The rains in Malawi seem to have eased off now
Well, it rained all through the night last night and most of today. For a country so short of water I thought that this is a good thing… but it seems a lot of something in a short space of time is not good at all.
We are right at the end of the rainy season, which started in December, and this is when Malawians get to farm and harvest food that they need to survive the remaining part of the year. When the first rains come it’s like a green light to plant as much as possible to take advantage of the weather. And they do! Right now, just about every square inch of land has maize growing on it – their staple diet.
However, the maize is fully matured now and needs sun to dry over the next month but it’s top heavy and collapsing under the force of the rain. Our driver Chester explained how critical this harvest is… if they have no maize, they have no food and would have to rely on donation to survive.
He also explained that the lovely displays of watermelon along the roadside are a bad sign and indicate a poor maize harvest. I couldn’t see why and he couldn’t explain it either, so hopefully it’s just a saying with no real substance. And the rains seem to have let up now, which should be a good sign.
Enjoy these pictures … we had a long time on the road today and I did my best to shoot what I could out of the window.
About the Author
I look after two roles at One. 1) I head up digital and social media; and 2) I host client trips out to our sites in Africa and blog our experiences. You may already know me as the voice behind One Difference on our Facebook community.
One is such a unique, fun and life changing business. Our aim is to make it easy for everyone to make a difference to those that need it most. I feel fortunate to work for one of the best companies ever. We are honest and transparent about who we are, we work hard at our cause and we have a lot of fun too. My colleagues, our partners and our community members make a great family. I feel part of something truly special.
