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Rural Leaders ― a Travel Log Vol. 16

We are sharing with you a series of travel logs written by ARI staff member Steven, who visited Africa in August.
Again, they were welcomed with the powerful dance of the Nyaw at the village!
“If a leader wants the people to united, they will unite. If a leader wants the people to fight, they will fight.”
McDonald’s words made us think deeply about what makes a good leader.
Let’s get started on our trip to Africa!

【An African journey to visit ARI graduates, Day 17】

Chikwinga Village
Today we got to go to another village. Yeah! This is the reason we come all this way. It is one thing to hear about the work our graduates do, but it is another altogether to get the sights, sounds, and smells of the village, to talk with the villagers and learn what their lives are like, to see their full humanity in its beauty as well as its pain. MacDonald kindly drove us across the dusty roads to reach this place called Chikwinga Village where we were, again, welcomed by singing and dancing. I’ll never get tired of that. This time the Nyau were dancing together with the ladies, looking as fierce as ever. Their masks were different from the previous dancers, and I believe each style of mask has its own meaning, though it is difficult to get deeper explanations when I ask about it.

Goats are good!
The women’s group here is called the Integrated Goats Pass on Project, initiated by Cecilia Mpinga (2016 ARI Graduate). Cecilia first came to this place with the Hygiene Village Project NGO in 2018 to teach them about eco-san toilets. At that time, she encountered a group of 12 widows who were very hard working, but struggling with basic household needs. So, in 2022, with funding from the Tarr Fellowship of the American Friends of ARI (AFARI), she started a goat project, purchasing 18 goats (6 male, 12, female) and distributing them, two per three women. The ladies work in pairs so they can help each other out as needed.

Our little gathering started off with each woman introducing themselves. MacDonald carefully repeated each name as he heard it, to make sure he had it right. It was impressed by how this simple act fostered close engagement. They explained that they haven’t started “passing on” yet as the goats they received were very young and it was some time before the first offspring arrived. They anticipate reaching 10 goats each after passing on some of the babies. The most immediate benefit of the goats is the manure, which they compost with leaves and use in their gardens. With the small money they have made so far, some have purchased bamboo shoots to grow and sell. Climate change has been a challenge for them, particularly the drought of this past spring.

Thank you, Cecilia
They all shared how much they appreciate Cecilia for teaching them new skills in farming and goat rearing, noting that she always comes when they ask for her help, even though she doesn’t get any allowance for that. Cecilia also links them up with agricultural advisors in the government. Their dream is to continue to expand the project to earn enough money to buy iron sheet roofing and have enough food and clothing.

The meeting was followed by a walk around the village to see how they care for their goats. Some are in raised pens and some in fenced areas. They are all kept close to the house for good care and security. It is not uncommon for livestock to be stolen. They are fed maize bran, legumes, green leaves, and a little salt. Village life in Malawi is not easy, but small projects like this can bring marked improvement to people’s lives. I felt proud to see Cecilia, an ARI graduate, taking this initiative of her own accord, for the sake of these ladies.

Before departing, Kai and I did our video interview with Cecilia, but some days later she messaged me with some additional words about the impact of her ARI training, as follows:

“One more thing I didn’t mention when we had time to express our learnings after ARI is my personal strength. Before attending ARI training, I was too shy to speak during meetings and had no courage to conduct an activity on my own. After I returned back, I am strong enough to speak at community meetings, i.e. plan and implement big events with my church, community, family, or at work. Any event assigned by somebody, I do it with positive results. For example, at the family level with my clan, I can plan an event and implement it, and they rely on me. Some of my family members change my name during an event, calling me the PROTOCOL. Other members in the community invite me to help them during wedding ceremonies and they give me the position of CHIEF PROTOCOL. I got all the strength at ARI during the Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration and also Rural Community Study Tour!”

Around midday, we headed back to town with MacDonald. Reflecting on the events of the morning he said, “If a leader wants the people to united, they will unite. If a leader wants the people to fight, they will fight.” I think this comes from his own experience seeing communities all over the country. When he sees places like Chikwinga Village and people like Cecilia, he is greatly encouraged. However, when he sees greedy, self-serving leadership, which is not infrequent, he is greatly disappointed.

WOG meeting
(If you are a Lord of the Rings buff, yes, I know what you are thinking!)
Back at Geoffrey’s house, (remember, that is John’s brother, and remember, John is a 2013 ARI graduate), we had a big WOG meeting. WOG being Geoffrey’s organization, Word of God ministries. All the staff were invited and sat in a circle in the garden to talk. Before I get into details, however, I want to share a Malawian proverb:
“A guest is like dew. It comes and goes quickly.” Meaning a host must value the short time they get to spend with their guests.
As I mentioned above, WOG’s priority is evangelism, but also with branches into community development. They have three plots of land they want to start farming, with big hopes for John to help them. (1) ½ acre next to the house. (2) some fields about a 20-minute drive away that they have just purchased. It is a beautiful area with many other farms around and a river lined with palm trees flowing through it. It seems they don’t have much experience in farming. Going organic sounds appealing to them, but they really don’t know. MacDonald was advising them to start right away, clearing all the brush and composting it! (3) the 20 hectares mentioned above. I honestly don’t know how to use such huge land because ARI style farming is so intensive that we get huge harvests from small plots. They seemed to be thinking about fruit orchards.

WOG was registered as an organization in 1997 but had a slow start. At the time, Geoffrey was still working in the Malawi Broadcast Company. He even went to Japan on a collaborative project with NHK. In 2009 he invested himself full time in the WOG and in 2010 started doing village banking. I am not sure if this is different from the VSLs I have been seeing, but it seems to include a component of training about coming up with a business plan. Staff member, Dorothy is managing the Village Banks now and in answer to my question of how many villages they work in she said, “many!”

Taking what they call the “village approach” when they enter a new community, they will first set up a fellowship. These are Christian groups for bible study, prayer, and worship, but Geoffrey didn’t elaborate too much on them. It is from these groups that they establish village banks. This makes a lot of sense because the most important aspect of village banking is establishing trust. Geoffrey is also careful to keep the members centered on the Gospel, rather than money. In 2021 they had to stop their activities due to Cyclone Freddy but could restart in 2023. Geoffrey has a strong interest in OVOP, stands for One Village One Project. This is an approach to business done (or tried) in Japan and Thailand (and probably other places) in which each village produces and markets its own unique product. It is an interesting model, and I have heard of successes and failures attached to it, but since it exists only as an idea in Geoffrey’s head at the moment, I won’t go into it more. He also mentioned the concept of “trading centers.” These are meant to be like markets, except that products are sold at a fair price. He is trying to think of ways of keeping food prices down for people, but MacDonald was quick to point out that farmers also want and need a fair price. This set Geoffrey to thinking.

They are keen to send staff to ARI, to get the agricultural training needed to quickly develop their land. Furthermore, they see ARI’s leadership training as closely fitting their approach of “Empowering to Empower.” We wrapped up the visit with a group photo, together with grandpa. I am still trying to imagine what his eyes have seen in the 91 years of his life.
We arrived back at MacDonald’s house on Lake Malawi after sunset.


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】

Vol.12 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 13】

Vol.13 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 14】

Vol.14 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 15】

Vol.15 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 16】

Vol.16 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 17】<== Now, you’re here

Vol.17 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 18】To Be Continued …

Rural Leaders ― a Travel Log Vol. 15

We are sharing with you a series of travel logs written by ARI staff member Steven, who visited Africa in August.
Today’s trip also reunited them with many graduates.
You might feel culture shock at Malawi’s interesting culture and people’s way of thinking.
Let’s get started on our trip to Africa!

【An African journey to visit ARI graduates, Day 16】

Off to Zomba
Today we head to Zomba! Not Zombi, but Zomba. It’s important to keep that straight. After a quick discussion with Mac, we decided to change our plans and cut our visit to Blantyre in the south. The schedule was too tight, and we needed some time to rest and recover our health. So, we are off to Zomba and will come back here tomorrow.

“Care for creation”
The first stop along the way was the Chilema Lay Training Center, run by the Anglicans and the Presbyterians. MacDonald was stationed here before going to Malindi. It is the residence of the newly installed bishop, Bishop William Mchombo, who took the position just four months ago, after the excommunication of the previous bishop and all the drama involved with that. He kindly met with us for a brief and pleasant chat, during which we learned that caring for the environment, or “care for creation” is high on his list of church priorities. It comes within the four pillars of the diocese, which are (1) Evangelism, (2) Liturgy, (3) Investments for diocesan sustainability, and (4) care for the environment. He seemed to have a good understanding, or at least appreciation of the work of ARI, and we spoke about training more people from the diocese. He himself mentioned sending women to ARI, explaining that the coordinators of the women’s groups are very passionate and dynamic. This was music to our ears, as it is always a challenge to recruit women leaders.

After the meeting, MacDonald told us that after ARI, he was assigned to the diocesan farm where he started to introduce organic techniques. He met a lot of resistance, with people saying they need fertilizer for quick profits, and was eventually transferred. This is something we should discuss more with the church leaders here as we consider future applicants, but I can already see that their attitudes toward organic farming are changing.

Tito and the other side of the story
Next, we went over to Tito’s house (2012 ARI Graduate). I didn’t expect to meet Tito because he was strongly on the past bishop’s side during the big church fight and ended up getting himself excommunicated. More about that will come, but let’s take things in turn, according to how he told us his story, which he shared in his living room as we enjoyed popcorn and ground nuts from his garden. By the way, the popcorn was delicious. I didn’t know that it is made from a special variety of corn and many Malawians grow it. I wish I could tell my dad about this, because he loved popcorn!

When he came back from ARI in December of 2012, he was assigned a church near Lake Malawi in a place called Nkope (in the Mangochi area). The soil was sandy, so he built it up using composting and bokashi techniques he had learned at ARI. People were surprised to see crops growing in places they thought impossible to farm, but he showed them how he was doing it, and they began to follow. He taught women and youth, not only from his church, but from other churches and the Muslim community as well. He also started a ministry for the blind, setting up a hostel for blind girls and boys.

In 2017, Tito was moved to Malindi, where Mac is currently, and given the position of rural dean. He planted Moringa trees and started an organic garden, in which he used bokashi, wood vinegar, and other techniques brought from ARI. Two years later he was again transferred to Chilema, where the bishop resides. Then on October 23, 2022 (that date is fixed in his life forever), he was ex-communicated together with the bishop and 13 other priests. He didn’t go into details about it, just saying that he supported the bishop and didn’t join with all those raising their voices and protesting. From that day on, he had no salary or stipend of any kind and was also given an eviction order. Fortunately, he and his family were provided with another house and some land on the compound property, and so “to survive, I used the land.” He proudly walked us around the garden that had become their means of survival. It was lush with casava and vegetables. In the style of a good organic farmer, he showed us his bags of chicken manure (from 30 chickens running hither and tither), corn bran, ash, and rice husks which are all used to build the soil. With a stick, he expertly knocked a couple of papayas out of a tree and presented them as a gift.

Over a lunch of beans and dried cassava, Tito explained that, while he was in ARI, he had written in his reflection paper that the peak experience in his life was the death of his mother. But now “my peak experience is excommunication.” Citing what he learned in Japan, “Don’t give up. I am a servant leader!”

His status in the church is currently under discussion by a pastoral committee, and there is a good chance he will be reinstated soon. He is waiting to hear their latest decision and expecting it next week.

The Chingale Community
In the late morning, we headed out to meet with 2016 ARI graduate, Towera. The bishop (new bishop) kindly provided a good car and driver to navigate the rural roads. Towera works as a Program Officer for a local NGO called the Chingale Neno Recovery and Development Program which was started in 2007. Simon, a participant currently studying at ARI, is also from this organization. To our surprise we found that he is the son of the founder and current director, whom we met with briefly in his office. Dad seems to be getting on in years, so he is thinking of handing over his duties, but he didn’t talk about that. Rather, he spoke of “the fruits of your institution,” (ARI), saying to Towera, “Before you went to Japan, you were not like this.” To which Towera added, “I was lazy before, but after ARI I am a very hard worker.” After her return she was promoted from project manager to program manager, and it looks like she is in line to be the next director. So, I guess Simon will not follow a hereditary trajectory, as I had been thinking.

Their eight staff work in the sectors of food security (farming, I assume), livestock, village savings and loan, child survival (I think that is to do with nutrition for young kids), psycho-social (maybe gender-based violence), youth recreation, and the disabled (identifying them in the community, and if needed sending them to a place that can better care for them). I’m sorry for not giving more details on these. It was a very quick meeting. One thing they were proud of is that all employees can work in all sectors, so they cover for each other if needed. “Even the driver can go to the field!” exclaimed the director. The organization received funding from Growing Hope Globally from 2014-2016, and they were the ones to introduce them to ARI. Now they are supported by the Presbyterian Development Agency.

Feathered surrogate moms
One cool thing I learned about poultry raising while talking with the staff is that you can collect their eggs. (Wait, I’m not done with the story yet!). Any fertilized eggs you want to hatch, you can give to other hens that are brooding. In this case they put them under the bums of the local chickens, who will happily provide all the motherly love needed to bring the babies safely out of their shells. Any farmer worth their salt would know this, and I’m sure I even knew it at one time or another, but it was nice to learn it again.

A gathering of the Cheputula women’s group
Next, we headed out to one of the 300 villages they work with. As per their wonderful custom we were greeted with singing and dancing, and how can you not feel great after that! This was the ten members of the Cheputula Village women’s group, which also happens to include a few men. As we all took seats under the shade of a tree, I counted more than ten people, but decided not to ask about these details, and let them get on with sharing their activities. These include a “passing on the gift” goat project, introduced by Towera. They are given two goats and the first offspring they must give to a neighbor, but the ones that come after that, they can keep. Each household aims to reach 20 goats. There are less goats in the village overall right now because they are being sold to buy food. Normally their fields would be providing them with their daily needs, but the drought is not allowing that. Towera’s own maize farm is irrigated, so she could get a good harvest. Few farms in Malawi are irrigated, though there are many good water sources, like Lake Malawi which runs along much of the length of the country. This is one of the ever-present topics of conversation; that if the government supports people with irrigation the country wouldn’t be one of the poorest in the world, still having to struggle for food every time it doesn’t rain (or rains too much, as it did in 2023 when cyclone Freddy hit!).

They also have a Village Savings and Loan group. The interest rate is 20% and they need to repay a loan after two months. At the end of each year the accumulated interest is counted and distributed among the members. I may have gotten these details wrong, as they are very different from the other VSLs I met, but one good thing about VSLs is that the group members themselves create their own protocols and bylaws, to suit their own needs.

Dancing with the Nyau
As we were talking, some kids started walking by, and then more kids and then people carrying drums and chairs and things. This was the makings of a village gathering and it was meant for us. They formed a circle and started drumming and dancing and inviting us to join them. It was a great time for videos, and as I was taking some, they pointed me in a certain direction and out from behind a building came two elaborately costumed mask dancers called Nyau. The dance they were preforming was called the Gule Wamkulu a tradition of the Chewa people. They were a hit with the villagers as well as with us visitors – a truly electrifying African experience.

The Chapweteka Village “audit”  
Almost as fast as they arrived, the dancers vanished and the villagers dispersed. Then we met with another VSL, this one from Chapweteka Village. As if we were auditors, they started the meeting with the treasurer opening up their books and reading us their accounts. Such was the level of transparency and trust they wanted to foster, or they have been taught to foster in their group. It went like this:

In 2020 we started the group with 16 members.
Accounts closed in December with the following:
Shares – 500,000
Emergency fund – 320,000
Interest – 180,000
Something else, I couldn’t catch – 40,000
Total – 1,020,000 (hmmm, they seem to be 20,000 short. Maybe I missed something. Good thing we aren’t really auditors!)
This is when funds are distributed among the members.

In January 2021 we reopened the bank
December 2021 we closed accounts with the following:
Total shares – 320,000
Emergency fund – 150,000
Interest – 150,000
Something else – 120,000
Total – 630,000

Hmm, it doesn’t add up again. Maybe something to do with the “something else” I couldn’t understand. But don’t start thinking any fishy business was going on. All the members know every detail of these accounts and that is the power of a VSL. The people are in control, and they are the ones to benefit. They continued reporting their accounts to the present, noting that in the year of the cyclone amounts were down overall because their money had to go for repairing their houses rather than being saved.

Sharing food…
When we finished up, we all walked down to a roadside stand where they had prepared several local dishes for us to try. There were small dried fish called Usipa (something like sardines), nsima made from sorghum (which is a good idea because sorghum is more drought resistant than maize), maize nsima, sweet potato leaves, a fermented drink of some sort that they called sweet beer, and two kinds of cake. One cake was made with maize, flour, soy, and sugar, and another had banana in it. Being such a huge banana lover, I went for the banana cake, which was delicious. Unfortunately, I neglected to ask how they made it, if they used clay or earthen ovens. They urged us to try all the dishes, which we happily did, taking in the different flavors and textures. Just in case you are confused, nsima is the same as nshima. Only the pronunciation differs between Zambia and Malawi. I deeply appreciate the rare chances I get to eat food prepared by villagers, together with the villagers. It allows me to experience their culture with all my senses, including taste and aroma, and give reality to the words Takami sensei spoke often at ARI, “Sharing food is sharing life.”

WOG Ministries
For our evening accommodation, John’s brother, Geoffrey, kindly offered his home. John is a 2013 ARI graduate, who is now working with his brother in the organization he started called the Will of God Ministries, or WOG. Geoffrey was excited to host us and connect with ARI. The Will of God Ministries International is a faith-based NGO, and their approach is to “study, do, and teach.” Following the line of Ezra in the Bible, they study the scriptures to understand and apply them and then to go out to teach and evangelize. As you can guess they are heavy on evangelism, but recently they have started a component of social-economic development and this is where ARI (and his brother, John) come in. Geoffrey is an electrical engineer by profession and his wife is the principal of a nursing college, having obtained an MA in health promotion and a PhD in nursing in South Africa. Their father, who was born in 1933, also resides with them. The first 31 years of his life, this country was still a British colony called Nyasaland. I wish I had been able to ask him about all he has seen in his 91 years.

When we arrived at the house, we were kindly received in the living room with snacks and conversation, but the only furniture was outdoor plastic chairs. I didn’t think much of it, because each household has its own character. However, about an hour later, a truck pulled in and several couches and comfortable chairs were brought in, immediately transforming the atmosphere. Then the truck left and returned with beds for us to sleep on. Geoffrey quickly explained that all this was meant to come before our arrival, and I remembered that in this culture, it is a sign of prosperity and hospitality to have a comfortable sofa set in the living room.

…no time to waste
In his slow and methodical way, John told me about his experiences at and after ARI. He was one of three Malawians in the training program that year. The things that made the biggest impression on him were servant leadership, organic farming, and the Japanese culture of being hard working. “In Malawi, we waste time,” he explained, “but in Japan there is no time to waste!”

“I visited places in my life I never expected, like Hiroshima and Tokyo Tower,” John continued. “We went to ARI to learn, and we learned…how to be humble, how to be self-reliant. We learned how to live together with people from other countries – That We May Live Together. But the main was organic agriculture.” After returning home he started implementing organic techniques on his father’s land. It wasn’t fully organic, as he used fertilizers and hybrid seeds, but he introduced bokashi, making it from chicken manure, ash and corn bran. He also raised pigs and chickens, “like I learned from Jil and Uncle Timo at ARI.”

At that time, he was also still employed by his sending body, Hygiene Village Project (HVP). That organization helps people set up ecosan toilets, like what we saw at Enet’s place. From these toilets, you can get fertilizer for the garden. Unfortunately, his contract ended in 2019 and wasn’t renewed due to lack of funding. Without a steady income, he really struggled, but still volunteered for HVP from time to time. From 2021, WOG employed him as a program officer, to look after their fields. They have a lot of land, including one piece that is 20 hectares. They want to develop this land for income for the organization and for training purposes and are looking to John, and ARI, to help. John ended his talk with me by saying that his future plan was to progress more!


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】

Vol.12 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 13】

Vol.13 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 14】

Vol.14 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 15】

Vol.15 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 16】<== Now, you’re here

Vol.16 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 17】To Be Continued …

Rural Leaders ― a Travel Log Vol. 14

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】

Vol.12 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 13】

Vol.13 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 14】

Vol.14 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 15】<== Now, you’re here

Vol.15 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 16】To Be Continued …

Rural Leaders ― a Travel Log Vol. 13

We are sharing with you a series of travel logs written by ARI staff member Steven, who visited Africa in August.
The first graduate they visited in Malawi was Enet (2013 graduate), a “farmer leader” who is putting into practice what she learned at ARI, teaching others, and making positive changes in the lives of her neighbors and the environment of her village.
Let’s get started on our trip to Africa!

【An African journey to visit ARI graduates, Day 14】

Let’s go
This morning, we set out from Lilongwe for Salima at about 10:00 AM. Distances in Malawi are not as vast as in Zambia and the roads tend to have two states of condition – pretty good and pretty bad. Much of today’s road was pretty good but we also hit some pretty bad spots. Kai was feeling better but not great. He decided to skip the hospital in Lilongwe and go to the clinic in Malindi where Mac lives.

Park and wash
Before heading out of the city we stopped at an unofficial money exchange agency, that is, a guy in a parking lot. MacDonald had contacted him by WhatsApp and arranged to meet at a certain place. The bank rate was 1,700 Malawi Kwacha to the dollar, but the street rate was 2,400. Quite a big difference. Parking lots, by the way, can also be car washes. Savvy entrepreneurs, also known as guys with sponges and buckets of water, will wash your car while you are shopping, including cleaning your floor mats. It was here in this parking lot that we also met Veh (2018 ARI graduate). She had just come off her early morning shift at the radio station and wanted to say ‘hello’ while we were passing through, though we would be seeing her again later. While chatting with Veh, I bought some paintings of Malawi village scenery from a guy walking around selling them, because, you know, this parking lot was a happening place and why not buy a couple paintings here!

Finally, we made our departure and were immediately stopped by the police. What was the offence? Turning right out of that parking lot onto the road was illegal, explained the policeman. When Mac pointed out that there is no sign whatsoever indicating “no right turn,” the policeman said, “but it is the law and ignorance is no excuse.” This just raised a huge number of question marks in my head, because, well, think about it. A cop can just say anything is the law and what can you do about that? Mac called it “government fundraising” and knew how to handle it. The fine was 20,000 Kwacha, but somehow the policeman could be “negotiated” down to 10,000 (about $4). This is just small example of what Malawians have to deal with every day.

Boring stuff about roads
I heard from Mac that the roads are built by the Portuguese, which came as a surprise to me since the Chinese are the ones building the roads in every African country I have visited. Forms of taxis include motorbike, bicycle, and as many people as you can fit in the bed of a truck, with a guy yelling out where the truck is headed. Surprisingly this last version of taxi attracts a lot of people, including old folks who might find it a rough ride. I’m guessing the price is good, or maybe there are no alternative.

Improving lives right in the village
Mac took us across the narrow width of this elongated country toward Lake Malawi in just a few hours. It was in the Salima area that we met Enet (2013 ARI graduate). When Enet returned from ARI, she found she no longer had a job. This is not how things are meant to be regarding agreements with ARI, and it was certainly a hardship for Enet, but she has come around and found herself a livelihood in farming.

The first person she wanted us to meet, even before going to her house, was her “First Farmer.” This is a woman named Esther Lubani who is her friend and the first person she shared her ARI learning with. Under Enet’s tutelage, Esther started raising goats, for the milk, the meat, and … the manure. The goats are kept in a homemade pen with a raised floor. Keeping the goats on a high floor is more hygienic and makes it easy to gather the droppings, which fall through the purposefully placed cracks between the boards. You can immediately see when farmers have stopped relying on commercial fertilizers by how much they value animal manure. Esther now has 45 goats (which is a LOT) and uses the manure in her corn field. When she first started this practice, she noticed an immediate improvement. This year she harvested 92 bags of maize on two acres, despite the drought. She proudly showed us the bags of maize stored inside the house. The neighbors have taken notice and come to her to learn how she can get a good harvest when the rains are so poor.

Her success on the farm has meant extra income into the household that has been put to good use. She has purchased a power rototiller “which helps a lot” and has no problem with her children’s school fees, include one now in college. She has also bought a refrigerator, a sofa set, and many other household items you or I might take for granted, but the average villager can’t afford.

Esther is very thankful to Enet for “improving lives right in the village.” “We did not hesitate to try Enet’s methods,” explains Esther, “because she was doing the same thing in her own fields.” This last statement from Esther showed me how much of an impact a “farmer leader” can have in a community. A farmer leader, to me, is a successful farmer who relies on their own farming for their livelihood, but who connects with the whole community, teaching them and sharing techniques. It is a powerful model.

A farmer leader
We headed over to Enet’s house for the wonderful lunch she had prepared. There was also much to see and learn on her farm. Enet’s husband, who is also Steven, came to greet us right away saying, “Enet transformed me!” They started organic farming as soon as she came back from ARI, but the first year the harvest was low, and this caused some disagreements. The second year it increased, and the third year it was even better. Now they are purely organic farmers, and the neighbors have started following suit. “In this community, no one gives you manure,” explained Steven, “but before, we could just take it from everywhere.” They save a lot of money by not buying fertilizer and they have even started selling their manure. Last year they sold 141 bags of animal poop!

Steven is a schoolteacher at the nearby village school, but he “doesn’t depend on it.” This means that it is not his sole source of income, which would be very small if it were. They are making money from the farm. The family raises pigs in a khola (animal shelter) near the house and there are about 20 pigs there now. Before, there were 100 and when he sold 35 of them, he had enough money to buy a car, which unfortunately was in an accident, so they sold it. Now they rely on a donkey cart, also purchased with profit from the pigs. And even the house they had was the result of their farming successes.

Their main feed is maize bran, which due to the drought has become scarce. People were eating the bran rather than selling it as feed, and so 40 of his pigs died from lack of feed. He plans to buy a polisher and miller so he can make his own feed. He will also grind all the neighbor’s maize for free, if they leave the bran with him. This is quite a good deal as maize grinding is quite an expense for a family farmer. Despite the setbacks he has had with rearing pigs, he feels it is still very profitable, pointing out that they give birth to multiple piglets two or three times a year. He didn’t mention anything about swine fever, so I hope he will not have to deal with that, or that he knows how to reduce the risks.

We love manure!
After lunch, Enet and Steven took us for a tour around the farm and school. We started with the beautiful line of trees they had planted as a pathway up to the house. These trees made the property feel fresh and clean and I wondered why there are so few trees around the homes of the villagers. Enet’s was the only house that had many trees. It made me realize how barren and dusty the villages are and why our graduates encourage and practice tree planting. It’s such a simple way to improve the quality of life. Next, we moved on to compost piles composed of different materials, neatly labeled for our sake. One pile was compost made from plant materials, another was compost mixed from animal manure, corn husk, and ash and kept in pile for 21 days. This is a local composting technique they call Ndoma Phu.

Next to the khola were several bags filled with pig manure. I love it when farmers show me their animal poop with a big smile. It’s like they are sharing a deep secret. The last pile was labeled ecosan. Ecosan stands for ecological sanitation and this compost is made from human manure from their ecosan toilet. Other graduates Malawi work in an organization called Hygiene Village Project, which promotes ecosan toilets, and I wondered if Enet and Steven learned this from them. These toilets are very simple in design and don’t require water. Just dig too deep pits. Use one pit until it is full and then switch to the other pit. After each use you should throw in some soil and ash to reduce the smell and risk of bacteria. When the first pit is full, seal it off, wait six months and, voila, you have safe compost – enough for one acre of farmland. This is the compost they were showing us – with that “secret” smile!

After a look at Enet’s vegetable garden, surrounded by the mandatory fence to keep animals out, we headed toward the school. It is interesting to see how in this part of the world, you fence the vegetables instead of the livestock. On the way, we passed a tree that was growing diagonally. Enet uses this tree to teach children about tree planting. The tree is bent, she says, because you kids climbed it and destroyed it. But trees are living beings that can feel pain, it is up to us to take care of them. At the school, there was a whole forest of Acacia trees, planted and cared for by the schoolchildren. This was one of Steven’s initiatives. Another was a banana farm, planted in soft soil which has been enriched with compost. It is in the process of being fenced in to protect it from marauding goats. Steven has a strong sense of caring for the environment and his actions have a big impact on the students. He is often asked to visit other schools to assist them in planting trees as a start to building greater ecological awareness.

They wanted us to meet neighbor pig farmers who were following in their organic farming footsteps, but alas, time was running out and we still had far to travel. We helped out Enet by carrying some goods (as well as Enet) by our car to a small shop she has in town – another one of her many initiatives!

More Malawi learnings
At one point as we were driving along, some kids stood on the road waiving long branches. It was clear they wanted us to slow down or stop, but for what reason? Mac explained they had filled potholes along a short stretch with dirt and now wanted some donations for their efforts. I’ve seen this in other parts of Africa, and it seems like a clever initiative, but the locals don’t think much of it. They would rather have the government do its job of keeping the roads in good condition.

The town of Mangochi lies at the southern tip of Lake Malawi, from which flows the wide Shire River, spanned by a beautiful bridge built by “the people of Japan.” It has a high Muslim population and indeed I saw many people in Muslim dress. Mac said that education is low in this area because young people go to work menial jobs in South Africa. Since South Africa is viewed as a place of high rates of violent crime, Mangochi residents claim their youth are bringing this bad culture back to Malawi.

Njala Resort
From Mangochi it was another hour on one of those “pretty bad” roads to MacDonald’s home in Malindi. Enroute, we crossed two more bridges, which were definitely not built by the Japanese. I said a prayer of thanks each time we reached the other side!

It was dark when we reached MacDonald’s place, which is RIGHT ON the edge of Lake Malawi. We were greeted by his wife and two of his four children. Noriko, age 13, was born just after Macdonald had returned from ARI and her first words to us were Konnichiwa and Hajimemashite. Nandy, age 2, is the youngest, and was quite unexpected. I believe she runs the household.

Kai’s fever was up, so Mac called the local clinic, which is run by the church, and though it was late in the evening, two staff came to give him a checkup. The place was clean and sanitary and well equipped. They took some of Kai’s blood and ran it through a sophisticated looking machine and the diagnosis was that he didn’t have malaria, or any other big problems. It was just a cold for which he was provided medication on the spot.

Back at Mac’s house a nice supper was waiting for us on the veranda. The lake was still but the air was filled with the shouts of fishermen that went late into the night. Kai felt much better, knowing he would be able to rest all the next day in this place I dubbed “Njala Resort.” Njala Banda is MacDonald’s real name, or at least a part of it.


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】

Vol.12 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 13】

Vol.13 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 14】<== Now, you’re here

Vol.14 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 15】To Be Continued …