Inspiration

The past months myself and a counterpart from the health centre, Alfred, have been working in a village about 5km from the health center with a Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) mother group of 33 lactating and pregnant women. We have been learning about nutrition using emotion-based learning, food group surveys, improved agriculture techniques, proper breast feeding and weaning practices, cooking demonstrations, and home gardens. Recently we went to visit some of the women who invited us to their homes to appreciate their backyard gardens where they are growing vegetables. These small gardens are important during this season since food gets more scarce and families sometimes start running out. As we went to one house where several mothers are working together on a garden there was an Agogo (grandmother) standing nearby. She started to tell us that she was so inspired and impressed by her neighbors starting home gardens that she built a fence on her own, prepared beds, and is now growing vegetables too! This agogo was inspired by her fellow Malawians to do something new. Malawians teaching and inspiring other Malawians without outside intervention is how development and growth happens. I was so proud of this agogo and of her neighbors who were working hard, trying something new, and encouraging others. It gave me hope of a brighter future to come.