As you may already know, this past May, as part of Project Malawi 2009, six SLIM members, Sesi Aliu, Christina Rak, Laura Amweg, Cori Shollenberger, Jenna Merrill, and Cory Malagise traveled to Malawi for one month. The trip was exciting, educational, and successful!
While in Malawi, the students held daily reading sessions and nightly discussions about global health, poverty and development. The students also visited community-based organizations (CBOs) in the MPALUTI CBO Network providing health and social services in rural areas surrounding Lilongwe.
These visits offered the students an opportunity to learn about the programs and activities managed by these volunteer-run organizations, including orphan care centers, outreach and home-based care, and income-generating activities. The six SLIM members also conducted interviews with CBO volunteers about their experiences in Malawi, as part of a Univ. Pittsburgh Brackenridge Summer Fellowship project.
Another objective of Project Malawi 2009 was a water sourcing project, aimed at establishing clean, drinkable water sources in villages served by one of the MPALUTI CBOs. The pictures below feature the completed water sources, elephant pumps which were erected jointly by Pump Aid, a non-profit, and the communities benefiting from the well.
SLIM and MPALUTI's partnership is going strong, and we hope to build on this relationship as the year unfolds. Thanks to all those who helped make the Project Malawi 2009 Trip a success. If you would like to get more involved with Project Malawi or SLIM, contact one of our officers and come to meetings!
Sesi Aliu
Project Malawi 2009 Trip Coordinator
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