The Warm Heart of Africa

Gap years are often a topic of hot debate.  Should I take one?  Should I go straight to University?  How will it benefit me long term?  Am I wasting a year? It‘s an important decision to make, and easier for some than others.  I knew from a very early stage that I wanted to take a gap year - I believed it was something that I was destined to do.  I'd had enough of education for the time being and wanted to broaden my horizons before going on to University feeling refreshed and full of vigour.  

I was keen to travel, and Africa was the place that beckoned.  Rather than just visit the place, I wanted to live and breathe it; to have a positive impact on a very fragile continent.  So, with financial support from WOBS Global Action Awards, I targeted two projects.  The first involved spending a month on South Africa's Eastern Cape - the Wild Coast - working for an Eco-Tourism Game Reserve.  For the second project, I spent three months living in a rural village on the shores of Lake Malawi, coaching sport and teaching in two local schools. To raise the necessary funds, I worked at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships before getting a full time job as a waiter in a local restaurant.

So on the 1^st March 2008; having had all sorts of injections and said my farewells, I was ready to embark on my journey.  What I was about to experience will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Work on my first project, at Inkwenkwese Game Reserve, started on the 5^th March 2008, after a day travelling, a day meeting my fellow volunteers and a two-day tour of the local Transkei region.  Inkwenkwese is running a conservation initiative that aims to return the land within the reserve to its original, natural state.  This primarily involves the removal of alien plant species, mainly of Australian origin, to allow the natural African bush to take over once again.  Our main enemies were the Black Wattle tree, capable of leeching the ground of 100 litres of water per day, and the Port Jackson Willow, a smaller plant that spreads quickly.  Removal of the Willow was relatively simple as they are a relatively small plant, but the Black Wattle required a lot more effort as they are much bigger trees.  We used a method called ring-barking - literally stripping the bark in a ring around the tree which cuts off the xylem and phloem, so the tree cannot feed.  If even a thin strand of bark is left the tree will survive.  When done properly, the tree dies within eighteen months, falls over and rots, thereby fertilizing the soil.

Over the next four weeks we spent much time ring-barking, and removing old fences left there from the days when the land was farmed which, in their current state, were capable of trapping game.  The wood was used to build a hide for bird monitoring.  An added bonus was the presence of three rescued lion cubs whom we cared for, fed and played with them - it was magical - as well as about thirty horses, both wild and tame, that roamed the reserve.

It was not all work! - we did have the opportunity to travel around the area at weekends, and we were able to try some of the Reserve's activities such as abseiling and horse riding.  One of the highlights of my whole trip was the day that we decided to brave the buffalo and spend the night out in the bush with our sleeping bags, a fire and the stars.  We took it in turns to keep watch for animals and stoke the fire - my slot was between 3 and 4 am.  With no lights for miles around, no man-made noises, no phones or TV, no news, no hint of any existence other than the people sleeping around me - I was at complete peace with the world during that hour.

So, the time came for me to leave Inkwenkwese, and as much as it was sad to bid farewell, it did mean that the next part of my journey was about to begin. I made my way by train and bus to Johannesburg, stopping off to catch a Super 14's Rugby game in Bloemfontein.  From Johannesburg I caught a plane to Lilongwein Malawi, where I was met by the Project Co-ordinator from Malawi Volunteers Organisation (MVO).  He took me, and two other new volunteers, to the house in Namakoma Village (about half an hour from Monkey Bay) right on the shores of Lake Malawi, which is Africa's third largest lake.  It was dark when I arrived, so the delightful view of the lake had to wait until the morning.  I met the other volunteers and settled into the house and learnt a bit more about the projects.

I spent the next three months attending and running football sessions every afternoon in a nearby village with Stevie Mbewe, an ex-Malawi youth player who suffered a career-ending ankle injury at the age of 22.  In view of the fact that I played for the mighty 6ths at Worth, I saw my role as a motivational and inspirational figure rather than as a coach!  When I arrived, the team had just lost to some local rivals.  As a result, there was considerable friction among team members and, with many of the older players giving up on training, their morale was really low.  I was able to reignite the fun that is engendered in playing team sport for these deprived boys.  They were all keen to see my Mzungu (white man) skills, they believed that all Europeans were amazing at football, I soon proved them wrong!  I did manage to hold my own and improved my own game and fitness; and the older players soon returned to training with the news that a local league was about to start.  I was even considered a hero after one game, when I managed to poach an equaliser before one of the better players scored a stunning winner!   More boys turned up for training and results on the pitch got better and better.  By the time I left, the team had been undefeated with just one draw and they were at the top of the group, ready to play in the semi finals.

This work, whilst fun, was hard work and very important for the boys.  By playing football they had a focus during the long afternoons after school, which kept them out of trouble.  With their success at football, I like to believe that their eyes were opened to their individual skills, as well as their ability to achieve good things both on and off the football pitch.  Whether they do better at school or at work (some of them had jobs as builders and on local transport) I hope that the skills, such as teamwork and leadership, which they learned through sport, will stand them in good stead for the future.

My mornings were spent teaching maths and science to 10-17 year olds.  I also spent some time in the local orphanage, where children whose parents have fallen victim to AIDS and Malaria, get a glimmer of hope for the future.

I also helped to start up a new project aimed at combating Malaria in Namakoma, and it is my hope that this project will be extended to cover all of the surrounding villages.  The project involved recording a census of Malaria history in each household before distributing new nets or washing, repairing and impregnating existing nets with World Health Organisation-approved chemicals, as well as educating residents on how to take preventative measures against this deadly illness.

At weekends we were able to travel around Malawi, and even made it down to Mozambique for a quick fishing trip.  Right at the end of my stay Stevie had his first child, a baby boy, who he asked me to name.  I could not decide on just one name, so gave him a shortlist of 10 and from that list he chose Jimmy.  Jimmy's full name is Jimmy Luke Mbewe - this gesture made me feel incredibly proud of what I had achieved during my time at Namakoma, and the fact that I had had such a positive impact on Stevie's life that he will now always remember me through his son.

Saying goodbye to Malawi was incredibly hard.  The people are unbelievably friendly.  They lead their lives in such a relaxed way - we certainly need to take lessons from them!  Even though they have little in a material sense, they have happiness and warmth in abundance.  Malawi is often described as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa' and until you experience it for yourself - either on a gap year, career break or a holiday - you'll simply have to take my word for it.

 Luke MacWilliam (R'07)- January 2009