Meetings...

So I have written an OVC monitoring strategy, and AHOSO is holding meetings to gain feedback and begin implementation. The first round of VBC reports will come in at the start of November so we’ll see what info we can get then. It was received with much support from the Traditional Authority, and several of the local headmen and women, along with VBCs and other attendees. Round two of the meetings will be this Saturday.

Organizing meetings out here is a bit of a production. You can’t send an email or make a phone call to invite people; it’s all word of mouth. You also have to find a way to transport everyone, along with refreshments and food(which is pretty well a requirement), and paper and pens etc., for those who can use them to take notes. And you have to find a venue...we took over the antenatal clinic a few villages over. If we say the meeting is staring at 8, it will start maybe by 10:30 and if they say it will be on Thursday, they really mean Saturday.

The meetings are held in Chichewa, which means when I talk, someone translates for me. The problem is, they don’t translate Chichewa back to English for me, so I don’t follow much.