LEADERSHIP TRAINING
community. With real humility he fed back on some of the key points he’d found helpful and wanted to pass on to others back home. From his attitude it was clear that he would be a great servant for his people. For the second part of our visit we returned south to Chapsinja and Biwi, not too far from Lilongwe. Whilst Links had been coming to Chapsinja for a couple of years, this was my first visit and it was a real eye opener. Whereas Kande has had a number of years of consistent input, Chapsinja has only really benefitted from two or three - and Biwi even less. The three locations provided a real cross sectional view of the value of ongoing partnership. The varying degrees of development and progress were remarkable. In Chapsinja, it soon became apparent that many of the village chiefs in the leadership sessions hadn’t been educated beyond primary school level. These were smart people, just not schooled to western standards. They very quickly grasped concepts - so once again visual aids became essential tools. We found that switching written words
on flipcharts for pictures, and academic models for role play and mime were very successful. In the end I think I was stretched at least as far as the delegates. If I may offer just one final piece of valuable travel advice for visitors to Malawi it would be this; check for wildlife before using any latrines. It turns out wasps find them suitable real estate for nests too!
Dan Turner
Managing Director, Bunches
A creative viewpoint
This was my first trip of this kind and the whole experience was a pleasure to be part of. It is evident that what the team is doing out there is making a real difference and it’s great to be a part of it. The African approach to life means that there is plenty of time to relax and nothing seems to be stressed over. Links trips have time built in to the schedule where it’s possible to step back from the duties and just take in where you are and what is going on.
This also provides invaluable time to spend with your fellow team mates and a chance to get to know some people better. I met some great people and made some genuine friendships with people I probably wouldn’t normally get chance to meet in England. Hearing from other members of the team about how village life had been improved by investment (of both money and time) from Bunches and Links was encouraging and to see the fruits of this investment first hand really does bring home the difference we’re making to people’s lives. I’m sure all the team members would agree that the trip provided an education for us as much as for the Malawians. The attitude of the people and the way they live their lives made me realise how much we stress about little things that just don’t matter. I expected a much more melancholy atmosphere in the villages but barring some obvious obstacles and hindrances they all seemed very content with life.
Andy Peters
Senior Creative, Bunches.co.uk
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