Time is marching on (December Prayer Letter)
Where did a year go? Where did three years go, for that matter? It’s almost a year since we returned to Malawi following our COVID furlough and over three years since I came to Malawi to start work and prepare for the family move to Mzuzu. Yet, time has marched on relentlessly. The activities that […]
When the walls fall (September Prayer Letter)
The brick wall around our house has succumbed to heavy rains and has become something of an allegory for our current season. For the second time this year, a section has fallen, revealing a lack of firm foundations. Brick fences, as they are known here, are a common sight in urban areas. They are often […]
Climate change is real life in Malawi
Climate change is high on the agenda this year with Glasgow hosting the COP26. And there we have it, one sentence in and we already have an acronym and a conference. It seems the conversation around climate change has become burdened by the political dialogue that is meant to address it and shrouded by the […]
Prayer Letter: February 2020
Malawi, like much of Africa, has a reputation for having a slower pace of life. However, that does not seem to marry with our experience as it feels like a few weeks since our last letter and it is actually over two months ago. While it is true there are many things that can’t be […]
A day in the life…
It might be easy to imagine me out ‘in the field’ (wherever that is), traveling in a 4×4 through the red-brown mud of rainy season and wearing a khaki utility vest (I have the vest, it has 14 pockets and 4 hooks – for what, I do not know). I do go out to visit […]
It’s time for men’s disempowerment projects
Through work overseas and life in general, it’s impossible not to notice the harsh and cruel realities that women face. The reality of violence – physical, sexual, verbal and psychological – is all too present in our world. Violence inflicted by men and left unchecked by the (generally) men with the power to change it. […]
Back to school
It’s that time again when Facebook is awash with pictures of children all set for a return to school. Oversized uniforms show parents’ optimism that their children will grow into them before the knees and elbows are full of holes. For us, there are a few weeks of holiday left before Eilidh returns to school. […]
Peace isn’t always peaceful
This blog comes from behind the locked gate of our office and is written with the tinge of tear gas in the air around. In the aftermath of the country’s recent elections there have been calls for peace in Malawi. While court is yet to decide on allegations of electoral fraud, today marches have been […]
Malawi goes to the polls
We’re just days away now from Malawi’s 6th tripartite elections. On Tuesday 21st May, Malawians will go to the polls to elect their next president, parliamentarians and local government councillors. Malawi is a very peaceful country and every expectation is that the elections will go ahead peacefully too. However, the days that follow are more […]
Corruption. Time to close the gate?
It seems overdue that I spend time trying to articulate what it is I’m doing here. However, the reality is a desk, in a small office, in a converted house, at the far corner of the synod campus and a short dusty walk from Mzuzu’s various hardware shops and street vendors. A desk which, if […]