Day 33 - TUE - 16/10/12 - Chitimba : Kande Beach, Malawi
Today was a day of lake side and mountain views whilst on the road travelling 230km to Kande Beach. Kande Beach Camp was another camp with a beach on Lake Malawi. It was probably the best beach we had been to with fresh water, small waves - great for swimming too.
After we arrived and unpacked a small group of us (Alan, Joanie and I) headed off for a village walk. We visited the village waterpump which tapped into a water table deep underground. It was donated by the Canadian government which also explained the Canada t.shirts we had seen some of the kids in the village wearing. We then went to our guides brothers house. It was a smart brick home with a loungeroom, kitchen and bedroom. The loungeroom floor had a very well waxed concrete floor and had a 3 seater sofa with a one seater opposite it. We were taken there to learn more about the tribe, village life and their local facilities as well as what their issues were.
It was explained to us that we would be visiting the local hospital where their most frequent treatments are for malaria and pregnancy. Another high risk category for their mother hospital branch was AIDS. Although our guide explained it was no longer taboo to discuss and that more people were being tested, more often than not it is only the 'bride' who is tested. With the male not being tested or with people being divorced, the male is not generally tested meaning that although the 'bride' is free from the disease, once married, she can contract it from the husband. Christian is the religion that this tribe follows. The chief of the village arbitrates on property boundaries and minor village problems. The people utilise courts for divorce and major issues.
We were taken via the backdoor and just outside was the chicken house. The chickens are 'free range', in that they roam around the village themselves and put themselves in their house in the evening, then the family will come and lock them in for the night to keep the door closed and the chickens safe for the night. The chicken house is on stilts so predators can;t eat them during the night. Next to the hen house was a drying table full of cassava root which was white in colour from
being dried out.
From the chicken house we walked to the town centre and as we walked we were joined by the young men of the village who were keen to practice their English and learn more about western culture from us. They were asking all about our houses, our family, what we did for work and what we thought of Africa. They would in turn tell us about their village and their lifestyle - it was great to swap stories.
Up in the village we were shown the hospital where they have a delivery suite and 8 beds for mothers who are giving birth for a second time onwards. All first time mothers need to go to the larger mother hospital before the baby is due to ensure it all goes well and if it does not that there is the help to hand. None of the beds were occupied when we were there but they had mosquito nets above some of them to help prevent malaria. At the clinic they also administer vaccinations for yellow fever as they are provided for free by the government.
After the hospital we went to the school. Fortunately it was sport day so there were masses of kids who were holding our hands and asking 'what is my name?' where we would say our name as the answer and then ask 'what is your name?' to them and they would happily tell you. They swarmed around us until we got to the library where we met with the Assistant Principal who told us more about the school and explained that there were 1500 kids with 10 teachers at the school, meaning that each class is sized at about 150 children. It was also explained to us that some of the children are boarders at the school as they have been orphaned by parents who had AID's.
On leaving the library we were again swamped by kids of all ages wanting to hold our hands and ask our names. They left us in the main part of the village and we started to make our way back to camp. On the way back the very little nursery aged children ran out from their houses to hold our hands and say hello - very cute!!
When we were back at camp we had a swim which was fantastic and warm - about 27 degrees Celsius. For dinner we had BBQ chicken over the coalface fire and a traditional Kenyan salad called Saladi made up of cabbage (lettuce), onion, carrots, green capsicum and chilli.
