Life in a refugee camp

In Dzaleka, a refugee community outside the capital of Malawi, there is at least one restaurant.

Seattle, Feb. 12: Sitting at my computer with the snow falling outside and a space heater at my knee, 10,000 miles from the Dzaleka refugee camp, I am struggling to know what to say about the conditions more than 30,000 people live in. What makes it difficult for me to comprehend is their apparent resiliency. Mankind seems to be adaptable to all sorts of situations, as indicated by Seattle's homeless community. Dzaleka is another example.

Comprising refugees from eight African nations, Dzaleka is situated in Malawi, a landlocked nation of 17 million in Southeast Africa. Malawi calls itself the heart of Africa. It is one fifth lake, so naturally it has a navy, quite small, and an army composed of two rifle and one parachute regiments. Its air wing has a few helicopters and a few additional aircraft.

Aerial view of Dzaleka, taken from There Is Hope Documentary (link).

The unit of exchange is the Kwacha ("dawn") subdivided into 100 Ngwee ("bright"). Last summer, 2,000 "dawns" were worth $2.71. Malawi does not host the refugee camp. It provides the space. The United Nations supports the camp, including providing food rations. The refugees are prohibited from working outside the camp because they would be taking jobs away from the citizens of one of the world's poorest nations. There are places in the sprawling camp where they can raise food.

World Bank estimates show that Malawi has the world’s lowest Gross National Income per capita, at $250. Monaco, an independent State on France’s Mediterranean coastline, has the highest, at $100,000.

So there they are, refugees from eight nations situated in a sprawling camp in one of the most impoverished nations on the planet.

There is Hope Malawi

Just outside the entrance to Dzaleka, a half-hour drive or so from Malawi's capital city of Lilongwe there is a sign for There is hope Malawi. This charity was started by Innocent Magambi, author of Refugee for Life, a young man who was born a refugee and spent his first 27 years in five refugee camps, much of that time fleeing war.

Funded by the European Union, the mission of There is Hope is to see refugees and their host community escape poverty and become self-reliant. Its new campus, approximately a year old now, provides vocational training, income generating opportunities and education for the residents of Dzaleka. In the photo at the right are:

• Innocent Magambi, (sun glasses) and Alain Tenta, a Congolese-born social worker.
• Isaac Msiska, a photographer working with There is Hope and decked out in a Puma T-shirt courtesy of my son, who is a designer for Puma, and  
• Cathreen Ndege-Chirwa, program director for There is Hope.   What impressed me most about Cathreen was this: When I told her I had hats and clothing donated by Americans, she didn't just take them -- she asked for an inventory, displaying the importance of accountability and good business practices. She spent the better part of her day taking me to the camp and distributing the balls and clothing to the refugees. These people are serious about telling their story and making a difference for the refugees. Their operation just outside the camp is still new, but I'm confident they are going to benefit the refugees and have a positive impact on the residents of Lilongwe as well.

Not being able to work in Malawi doesn't necessarily hold a refugee down. There is Hope has created the Kibebe program (Facebook: Kibebe Malawi) in which crafts such as clothing, bags, decorated cups, greeting cards, baby bibs and colorful blankets can be manufactured by refugees for sale online or in stores in nearby Lilongwe. In the photo below, Hongin Lin, a young Chinese woman and Occidental College graduate sponsored by a grant to work with the charity, sorts products produced by refugees.

Hongin Lin sorts these refugee-made products for sales in local stores and online.

There is Hope conducts training classes in the building shown below. In the foreground are women taking classes -- and waiting for the chance to play with a One World Futbol.

It looks like some of these refugee students can play the world's most popular sport.

Up from the earth

The ground gives up its soil for bricks, drying in the sun.

In the American West, some folks lived in sod houses. For many residents of Dzaleka, it's not much different. The area around Lilongwe appears to be heavily weathered, and that can mean red, iron-rich earth, suitable for producing clays -- and making bricks -- and brick buildings.

This home may look scruffy, but they have come to a better place than where they were.

It's unclear what a "money agent" is. The photo was taken via GoPro during a quick drive-by.

Shops. The one on the far left is a barber shop. Note the telephone wires in the background.

Open Country

In this refugee camp I saw no fences, except for this one, made with wire and reeds or corn stalks. Dzaleka sprawls over open ground, where the residents can grow crops. They are spread out enough that it's hard to appreciate there are 30,000 or more people assigned here.

A fence constructed of wires, brush and corn stalks

A brick building (home?) next to land furrowed for growing crops.

This thatched-roof building was in sharp contrast to the school building, shown below.

Our visit represented a "photo op," and the kids dutifully complied . . .

. . . and then they got to just be kids.

The school in the photos above was of brick. The Kasamba Nursery School below was more primitive in design with a corrugated iron roof and few, if any, doors.

Instructor Brenda Banda showed the youngsters the fundamentals of the kazoo.

Schools in the refugee camps can be pretty bare bones. The image above illustrates that the amenities are few. At the right we see a portion of the display of the English alphabet painted on the wall, and numbers from 1 to 10, with images of feathers to illustrate what those numbers signify.

In the photo below, taken at the next school, the two youngsters were demonstrating that even at a young age they are trained on interpersonal relations. The shy young man holds a doll representing a girl; she holds a doll representing a boy. Holding the dolls indicates who is going to role play for  what to say to an individual of the opposite sex. On reflection, it looks like this was a special presentation for the out-of-town guests.

This school principal holds a rag ball that the two One World Futbols will displace. 

Her look made me wonder what that girl was thinking about that cute, shy little boy.

Normally I try to distribute One World Futbols on the presumption that there are at least 30 players for each ball. In some cases, the ratio was more like 1-10. But it struck me that these balls were going to be treasured and get some intense use for a long time. They will get to meet a lot of kids.

After we visited the elementary schools we stopped at a sports field, where older youths were playing. They were glad to get the balls and curious to get a look at the adults who stopped by to bestow them. Everyone either wanted to get in the photo with the balls or at least get a look at the visitng mzungu (white guy).

Group shot of teenagers who came running to see what was going on with these new balls.

Dzaleka actually had some soccer teams on hand. Some were fortunate enough to have uniforms that were actually uniform in appearance. Other made do with what was available.

One of the many soccer teams at the Dzaleka.

Hats and clothing

Before I came to Malawi, I had a birthday party at First Class Ballroom in Everett, and people donated lots of presents-- in the form of hats and clothing for my trip to Malawi.  A lot of sports garments came from Paula Everdell-Brown, a friend and EMT instructor who officiates at track tournaments and had tank tops from different meets to donate. All this hitched a ride with me to Malawi and most ended up at Dzaleka.

Sports clothing and baseball caps had no problem finding a home at Dzaleka.

Refugeeswere quick to spot a donation vehicle at Dzaleka, and they queued up.

The kids loved their adult-sized hats; the man at the right put the tank top right over his shirt.

The line for hats quickly exhausted the supply; the man at left only got a light balaclava.

When the distribution was over and the clothing supply was exhausted, there was still a small group that raced after Cathreen's van, hoping in vain. Little things like a baseball cap are a big thing for a refugee--and for Lilongwe residents. The man at the left above, was so disgruntled over missing a hat that I gave him my balaclava -- at least that would afford some protection from the African sun.

This has only been a thumbnail for what I saw at Dzaleka. The need is great, but so is the hope. People are making do, and There is Hope is making a difference. If you travel to places like this, it is kind of you to take clothing with you that you can leave behind when you come home. It is a small gesture, but it can mean a great deal in third-world countries.

Next stop:  If I can, I will be taking One World Futbols to refugees along the United States-Mexican border. Stay tuned. I have 20 One World Futbols remaining, and they are looking for a home.

Love,
Robert