananagrams ending with a mass singalong sat watching the stars. 

Knowing we came here aiming to make a difference to the lives of the Manyenje villagers, it's unbelievable how much they have also impacted us. 

Manyenje, you will be missed. 

Tuonana zangas 

Team Malawi. 

Day 11: Making bricks

Blog post 11: by Lauryn d & Robyn

After an interesting and hilarious night of sleep talking from Hannah, we began our usual morning routine. Half of us to Mwandika to finish painting, cement mixing, carrying rocks for the sandbanks and hoeing (we are always hoeing!). The other half stayed in manyenje to lime the toilet block, paint educational boards and sort out donations for Joshua - most of our suitcases would have halved in size.

After lunch, the groups switched sites. Those of us remaining in manyenje got the opportunity to make some bricks after a long, scenic walk along the river bank. Brick making involves standing barefoot in mid, getting covered in the mud and attempting to pack it into wooden moulds like a sandcastle (we knew those beach trips would come in useful somewhere!).

We also received another visit from Winnie (the Joshua founder) and her son David, who were not afraid to get stuck in.

Today has been particularly hot and sunny so we are ready to get a good nights sleep for our final day in manyenje!

P.s we are all really missing you back in the UK!

Day 10: Nurses

Blog post 10 - Issy and Vicky

Another day of work although, luckily for us, not a full one. We had an interval between mandazis and lunch in which we were visited by a Malawian nurse and a volunteer nurse from England who run Joshua's mobile clinics. It was really fascinating to learn about the Malawian medical system and how the lack of resources is overcome by the use of simple techniques such as saline solutions and frequently changing dressings. This was a particularly interesting talk for the aspiring medics among us but still, heartbreaking to hear about the poor conditions for recovery. 

On the work front, we were once again split across the two project sites. In Manyenje, we continued to hone our brick laying (Louise's niche) and plastering skills as we finished constructing the new toilet block. In the meantime, the Mwandika crew had to do yet more hoeing, rapidly becoming the most dreaded activity. Although hard work, this is essential in order to build stone walls to support the sand banks under heavy rain. One of the more relaxing tasks of the day was to paint colourful numbers and letters onto the walls of the school building for educational purposes once the holidays are over. It's a really amazing feeling to see how much a simple splash of paint can be effective in bringing to life the children's education. 

We are looking forward to tomorrow being our last full day of work! Our brief holiday before returning home will be well deserved. 

Tuanana! Lots of love, 

Team Malawi

PS If any of you are doctors could you please ask for out of date wound dressings (especially burn dressings and Vaseline) to send to Malawian hospitals and clinics which are desperately in need of them. 

PPS if you haven't already take a look at Inspire Worldwide's Facebook page as there is a short video of the team dancing!