Herman is Out of the Office

CNN Inside Africa: Chigoli Football Academy #Malawi. A special Inside Africa program on @Chigoli @CNN @CNNAfrica

This is absolutely fantastic for Malawi, and for football!

I met George, the founder of Chigoli Football Academy, while living in Lilongwe and playing together for the BOBS. He is clearly a visionary, a true believer in the massive potential of Malawi’s kids, and a very good player himself.

It is incredible how far he has developed Chigoli.

This week, the CNN Inside Africaprogram featuring George…

#Chichewa WOTD: Wokonza sinki = Plumber. #Malawi

Chichewa word of the day: Wokonza sinki

Meaning: Plumber

As I search for a good, reliable plumber to do some odd jobs around my house in the UK, I remembered a funny story from my Malawi days; which seems like a distant memory now, regrettably.

As you do, when you need some plumbing work that you can’t do yourself done, I asked around for a good pumber in Lilongwe. Starting with the national…

The Nation – One of the few newspapers in circulation. Probably the most serious, broadsheet-like one.

National Bank of Malawi (NBM) – The bank of choice of VSO volunteers, unless there isn’t one near your placement location. It’s no Coutts, but to be fair to them, they had a good number of ATMs (and they mostly worked). If you get in early in the morning as they opened, the wait is…

Mandasi – Malawian doughnut! But no filling or sugar (too expensive). Favourite street food, especially in the morning when they’re fresh; Not so good when they’re cold and stale. Cost a modest 50-80 kwacha (10-20p). Good choice if you’re desperate for sustenance and don’t want to play “samosa roulette” (the other favourite street food, which may or may not give you diarrhea).

Mountains – Malawi…

Preface: Malawi has suffered terrible, disastrous flooding over the past few of weeks – see #MalawiFloods. It’s now a humanitarian crisis with a huge impact for the future as well. So it requires our attention and help. Ryan Reynolds has tweeted a direct link to the fundraising campaign of an orphanage he visited in 2007. My friend Kathryn has written a vivid post about it here – please go read…

My article from ICTworks, published last Friday. Enjoy! :-)

Lessons Learned From Working Firsthand in Malawi’s ICT Sector Published on: Nov 14 2014 by Guest Writer

My name is Herman Fung and I’m a former VSO volunteerin Malawi. In March 2014, I completed an 18-month voluntary placement where I worked with the Ministry of Health to build and implement Malawi’s first national, open source Human…

Kamba Puffs – The ubiquitous maize snack. Full of salt but not a lot of nutrients. They’re somewhat hit and miss in my personal opinion. Sometimes, if you get a relatively fresh pack, they’re edible – still kinda fresh and crunchy. They do not taste good when they’re stale and soggy! In any case, all kids seem to love them. Just like rice is a once-a-year treat at Christmasfor many, a packet of…

Jambo – Swahili word for hello. Used plenty during my trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Jumbo – Chichewa word for the ubiquitous plastic bag! Earlier this year, the Government of Malawi banned the sale and use of thin plastic bags. But of course, this is Malawi… so there was considerable legal wrangling to overturn this! Officially, it’s an attempt to protect the environment and curb the scourge of…

Everybody has a Saturday morning routine.

Mine has changed since coming home and starting work again. I have a recurring calendar entry to remind me to do laundry!

That’s the difference with living back in the first world, as my fellow VSO Malawi returned volunteer, Beth Connolly explains perfectly. Do go read her final blog post: Tionana Holy Family

But I still get a reminder of what it used to…

A to Z: I is for @iHRIS

iHRIS – see all related posts here.

There are many reasons I went to Malawi, back in October 2012. As I discovered after arriving, iHRIS was probably the biggest reason of them all.

It is the system (and project of the same name) commissioned by the Ministry of Health, to be their new human resources management information system: a database of their healthworkers. VSO were engaged to support its…

The Hash – Colloquial abbreviation for the Lilongwe Hash House Harriers.

I must admit that I was very confused when I first heard about the Hash. It was very soon after I arrived in Malawi and I genuinely thought people were advertising drugs on Lilongwe Chat!

Anyway, I was soon enlightened by my housemate Robin, who is a keen runner and explained that it is in fact an international group of…

Herman Fung 馮學文:

A poignant farewell blog post from my fellow VSO volunteer. Well said Jess! I miss Malawi. Its good will, adventure and all its frustrations, too.

Originally posted on Malawi Nearly There Yet:

Over the past month that I have been back in the UK I have been trying to find the words to put in a final blog on my life in Malawi. I have failed miserably in this task and have now come…

Tree surgery, Malawian style!

Chichewa word of the day: Mtengo

Meaning: Tree

Just before I left Malawi, another volunteer, Catherine, moved into the other VSO house, 2 doors down from mine and Robin‘s place.

One of the very large trees in her garden has just been chopped down, Malawian style! Visit her blog post here.

Equipped only with a panga knife. Not even a rope.

That’s seriously high!

Game - Game itself is a South African chain of general merchandise retailer / department store. The “Game Complex” in Old Town is where most azungus go to do their weekly shop in Lilongwe.

Goat - Mbuzi in Chichewa. A serious road hazard because they love crossing when there’s a car approaching!

Goat stew – My favourite traditional Malawian dish. Especially when it’s cooked by my friend Auden.

Gol…

[VIDEO] My Son - Malawi Action Movie

Unlike Nigeria and its “Nollywood“, Malawi is not particularly well known for its homegrown cinema. This video may not change that view any time soon but it’s always great and refreshing to see something new in Malawi. The style is certainly different to what I’m normally used to but you can see the Jackie Chan influence at work.

My Son is co-directed by and stars Ernest Thamangiwa, who as it…