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A woman washes clothes on the shoreline of Lake Malawi.

Malawi: A transforming experience inspires an ongoing relationship

Posted Sep. 6, 2013 at 7:12 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — A study abroad experience related to sustainability has developed into an ongoing community relationship between Appalachian State University and the African nation of Malawi.

That's the power of transformative experiences.

Why Malawi?

Through the Walker College of Business, students have made two trips to Malawi near the capital of Lilongwe. They learn how non-governmental organizations, government and communities are addressing economic, social and environmental challenges. They also participate in service projects and stay in the homes of local families.

"I think one of the special things about this university is the fact that we were able to go abroad, but also how much followed us as we came back to campus," said Jesse Pipes, an MBA candidate at Appalachian. He helped initiate Appalachian's academic connection to Malawi through a non-profit organization he and friends started a decade ago, called World Camp.

"Africa has so much to teach us and we have so many resources that we can share... The community solutions the students saw practiced in Malawi can be applied here in the U.S. or any community for that matter."

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Ellen Mason gets to know local children from the Senga Bay fishing village.

What difference do students make?

The first group of Appalachian students in 2012 worked with villagers to research the feasibility of establishing a maize mill, including start-up costs, monthly operating costs and projected revenue. They determined start-up costs could be recovered in the first year of operation.

After returning home, the students remained engaged with the African nation by forming the Sustainable Services Initiative Club on campus to explore solutions to community challenges—including collecting funds for the proposed maize mill and for children's school fees.

On the second study abroad, students met William Kamkwamba, co-author of the international best-selling book "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind." The book relates his story of how he achieved his dream of bringing electricity, light and the promise of a better life to his family and his Malawi village of Wimbe.

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A young girl in the Mchezi Village smiles on her way home from school as she carries her younger sibling on her back.

What impact does Malawi have in Boone?

As a result of the study abroad programs, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" author visited campus as the keynote speaker at Appalachian's 5th Annual Global Opportunities Conference in April 2013, which had a record 550 attendees. These included visiting classes from Watauga and Avery high schools and Two Rivers Charter School, as well as the campus and larger communities.

Having Kamkwamba on campus to share his message of hope, encouragement, dreams and creativity "served as a segue to start conversation," explained marketing major Deja Borders.

"I share the bit of awareness that I have every chance that I get," said Borders, who participated in the 2013 study abroad program.

"Now that I have experienced Malawi, a country I knew nothing about prior to researching the trip, I have been able to discuss with people everything that I learned. Those opportunities have led to conversations about the intellect, congeniality, national language, education, currency and so many other things that the average American does not know about Malawi."

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A Malawian landscape viewed from the bus as Appalachian students traveled from the capital of Lilongwe to Lake Malawi.

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A Malawian landscape viewed from the bus as Appalachian students traveled from the capital of Lilongwe to Lake Malawi.

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A Malawian landscape viewed from the bus as Appalachian students traveled from the capital of Lilongwe to Lake Malawi.

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A Malawian landscape viewed from the bus as Appalachian students traveled from the capital of Lilongwe to Lake Malawi.

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A Malawian landscape viewed from the bus as Appalachian students traveled from the capital of Lilongwe to Lake Malawi.

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A woman washes clothes on the shoreline of Lake Malawi.

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Ellen Mason, Zion Greenfield and Nyssa Turnbow explore the shoreline of Lake Malawi.

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Amanda Kato plays with a young girl from the Senga Bay fishing village.

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Ellen Mason gets to know local children from the Senga Bay fishing village.

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Samantha Ludick, owner of Cool Runnings Guest House in Senga Bay, speaks to Appalachian students about social entrepreneurship. Ludick gives 45 percent of her business's profits to the local community through projects she runs. The projects are related to soccer, healthcare, education and agriculture.

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Zack Wilson admires a local craftsman's woodworking.

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Students learn Chichewa, the language spoken by most people in Malawi.

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The students pose in front of the Parliament Building in Lilongwe.

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Students visit the home of Kristof Nordin located on the outskirts of Lilongwe. Nordin and his wife, Stacia, have dedicated their lives to permaculture and nutrition in Malawi with the hopes of teaching the community to have a more sustainable and diverse diet.

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Students visit the home of Kristof Nordin located on the outskirts of Lilongwe. Nordin and his wife, Stacia, have dedicated their lives to permaculture and nutrition in Malawi with the hopes of teaching the community to have a more sustainable and diverse diet.

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Boys with goats in Wimbe Village.

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William Kamkwamba, author of "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," talks with students in his home of Wimbe Village about sustainable technologies.

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Students tour Wimbe Village to see how William Kamkwamba, author of "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," transformed his family's life by bringing wind and solar energy into their compound. He continues to experiment with bringing newer technologies to Africa.

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Students tour Wimbe Village to see how William Kamkwamba, author of "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," transformed his family's life by bringing wind and solar energy into their compound. He continues to experiment with bringing newer technologies to Africa.

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Blessing Chikakula (far left) interprets for Appalachian students as they visit with William Kamkwamba's grandmother in Wimbe Village.

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Malawians attend their corn crops.

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Kathryn Waitt looks at hippos in the South Luangwa River in Zambia.

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Kathryn Waitt looks at hippos in the South Luangwa River in Zambia.

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Lions hunt during the evening in the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.

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Anja Wicker writes in her daily journal while on safari in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.

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Scenes from safari.

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Scenes from safari.

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A young girl in the Mchezi Village smiles on her way home from school as she carries her younger sibling on her back.

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Students visit a community-based organization's tailoring shop where women are taught how to sew in hopes they will learn the trade.

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Zach Wilson, Meredith Church and Jesse Pipes pass around nsima, a corn product which is a food staple in Malawi.

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Ellen Mason cooks nsima with the help of her host during the home stay part of the trip.

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Deja Borders pumps water from a borehole while villagers look on.

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Ellen Mason, Alex White and Anja Wicker carry water from the well back to their hosts' home.

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Anja Wicker and Alex White share a breakfast of taro root, nsima and tea at their home stay visit.

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The students get Malawian dance lessons from Masankho Kamsisi-Banda at World Camp.

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The students get Malawian dance lessons from Masankho Kamsisi-Banda at World Camp.

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Study abroad: Malawi 2012

A study abroad experience related to sustainability has developed into an ongoing community relationship between Appalachian State University and the African nation of Malawi.

Will Appalachian continue this relationship?

Yes, a third study abroad program is planned for May 2014. It will be part of a sustainable development and business course. To learn more, contact Meredith Church at churchmm@appstate.edu or 828-262-7727.

"The students gain unique life skills," said Pipes, "and an understanding of how best to use them: critical thinking, listening to others, asking better questions, generating ideas, active collaboration. They learn that by pooling what you know and who you know, you can better support each other."

AppState Roundtable: Malawi

For decades, Appalachian State University has recognized the importance an international perspective has on undergraduate education. Appalachian's graduates are creative thinkers and problem-solvers -- thought leaders who are easily able to adapt to a changing world.

Transcript

(introductory music)

Jesse Pipes; MBA candidate: What always strikes me is why students continue to go abroad and get involved in different types of projects. Anja, you were saying that after coming to Malawi with us it really sort of opened a whole new scope of what you might want to study and what you might want to pursue.

Anja Wicker '13; Global Studies: Originally coming into it, I was very critical of non-profits and NGOs and what-not and their ultimate mission. But going to Malawi and really being able to hands-on experience different organizations that are doing work that is actually benefiting the people ... it's changed my entire perspective.

Deja Borders; Class of 2014, Marketing: Going to Malawi and being part of the ... seeing the different organizations that were there ... definitely showed me that having a sustainable outlook and actually helping the people learn a trade or learn how they can help themselves or come up with a process.

JP: We have preconceived notions when we go abroad. Traveling to somewhere like Malawi that is so different ... we talked about this during the trip, but Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. How does that change you after you come back ... back to campus, back to Boone.

Dr. Heather Dixon-Fowler; Walker College of Business: I just didn't realize the seeds that were sort of planted and what that would mean, not only for our college but also for Appalachian as a university and then even the greater community that we're a part of as a university here in Boone and in Watauga County. We really did bring the world to us and I think it benefited the entire community in so many ways.

JP: I think that one of the special things about this university is the fact that we, as students, were able to go abroad, but how much sort of followed us on our way back to campus. The Global Opportunities Conference ... having William Kamkwamba, having Blessings here ... and Deja, one of my favorites here was having you, Blessings and William read from his children's book at the public library during children's hour the very next day. We never realize when we set off on a short-term study abroad trip, the gravity of what that entails when we come back to campus.

AW: The fact that the Global Conference was around an issue that we, as Appalachian students, had visited and been there and had experiences and first-hand accounts. I think that not only brought Malawi back over here, but it expanded the opportunity for people in the audience to realize that they can achieve the same thing.

DB: It served as a segue to start conversations over and over again and bring that awareness that is not there.

JP: One of the core values that I've applied in my work in Malawi is just increasing the dialogue across the table. We have just as much to learn by going there as we think that we can teach in the process. So I think that is really what it is for me is making that connection and being part of that engagement point for students here as well.

DB: One of the big things that you said to me when we were there that stuck with me was empathy not sympathy.

JP: Well, that's something that I learned. They're capable ... we're all capable ... of solving issues. At that point in time I sort of took it upon myself to stick to that manifesto that it's empathy not sympathy.

HDF: I don't think until I was on the ground, seeing what was working and also seeing what wasn't working, and allowing people, where they're at and in the context that they are, to solve their own problems, but often maybe we just need to provide the resources for them to do that. It's them telling us what they need and what they need to get to what they need. And then we can help with that.

AW: Every decision I make, some piece of that decision is going to be based on what I experienced in Malawi. It impacted me in a way that can't be put into any type of concrete form.

DB: It was different than any other experience that I have had abroad. I've been to Korea and I've been to Japan. Those places didn't stick with me like Malawi will. I kind of understand where you're coming from because I think of things differently. It was a totally different experience for me.

(closing music)

What do you think?

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About Malawi
  • a small sub-Saharan country with 16 million people
  • less than 9 percent of the population has access to electricity
  • HIV/AIDS has ravaged the adult population
  • 45 percent of the population is under the age of 14
  • Life expectancy is 54

Source: World Bank

Office of International Education and Development
Office of International Education and Development

The OIED is responsible for spearheading the internationalization efforts at Appalachian. The internationalization mission of Appalachian is to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences in both domestic and international contexts in its students, faculty, staff and the surrounding communities. The university is also dedicated to creating a campus environment that builds the theoretical and practical skills needed to interact effectively in a global society.

Learn more
Dewey named director of Appalachian’s Quality Enhancement Plan
Dewey named director of Appalachian’s Quality Enhancement Plan
Feb. 15, 2013

The QEP is a major part of the reaffirmation of accreditation process for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS). Appalachian’s QEP, developed through a three-year process, is titled “Global Learning: A World of Opportunities for Appalachian Students.”

Read the story

About the Office of International Education and Development

The OIED is responsible for spearheading the internationalization efforts at Appalachian. The internationalization mission of Appalachian is to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences in both domestic and international contexts in its students, faculty, staff and the surrounding communities. The university is also dedicated to creating a campus environment that builds the theoretical and practical skills needed to interact effectively in a global society. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

About Malawi
  • a small sub-Saharan country with 16 million people
  • less than 9 percent of the population has access to electricity
  • HIV/AIDS has ravaged the adult population
  • 45 percent of the population is under the age of 14
  • Life expectancy is 54

Source: World Bank

Office of International Education and Development
Office of International Education and Development

The OIED is responsible for spearheading the internationalization efforts at Appalachian. The internationalization mission of Appalachian is to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences in both domestic and international contexts in its students, faculty, staff and the surrounding communities. The university is also dedicated to creating a campus environment that builds the theoretical and practical skills needed to interact effectively in a global society.

Learn more
Dewey named director of Appalachian’s Quality Enhancement Plan
Dewey named director of Appalachian’s Quality Enhancement Plan
Feb. 15, 2013

The QEP is a major part of the reaffirmation of accreditation process for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS). Appalachian’s QEP, developed through a three-year process, is titled “Global Learning: A World of Opportunities for Appalachian Students.”

Read the story

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
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  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
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