All committee members for Kasinthula Cane Growers gathered at the office to welcome Fairtrade liaison officer, Symon Banda. It was expected that he would come together with one his bosses from FLO. He paid an apology for one’s failure and promised that one would come in September. He brought inspection report that took place in June 10 to 12th 2008. Together with the management team, we discussed the conformities and the nonconformities to be compliant. He advised the committee members to work extra hard in social and economic development implementation. Symon left at around 12:30 for Thyolo district for other discussions with tea growers.
A boy died of hungry. When I woke up at around 5:25am, I left for the garden to see the progress. When I was coming back, I met my sister who was drawing water at the nearby borehole. She told me that Sam who once worked at my father’s house as a herd boy passed. I was shocked because I have not heard that he was sick. “Didn’t you hear that he started suffering five days ago? I thought you heard that he was sick. My brother told me that he was suspected to die of hungry because since he started suffering no one provided him with food or water as well home to rest since is winter season. Many people gathered to care the dead body. He died under the tree. He was just seen early morning. He was laid to the rest at noon hours. It was very sad.
I left for work after taking breakfast that was prepared by my wife. We enjoyed cassava, which we took from wife’s uncle. Wife’s uncle gave us enough cassava for five days to have breakfast. We knocked off at 5pm. When I got home, I proceeded to see my maize crop progress. I found maize field employees already applying water. I am expecting to have my maize harvested early October. It would be when I shall not buy higher price maize in local markets.
My wife asked me to visit her uncle at Kakoma about 20km from home. We left at 9am and arrived at 12:32pm using the bicycle. When we got there we did not find them. Wife ordered me to leave for her cousin before meeting the uncle. At her cousin, we took masau fruits. Her uncle came. “I was at the garden that’s why you found nobody at home. They prepared lunch for us. We left for home at around 7pm.
Malawi is hit by hungry especially the southern part of it, Shire valley that experienced unreliable rainfall and floods, which washed away crops late in 2007 the planting season. White maize is the major staple food in Malawi. The scarcity of maize has hit many rural areas. Maize is not found in reserved storage for society survival. “Flour has just finished and we need to buy because yesterday we have just been given by your brother to cook nsima,” my wife told me. “I have heard that the price is very high at local market, but we can not do otherwise you have to buy for survival” I responded. I gave my wife Mk4000.00 that she bought only 40kgs of maize. I only managed to buy 40kgs because I am working. Others are failing even buying 5kgs of it. It is so sorry because the living standard becomes more complicated. Many traders are selling maize at higher prices following the scarcity of it. Without maize most Malawians can not live.
It was cloudy morning. After breakfast, I left for the office to finalize compiling flow of goods on fairtrade deal. It is required that sugar sales report has to be sent to Fairtrade Labeling Organization every quarter. I was late to capture the second quarter because I always use other peoples’ computers. If I had computer, I could manage to complete everything in time. I left for home at around 11am.
I left for Blantyre to attend classes. When I was arriving at school there was nobody. My classmate who comes from Phalombe (Southern East of Malawi) arrived. He provided me with some handouts, which I photocopied. Other classmates were gathering at around 8am. The weather was quite fine because it was sunny and some patches of clouds. At lunchtime, I took chips without any drink. We knocked off at 3pm. I was boarding Chikwawa minibus at 4:34pm.
It is more likely due to some beliefs that when other people are about to die they demand something in order to prevent misfortunes. Others demand that at his or her funeral ceremony the coffin should not get out using the normal entrance, but the house has to be broken elsewhere as entrance for coffin to get out. Old man who just before passed away demanded that people attending his funeral should come while naked. It was very amazing that nobody could fulfill that demand. However, other demands are fulfilled, but that was very tough. Everybody was shocked to keep on naked while attending that ceremony. Relatives to that deceased ignored that demand. The ceremony continued normally without following what the deceased advised. Culturally relatives other willing people do rest at the deceased house until the other day to finalize the ceremony after burial. It was strange that anonymous hyena came and seized blankets from one of the people who slept at the deceased house. It was when they realized that it misfortune. “May be had it been that we followed that demand it could not happen” one of the relatives said. Following the seizure of the blanket, many people gathered to follow that strange hyena. They had weapons with them. At a certain distance, they found that hyena and it crucial. However, they managed to kill it.
Old Mutual is one of the insurance companies, which most of the Kasinthula employees have their policies. Tow officials from this company came at Kasinthula to update employees knowing all procedures and transactions as well as benefits obtained through it. Employees understood clearly about the company’s mission and benefits. The meeting conducted from 9:30am to 12noon.
Had lunch at parents’ inlaw. My wife left for her parents’ home to attend funeral ceremony of their neighbor’s daughter. At the funeral where my wife attended, Christians refused to take food because it was only one guinea fowl instead of giving them a goat. I understood that at home there was nobody to prepare food. I called her to portion lunch for me. After taking lunch, I turned up for the work. It was delicious meal, nsima, vegetable and fresh cooked beans.
I left for Blantyre at around 9am to source quotation for building materials of the Kasinthula Fairtrade clinic extension project other proposed projects. I arrived Blantyre at 10:25. I footed to look for hardware that could provide me with quotations asked. I boarded minibus proceeding to Limbe. When I just got off the minibus, I witnessed a certain minibus hitting a woman who was crossing the road at Zebra Crossing. It was had hit that a woman was thrown up and landed on the tarmac. It was very sad. That same minibus rushed her hospital. I did not move again for over 10 minutes because it was shock full. I was coming back home late in the afternoon. I arrived home at 7:32pm.
A cane farmer laid to the rest. One of the Kasinthula influential cane farmers passed away on Monday at Chikwawa hospital after short illness. Many people gathered at the burial ceremony. He was old, but he contributed much to Kasinthula Cane Growing. He assisted in giving pieces of advice to various sub committees.
Robert’s bicycle and mine were not in good condition that we could use traveling from home to get to the work. We left early for work for we understood that it was tiresome to walk from home. However, we arrived on time.
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