News Article
This article originally appeared in "Insight" magazine

“Umodzi”

It is a sunny although cold afternoon in December and Rev Mrs Edna Navaya, Mr Charles Chiromo and Mr Charles Kamanaga from Likhubula in Malawi are sitting having lunch together in a café in Edinburgh. Eating is a serious business in Malawi, often conducted in silence, but on this occasion they are happy to talk about their impressions of Scotland.

It is their first trip to Scotland from their community in south-east Malawi, on the massif of Mount Mulanje, but all agree it is a really significant step in the continuing growth of the Likhubula link with Dunblane. This is the third exchange visit between the communities since the partnership began in 2004 (Insight issue 23). Rev Mrs Navaya is minister at the Likhubula Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP); Mr. Chiromo head teacher at Nansato Primary School and Mr Kamanga a newly qualified teacher. With them today are Dr Jenni Barr, Convener of the Dunblane Likhubula Committee and Neill Crawford, Education and Development Office at Dunblane Cathedral. Looking at the itinerary of the trip, it is clear that the wider community of Dunblane (and beyond!) are quickly becoming involved in this partnership.

Asked about their first impressions of Scotland, Mr Chiromo immediately responds, “The people in Scotland are so friendly. They make you feel very welcome.” With a smile of pride, he talks of having been invited to a wedding – and attired in a kilt!

But he quickly moves on to the topic of schools. Mr Chiromo is a highly-committed head teacher and since he joined Nansato Primary School, there has been an increasingly successful record of pupils being accepted to secondary school. Teaching conditions in Dunblane could not be more different.

In Nansato, there are 1200 pupils but only 8 teachers. Classrooms are overcrowded and there is a lack of books and teaching materials. Children do a lot of learning by rote. For a flavour of typical school days at Likhubula, you can read Jenni’s diary from a trip in 2005 on Stirling Council’s website (www.stirling.gov.uk/kidscorner/schools/lessons_from_likhubula/diary.htm).

Rev Mrs Navaya, Mr. Chiromo and Mr Kamanaga visited the Primary schools in Dunblane a few days ago. “The children are lively and relaxed and they have a lot of freedom to create their own ideas.” Mr Chiromo remarks. Mr Kamanaga continues. “They know a lot about Malawi and they ask interesting questions. They want to know, ‘Do we eat bananas?’ One of our roles here is to stretch the children. To let them think about things in different ways”.

Young people have always played a role in the growth of this particular partnership. From the beginning in Dunblane, the Senior Sunday School and Bible Class were a leading voice in the creation of the Likhubula link and there are now five schools in Dunblane involved in the partnership. Within these schools, there are around 210 children who are pen pals with young people in Likhubula.

In Dunblane, there is a dedicated forum for young people called the Likhubula Link. Yesterday, Rev Mrs Navaya, Mr Chiromo and Mr Kamanaga attended the Link then went to a special tea with the congregation of Dunblane Cathedral, organised by the Bible Class. It was a great success. “The meeting was filled with love,” exclaims Mr Chiromo.

“It was good to see men helping with the food” remarks Rev Mrs Navaya. “One difference I have noticed here is that men and women talk and make decisions together. This does not always happen in Malawi. I have also seen ministers help serve the tea.” Everyone at the table laughs. “Are you going to help serve tea when we return home?” asks Mr Chiromo.

Smiling and moving on, she says, “It is good that elderly people are able to mix with young people during worship. This is something that we do not do yet”.

Rev Mrs Navaya’s thoughts really highlight one of the benefits of partnership – the sharing of ideas, pleasures and prayer. Everyone at the table agrees it is about friendship and building a mutually supportive relationship between the communities. It is about ‘unity’ or ‘umodzi’, as they say in Malawi.

How has this partnership responded to the famine that is currently gripping Malawi? Not simply with a flood of money from Scotland. As Jenni writes in her exchange diary, “We saw in one area, which had received foreign aid when the crops failed, that they hadn’t planted any seed since. In the end, answers for Malawi will come from within Malawi itself and in a range of creative and sustainable ways”.

It is an important point, and the partners are learning that you need to be creative when you want to share resources while committed to an equal partnership. On the principle of mutuality, the friends in Dunblane have been augmenting the funds of the Mvano (Guild), who buy maize, soap and salt to distribute in the heat to the poorest in the community. When Mr Chiromo returns he will be carrying out a viability study to see whether ,Nansato Primary School can set up a feeding scheme for their young people in partnership with Dunblane and with Scottish International Relief (SIR).

Meeting Rev Mrs Edna Navaya, Mr Charles Chiromo and Mr Charles Kamanaga has been an excellent opportunity to hear first hand about life in Likhubula, to appreciate their friendliness and resilience and more fully understand the challenges they face, so that in unity, communities can work together toward a better world.

Interview with Rev Mrs Edna Navaya, Mr Charles Chiromo and Mr Charles Kamanaga
5 December 2005, recalled by Elizabeth Harvey, World Mission and Dr Jenni Barr, Dunblane Cathedral