Kudoko Village

Our team is finally all together settled into Malawi, myself and BKR arriving from Uganda, while Adam, Kelly, Cameron, and Jesse arriving after their safari adventure in South Africa.
Today we had the opportunity to visit Kudoku village, which is about a 40 minute drive from the COTN village we are staying at in Lilongwe. We all got dressed up in anticipation of the meeting we were to have with the village chiefs and village elders. As we turned down the dirt road toward the village we were confronted with a cloud a dust, a common occurrence during the dry season of Malawi that we arrived during. Emerging from the dirt we were told that we were just about there, and that the building we were driving towards was one that Flood had helped construct through the donation of concrete and roofing materials. A steady stream of kids were now following us as we made our final approach to the building, knowing that a car full of “Mazungus”, or white people, usually means a couple soccer balls (which it did). Emerging from the car to be greeted by a bunch of happy kids with big smiles is a sure way to fill your soul.
After we arrived a couple of Flood Malawi members gathered all the kids and started a makeshift soccer camp, as myself and the rest of the team was ushered inside. We learned that the building Flood helped construct was now a church, as well as a classroom, and the village meeting hall. We sat in a circle and formally introduced ourselves to everyone and got acquainted with the different chiefs and village representatives. I glanced down and noticed my black dress shoes were already covered in a nice red dirt… ahhh its good to be in Africa.
Next on the agenda was a tour of part of the village. We started our walk around and were shown all the fields they usually grow crops, but because it is winter here, are now barren. We were told stories of how much of a blessing it was when, a couple of years ago, Flood donated seeds and fertilizer during a famine, and how the crops they yielded from that not only provided food during a much needed time, but were also some of their most abundant crops ever. We walked through peoples homes and were shown the building in which they sleep, cook, and relieve themselves; all of which were humbling experiences. We made it to our destination when we reached a water pump, that we learned was the well that Flood had dug for Kudoku. As we arrived, we saw some women using it to draw water, and listened to how much of an impact this well has had not only on Kudoku village, but on the entire community also. Most of us decided to take a drive from the ‘Flood water’ after learning it drills into a water table that is quite pure and naturally filtered.
We were then taken to a couple homes that had cooked the goat and chickens we had brought with us. The tables were littered with all sorts of delicious looking food, so foreign to us, yet so enticing. We gathered around, said a prayer, and dug in. There are no personal plates provided here, and no silverware either. Everyone uses their hands, and just grabs from whichever dish looks appealing at that moment. Most every bite is accompanied by the staple food, n’sima, which is basically boiled cornflower. It is sticky, relatively flavourless, very filling, and I rather enjoyed it. The strangest thing on the table were the goat intestines, which despite being rather chewy, were cooked in some sort of sauce that made them edible…. or at least edible enough to try a tiny piece.
We were then taken back to the meeting building in order to tackle the agenda we came here with. Many of you know about human rights initiative we are hoping to take to Malawi in the Summer of 2011, and we were able to have some honest dialogue about what that might look like in Kudoku village. It was very encouraging to hear what the chiefs had to say and that they love having us there. We also got to talk about the internship exchange program me and Andrew will be researching for the two weeks after the rest of the team leaves on Monday. A vision we have for that would involved village immersion, which would mean having some people stay in this village for a few nights during the internship to get a feel of what Malawian village life is like. We had some good ideas about that, got great and encouraging feedback, and actually scheduled two nights that Andrew and I would be spending the night here in about a week to try it out… so wish us luck for that.
Adam had everyone’s attention for the final topic of the day, which was the presentation of mosquito nets. This was a surprisingly emotional time for everyone there, as Adam explained where these nets had come from. Flood member, and local artist, Andrew Salituri had gone to Malawi a couple of years ago, and met the members of Kudoku village. Upon returning home he dedicated each piece of art to these people and their stories. Every piece he has sold since then, was sold with the promise of using the money to buy mosquito nets for Malawi. Through his sacrifice he raised enough money to provide not only mosquito nets to the entire village, but to many other people as well. And now we were given the privilege of presenting them to the village, to take part in the kind of journey that impacts and transforms people. At the end of Adams presentation all the elders and chiefs erupted in applause knowing of the change this will make to their village.
Driving away from Kudoku was a blur, the team was tired and full. In our stomachs and in our spirits. It was great to have heard so much about this place at Flood and now to be able to experience it for ourselves.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we trek onward.
-Kyle