23 Mar 08
Song for this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LuNHSXfMp8&feature=related
The Malungeni people have had a hard time working together. This community is small much like a family and as we all know open wounds and bad blood from a family riff can take forever to heal -if it ever heals. Today however, we acted as the family thearpists and worked with two groups towars progress in this town. Twice a week we have been meeting with the women's empowerment group to work towards building business and getting the woment to see their value to this community. (The woemen are the spine of this community but are treated poorly with abuse and lack of respect while the men frequent the local bars which I will describe in a later post.)
Continuing, the women in the group needed assistance on their vegetable patch which is the size of 5 soccer fields. They have a till but no one to plow the field for them. However, the one very hard working man in town is a farmer and the ladies thought he could help although doubtful he would. We met this man at our welcome for he was the one that said "Knowledge is power" but also believes that nothing comes for free.
With this we decided to introduce the barder system to the women and tried to come up with ideas of howthey could help the "tractor man" in exchange for him plowing their fields. We arranged to meet with him to see if we could negotiate something. Arriving at his shouls was like being in another world. Althought the house was extremely modest by our US standards, to us living in Malungeni for two weeks... it was a mansion! They were even adding on a new addition to the home. When we arrived the progressive thinking man we met at the welcome was replaced by a tough, Malungeni guy who seemed to still have a chip on his shoulder from some old feud. He would not even look to us when he asked what we wanted to chat about and continued to work in his yard. Amy stared by stating our purpose and how we felt it was important for a 1st step in this community to help each other if they want to see change... positive change. They could be the shining example. He walked us inside passing the 3 cars he owned and ushering us into his lovely and clean living room with a large book shelf. "I don't' provide service for free" he said while watching soccer on TV. I added that it would not be for free and that we insist that the women provide something to him to equal the cost of his services. I wen ton further to say how intelligent his is and how out of everyone he should know what this will mean for the community (a little bit of stroking goes a long way! )
He reluctantly agreed and wenton to ask us about our favorite soccer team. This is when I knew our meeting was successful and I can't wait to watch the plow work on the veg field!
Song for this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LuNHSXfMp8&feature=related
The Malungeni people have had a hard time working together. This community is small much like a family and as we all know open wounds and bad blood from a family riff can take forever to heal -if it ever heals. Today however, we acted as the family thearpists and worked with two groups towars progress in this town. Twice a week we have been meeting with the women's empowerment group to work towards building business and getting the woment to see their value to this community. (The woemen are the spine of this community but are treated poorly with abuse and lack of respect while the men frequent the local bars which I will describe in a later post.)
Continuing, the women in the group needed assistance on their vegetable patch which is the size of 5 soccer fields. They have a till but no one to plow the field for them. However, the one very hard working man in town is a farmer and the ladies thought he could help although doubtful he would. We met this man at our welcome for he was the one that said "Knowledge is power" but also believes that nothing comes for free.
With this we decided to introduce the barder system to the women and tried to come up with ideas of howthey could help the "tractor man" in exchange for him plowing their fields. We arranged to meet with him to see if we could negotiate something. Arriving at his shouls was like being in another world. Althought the house was extremely modest by our US standards, to us living in Malungeni for two weeks... it was a mansion! They were even adding on a new addition to the home. When we arrived the progressive thinking man we met at the welcome was replaced by a tough, Malungeni guy who seemed to still have a chip on his shoulder from some old feud. He would not even look to us when he asked what we wanted to chat about and continued to work in his yard. Amy stared by stating our purpose and how we felt it was important for a 1st step in this community to help each other if they want to see change... positive change. They could be the shining example. He walked us inside passing the 3 cars he owned and ushering us into his lovely and clean living room with a large book shelf. "I don't' provide service for free" he said while watching soccer on TV. I added that it would not be for free and that we insist that the women provide something to him to equal the cost of his services. I wen ton further to say how intelligent his is and how out of everyone he should know what this will mean for the community (a little bit of stroking goes a long way! )
He reluctantly agreed and wenton to ask us about our favorite soccer team. This is when I knew our meeting was successful and I can't wait to watch the plow work on the veg field!
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