MALAWI week two

This past weekend’s effort to include a few more potential students in the Don Bosco Youth Technical School, netted one more addition. On Monday afternoon we located Godfrey at his home informing him that if he could get himself to Don Bosco by 8:00 am Tuesday, he could quickly go through the application process, take an entrance exam, be interviewed and learn whether he would be accepted into training for a certification in electrical installation (electrician). On Wednesday, Godfrey joined the six other previously selected students to meet with Fr. Julio for their conduct and final preparation instructions before moving to the other side of town on Sunday. There, they will be guided by a former student, Ian, now member of the Don Bosco Board. Living in groups, they will be on their own, cooking, washing, cleaning, finding fire wood, as well as studying while living in neighborhood structures without water and power. I would not look forward to walk through those streets during the rainy season—deep mud!

Our personal experience includes a good bit of time spent trying to find a spot in the city where we can make an internet connection. We have a memory stick device that sometimes lets us connect through the cell-phone networks and a card that gives us access at some hotels and shopping centers. Power being the key to all these modern conveniences, we live in an on again off again world. I should mention, the living facility we are enjoying utilizes a gravity fed solar water heating arrangement that often finds us taking frightfully quick cold showers of questionable value. So much for the fun side of life.

Wednesday afternoon was spent in the Sunbird Capitol hotel lobby where Pia sent out pre-constructed messages to our girls, a few close friends and, because she is the connector of our family, every one she could connect with in the time we have left on our card and before we met with Fr. Julio and the new students for Don Bosco. Anselm tried to imagine himself somewhere else, starting up a little business that would employ those kids without the opportunity for special training. It is very clear that a long term presence is required. There are many cultural norms that require stretching, different ways to approach problem solving, developing a creative environment and learning to thrive in that setting, experiencing transparency and over time valuing and fostering, even promoting, the effects of that openness with each other, are all part of the puzzle.

We should give you an idea of the tuition that some of you are helping with regarding the new group of Don Bosco students. The student have been asked to focus on the least expensive courses of study, so we have three, which includes one girl, taking the Auto Mechanic course at $350 for the first year. We have two taking Construction at $300 and two taking Electrical Installation at $400 for the first year.

This afternoon, there is a possible soccer game between the youth from the Chinsapo Rainbow youth and the St. Denis youth.

Just before we return home, there is a possibility that we will visit a C.R.S. project up north that we have heard about and followed from a distance for a number of years. We look forward to that.