There are a number of reasons I created this blog. One is to allow friends and family to find out what I am doing over the summer. Another is to give people an idea of what the EWB junior fellowship program is all about. And of course, to raise awareness about livelihoods and development issues in Malawi.

Currently I am involved in pre-departure preparation. EWB goes to great lengths to make sure their volunteers feel prepared and supported. We have had to cover an number of topics over the last few months including:

Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Culture Shock
The Role of Westerners
Communication
Understanding Rural Livelihoods
Understanding the Development Sector
Agriculture
Root Causes of Poverty

The preparation includes reading articles, writing posts, conducting interviews, reading books, talking with past volunteers, visiting websites, and spending time on self introspection.