Malawi Study Tour

I did not think that I would be back in Malawi so soon but within days I was travelling along the same stretch of road and passing through the same border crossing. Why? Well this was a work trip, and not for pleasure, as VSO Zambia had organised a study tour on HIV and AIDS issues for a number of its partner organisations and I had been fortunate to be invited along too. A group of 10 of us travelled to Malawi – many who I had met before so it was nice to see this familiar friendly faces. We were joined by a similar group of HIV and AIDS workers from VSO partner organisations Mozambique so my Portuguese language skills improved no end – Bon dia and Obrigado! We spent a week travelling around central and southern Malawi (between Lilongwe and Blantyre) meeting with organisations at different levels (Government, district, community and NGOs) who are all working in the HIV and AIDS field. We listened and questioned (and wanted to question some more if there was time), and were overall impressed by what is being done in Malawi in the fight against HIV and AIDS. It all seems more organised and coordinated, and also better supported; I don’t just mean financially but also in terms of politics, planning and actions. The task now is to bring back some of this learning to Zambia to improve the situation here.