MEL 2013 without teams, for the first time ever (Does your school want to take part? Get in touch asap!!), has felt strange. The communities here have missed the groups visiting their villages, getting to know Malawian ways, working in the schools. My time has been spent in various ways (see Chaboli School under ‘Schools’), including trying to get this maize mill working for the community benefit again. It was donated by a volunteer agency, but unfortunately came with no manual, instructions or training. As a result, its maintenance has been sorely neglected... and it broke down. Alex and I have been working on basic stuff like greasing, cooling, cleaning, but the pulley wheel has been distorted through misuse and has now had to go to Lilongwe to the only engineering workshop capable of restoring it to useable condition. Hopefully, it’ll be up and running before I leave on 25th August: villagers walk for miles with their maize to be ground; this would ease their journeys as well as bringing an income to the villagers. CAH
