The Kindness of Strangers
Things will go wrong when you leave your comfort zone and move, let’s say, to Africa. Events will not play out as they do in your favorite documentaries and nonfiction books about strife, development, and inequality. It isn’t always (or even often) smiling mothers with babies, community workshops “in the field”, and picturesque landscapes. There […]
Ordinary Man’s Holiday
A holiday in Malawi is a time for some families to spend quality time together. Sometimes expecting such holidays turns into a process that involves saving and planning special events, intended to make the day special. Some of the holidays include Christmas, Easter and Mother’s day. I come from a family that has never seen […]
“If a child washed his hands, he could eat with kings.”*
*This is an African proverb, made famous by Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart.” It describes how if one is ready and prepared, he can join the activities. The definition shows that anyone can make positive changes and become successful. I made this the title of the blog because I felt like a little person in a […]
Stigma Woes; or, Be Nice to Sex Workers
I sat alone in my basement apartment at 5:00 a.m., ears ringing, the silence jolting and invasive. I had spent the previous eight hours on the overnight outreach van with my new employers, the aptly titled “HIPS,” or Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive, and I felt at once desperately fatigued and fretfully manic. The night was […]
New Branding, High Expectations!
Branding! One of the ways for being identified among all the other organizations providing the same service as you. The way you can be recognized by consumers and create credibility for yourself. For example, Coca-Cola can be recognized by billions of people all over the world. In my country, some people know Coca-Cola before even […]
PAUSE and REWIND: Recap of my first 4 months with PiH Neno/APZU in Malawi
My name is Jeffrey, and I am the Pharmaceutical and Logistics Coordinator for Partners in Health’s (PiH) Neno/APZU site in the beautiful country of Malawi – the “warm heart of Africa.” My first 4 months in Neno, Malawi have been a whirlwind. This blog is an attempt to PAUSE and relive the moments myself with […]
A ‘curse’ faced by over 2 million children under age 5 in Uganda
Uganda has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world with 38% of infants under 5 years (2,000.000 children) affected. Malnutrition is the underlying cause of 60% of infant mortalities and 25% of mothers especially in the rural parts of the country. These remarks of the Minister of Agriculture, Professor Zerubaberi Nyiira while officiating […]
Umva!
During the first couple of weeks of returning to my home country after spending eight years abroad, I realized that I had no idea how to get attention from strangers that I met on the streets. There would be moments where a passerby drops their wallet and I wouldn’t know how to call him/her out […]