Rural Leaders ― a Travel Log Vol. 14

A journey to meet ARI graduates in Zambia & Malawi, 2024

We are sharing with you a series of travel logs written by ARI staff member Steven, who visited Africa in August.
On this day, Steven visited a Village Savings and Loan (VSL) group, which was started by 2012 ARI graduate, Catherine. She teaches more than just business. She teaches each household how to live independently, encourages them to have dreams, and motivates villagers live together in unity!
Let’s get started on our trip to Africa!

【An African journey to visit ARI graduates, Day 15】

The vibrant village of Liganga
Today was a village visit day. Since Kai needed time to rest, he remained at Njala Resort, and I headed out on my own. Mac’s friend took me into Mangochi, where I met up with Catherine (2012 ARI Graduate) at her organization’s office. Since 2020, she has been working for World Relief International, but when she was at ARI she was with the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Livingstonia Synod AIDS Program, in Mzuzu, in the north of Malawi. We all piled into the car and headed out to meet one of Catherine’s Village Savings and Loan (VSL) groups in the Nabale area. “We” means Catherine, an intern named Wezzie, and one of the group members, and, of course, the driver and me.

“I teach them Foodlife Work*! ”
On the way, Catherine explained that she works with 102 rural area groups of 25 about members each. They use the “household approach” meaning they regularly visit families in their homes to teach them about sanitation, business, and integrated household farming. This includes backyard gardens and small livestock such as chickens, goats, and doves (aha, I knew those doves in Zambia weren’t just for symbols of peace!), but not pigs because of the high Muslim population. As you might guess, the manure goes straight to the compost pile and then to the veggies. Tree planting is also a big part of their program. “I teach them foodlife work!” exclaims Catherine, “just like we did at ARI.” Household visits are done once a week, rotating around 1,100 homes. To manage these large numbers, they train village volunteers to assist them. Their aim is to “move people from dependence to independence.” As we pulled into the village of Liganga, we were met by exuberant singing and dancing. These were the ladies (and a few men) of the Tilimbika VSL Group, which started with 12 and is now up to 34 members. The group chair gave us a formal welcome and asked me to introduce myself. Catherine prepped me with the proper Chechewa words, which you can see below. I had to peak at my cheat sheet, but they all understood and appreciated the effort!

The group meets every Friday for “Foodlife work.” Then they sit together and discuss problems on the farm such as what to do about unpredictable weather patterns, also known climate change. Next, they review their accounts and handle the financial business of the group. What they were most excited to tell me about were their creative and innovative initiatives, which are many.

First, there is the tree nursery with 480 seedlings. Last year they planted 2,000 trees around the hospital, church, school, and their own houses. Indeed, this meeting was taking place under the cool shade of sprawling tree branches, and the whole village was scattered with greenery. This year, their target is 8,000 trees. I’m not sure how they will achieve this, but the more important thing is that they simply keep planting, which they look eager to do. They not only plant the trees, but also take good care of them, taking turns to give water and fertilizer made from composted manure. This is part of their foodlife work.

In addition to their own farms, they keep a group field (more foodlife work), which last year produced 45 bags of maize. Some was sold and the money put into the VSL, and the rest was shared among the members. Decisions on work allocation and use of the harvest/profits are carefully discussed and agreed upon by the whole group.

This is what a self-sufficiency mindset looks like
At one point during our meeting a table was brought out filled with goods made by the hands of the group members. These included moringa powder and baobab powder which the villagers themselves were explaining the benefits of. “It is good for malaria and for malnutrition and helps people with HIV.” There was also homemade soap, imbued with moringa. One girl explained that she used this when she had a skin problem (scabies), and it healed her. Hats and sandals made of woven plastic bags were on display – from trash to usefulness – and one lady was busily demonstrating how to weave the plastic. “We got this idea from the radio. They announced a phone number, and we called it to learn.” Two women were showing how to weave the grass mats that are so useful in the villages. I was told that all the products on display were available for sale. So, I took the hint and bought a lot of stuff to support their efforts. I especially love the soap.

One thing I found very interesting were the “brickettes.” These are just paper that has been wadded into balls, soaked in water, and dried. Used in place of charcoal, one pot can burn for an hour, and to prove this, they cooked sweet potatoes during the meeting. They get the wastepaper from the school mainly. The sweet potatoes were soft and sweet, but too many for me, so I tried to share them with the kids. Some rejected them and a few took them. One boy said to the others, “why do you take the food we eat every day, just because it is given by a visitor?” This showed me that these kids are not hungry, and things are going well in this village, but I’m sure they were hoping for some candies. Those paper brickettes may not be a long-term solution, but they were the first practical attempt I saw to stop charcoal usage!

The village headman was present, and he is sharing his knowhow with the group, such as how to multiply sweet potatoes and cassava. He would like to start them doing mushroom cultivation, but I wasn’t sure if he would teach that himself or if he wanted to find someone to teach it. Another important job of his is to resolve conflicts in the village.

A goosebump moment
Catherine then turned to ask me if I had any questions, which I did. First, I wanted to know what I would see if I returned in five years, that is, what is their dream? They said all the houses would have iron sheet roofs, and their group would be a registered cooperative with a warehouse for their harvest. There would be a big forest, and everyone would be harvesting fruit from their own property! What a beautiful vision in its simplicity and clarity, reflecting exactly what the villagers want and need because they created it, and they themselves can see it happening. This, I thought, is the result of training grassroots rural leaders like Catherine. This is why we do what we do at ARI! It gave me goosebumps!

What is the beauty of your community?
Next, I asked my favorite question, “What is beautiful in your community?” They pointed out that Lake Malawi is nearby which can provide water for irrigation in the dry season, to grow sweet potatoes, maize, and casava. Beauty to them was not visual beauty, but the practicality of the lake! And there it is! People do irrigate from the Lake Malawi, which is not what I had been hearing. Probably, irrigation is done only by those who are very close to the lake, and as of yet, there is no large-scale irrigation. This is all they had to say about beauty. Often, we don’t see the beauty in us or around us. We’re more likely to look at the problems and defects, so the question may not have made a lot of sense to them. But everything I had been seeing was beautiful to me. Especially the energy and vibrancy of this group.

Lastly, I asked why they trust Catherine, who has come from outside the village, to teach them. They replied, “there is profit in what we are being trained. Before, we were doing nothing!”

Some innerworkings of a VSL
The conversation then moved to a testimony of how their lives have improved. Before, they spent their money to buy vegetables, but now they have vegetables right in their own back yards. They also spent a lot of money on fertilizers, but now their skill of using manure as compost is high. Their next dream is to start rearing goats. We better add that to the dream list above! They also love their VSL, which has given them the capacity to start small businesses and cover their children’s school fees.

Their mention of the VSL led me to ask about how they built the trust needed to start this group. Above all else, a group of this nature must have trust. They explained that they have a constitution, and everyone knows the rules, which were explained in detail:

1) They will meet every Friday at 2:00 PM
2) Any member who is late will pay 200 Kwacha
3) Any member who is absent without a reason will be fined
4) Mini meetings within the meeting (i.e. groups chatting) will be fined 100 Kwacha
5) If a member is absent for two weeks, they will be contacted and asked if they wish to stay in the group

Additionally, they have a “Social Fund” to assist members who are sick. The group’s money is kept in a cash box, and when the amount becomes large, it is deposited in the bank.

Catherine asked me to share “ARI knowledge” with them. I always hesitate to bring in “outsider ideas,” but Catherine pressed me, so I tried to give some suggestions relating to their own local resources. I asked what they do with their animal bones, and they said they throw them out, so I mentioned making bone charcoal to enrich their compost with calcium. I also inquired about what they are doing with the fish guts, and found they are drying it and making it into powder for animal feed, so that is a local resource they are already using! Bokashi is also not new to them, but they make it in their own way. After four years of composting, their soil has improved greatly and has greater water holding capacity.

“Nature was meant to be shared”
The meeting concluded with the signing of the guest book and words of thanks from the chairlady, and more singing! The enthusiasm of the villagers, the self-confidence to “move from dependence to independence,” was electrifying.

Wandering around the village, we soon found the tree nursery, where they are growing Acacia, Mtete, Ndia, Atanga, and Guava – all local trees. This activity started in 2020, and everyone is happy about how much trees have improved their lives. “Here, every house has a tree” and every household plants five trees a year. They provide shade and serve as windbreaks. Some have fruits or medicinal properties. Branches can be trimmed for firewood, fencing, or roof thatch. Seeds can be sold and leaves become compost! There is nothing bad about planting trees and the only thing that limits their numbers is they don’t have enough tree tubes for the seedlings! “The relationship between people and trees is very important. That’s why we plant.”

There was also a rabbit hutch, from which they carefully collect the manure every day. Bunnies produce lots more bunnies at a rapid pace, and these are distributed throughout the village. Everyone has a backyard garden complete with banana trees, and people readily share the suckers (needed to plant more bananas). Why do they do this? “Because nature was meant to be shared,” they shouted.

The Lake of Stars
We then went to take a look at Lake Malawi, or the Lake of Stars, which is what David Livingstone of “Dr. Livingstone, I presume” fame called it. This time we were viewing it from the west side (MacDonald’s house is on the east side). It is a source of pride for Malawians for its beauty and as a critical resource. There we found people washing clothes, and kids swimming and bathing. There were a few dugout log canoes, which I thought only existed as drawings in textbooks. The lake truly is beautiful and reminded me of my childhood spent on the shores of another huge lake in America – Lake Michigan.

A little more about Catherine Mtambo
During lunch at Catherine’s house, she shared about her family and work. She got married in 2012 but divorced in 2019. She has three boys, born in 2009, 2012, and 2017. At Livingstone, she was mainly working with micro-finance groups and continued this same work in Mangochi when she started with World Relief in 2020. The organization’s motto is “forward together.” When she meets a new household, she does a “vision journey” with them, to help them see where they want to be in the next years. The very poorest of families in Malawi can receive a “Social Cash Transfer” from the government. The government hires NGOs like World Relief to work with these families to help them stand on their own and “retire from the cash transfer system.”

Before departing, Catherine proudly showed me her motorbike, which is much more useful than a car to get out in to the rural areas. She was going to take me to Liganga village by this bike, but was worried about the fact she didn’t have an extra helmet for me. At first, I thought this was for my safety, but it was in fact for fear of being fined by the police!! (And for my safety, she quickly added!!!!)

Back at Mac’s house I found Kai feeling much better. We enjoyed supper together on the veranda while watching the orange sun sink into the depths of Malawi’s glistening lake. On the menu was Chambo, a fish you can find only in the waters beside us.

* Foodlife work: morning and evening farm work, livestock care, meal preparation and other work at ARI that puts into practice ‘foodlife,’ a term coined by ARI to describe the inseparability of food and life.

Written by Steven Cutting (Graduate Outreach Coordinator)
Travelling with Kai Shinoda (Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator)

Click here to read the series of articles

Vol.0 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Prologue】

Vol.1 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 1-2】

Vol.2 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 3】

Vol.3 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 4】

Vol.4 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 5】

Vol.5 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 6】

Vol.6 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 7】

Vol.7 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 8】

Vol.8 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 9】

Vol.9 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 10】

Vol.10 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 11】

Vol.11 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 12】