Week 2: Lectures, timetables and plastic babies

After our first week of orientation, meetings, paperwork, and multiple trips to the NMC of Malawi to get registered, we were ready to meet our fellow students and get to work.

Week 2 saw us attending midwifery and reproductive health lectures with the third year students. In Malawi, the shortage of resources requires trainee nurses to learn a lot in a short time, meaning a 4 year degree course here covers nursing and midwifery – students need to learn a little about a lot, and fast! The students were amazed to discover that nursing and midwifery are separate degrees in Scotland. They asked us what would happen if we ever needed to deliver a baby…

When talking to students about their course, many of them mentioned “serving Malawi” and meeting the “needs of the nation”. There is a shortage of nurses here, and the health needs of the population are vast. As a result, Malawi needs more nurses who can handle any situation that arises, and do so without many of the resources that nurses in other countries consider mandatory.

The format of lectures and teaching style in Malawi reflects the volume of information needing to be absorbed, by the high number of students enrolled each year. The lectures we attended throughout the week were very direct and somewhat prescriptive. While the lecturer invited students to answer questions, there was none of the debate or back and forth that we’re used to back home. Lecturers are highly respected (or feared) by the students. Interaction between students and lecturers is formal, with ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’ used for politeness. While we focus on developing problem solving skills, the approach here seems to follow more of a checklist approach. However, the knowledge and conduct of third years impressed us; they were well informed, asked pertinent questions of the lecturers, and presented some well researched seminars. This is even more impressive considering that all lectures are conducted in English, even though that is a second language for Malawians (Chichewa is usually the mother tongue).

The timetable looked pretty heavy going, with classes from 7:30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, and an hour for lunch. Friday offered some respite with a 3pm finish. Daily 7.30am starts seemed unimaginable, but we managed it. Luckily, staying on campus meant we had a very easy commute. By the end of each day we were all exhausted.

Without fail, all week long, about three minutes into every lecture as the lecturer scanned the crowd, they’d spot the 5 ‘azungu’ amongst the students, and look visibly taken aback.  Even when we spread ourselves out amongst the other students to be a bit more sociable, we still didn’t stand much chance of blending in. Luckily everyone was very welcoming and after introductions and a few questions about our background, the lecture could continue.

A highlight of the week was attending a clinical simulation lab in the new cafeteria. Over 100 students, split into groups of 10, worked with Neo Natalie baby mannequins (filled with water to be more realistic) to practice deliveries. 

We learned about the Golden Minute after birth, what to do if a baby doesn’t cry right away, and how to perform suction. It was the first time any of us had ever delivered a plastic baby (or any baby, for that matter), and it was fun to work with the other students to perfect our technique. Knowing that it is highly unlikely we will ever need to do this in the future took the pressure off for us. Then we realised that the following week, on placement, some of the third years might actually be practicing on real live babies. Nothing like getting thrown in at the deep end to focus the mind, I suppose.

At the end of the week, we were happy to have made some new friends and had a glimpse of nursing education in Malawi. We were also very excited about starting clinicals the following Monday with the first year students, conducting health checks in local primary schools. And at least now we have a better idea of what we need to do, should we ever have to deliver a baby...

Red dust

As we flew over Malawi and came in to land, way back at the beginning of this adventure, we caught glimpses of long, straight, dusty red roads, stretching out across the landscape. It looked exactly how we had imagined Africa might look.

We’re in the colder, dry season now. We haven’t seen rain since we arrived. This is the Malawian winter. Temperatures reach the mid 20’s during the day, but plummet to 5 or 6 degrees celsius at night. That probably wouldn’t feel cold to us back home, but the contrast is tough. We layer up before bedtime, and hope that the samovar downstairs is hot enough for tea. Socks, leggings, tshirt, a hoody (or 2 if you’re Jen), then bundle up in blankets before carefully draping our mosquito nets around ourselves. We’re told that it’s not a bad time of year for mosquitoes but we’ve all had a few bites so we’re playing it safe and trying not to miss a dose of doxycycline (or malarone).

The daily doxy tablets makes us photosensitive, so we’re extra diligent about sunblock. A sunburn would just make us stand out even more. At first we thought we were getting an amazing tan, but disappointingly it was just the dust. It swirls up in clouds, and covers everything with rust coloured grit. When we wash our clothes (by hand, in buckets, with water from the samovar…) it turns the water red. If we don’t sweep our room every other day or so, it becomes impossible to get dressed without our socks and uniforms being painted with terracotta coloured patches. The students here wear bright white uniforms, but when they go out into the community they add a bright green apron (for the girls) or a 'duster' (a bit like a lab coat, for the guys). But we still couldn't figure out how they managed to stay looking clean all day.

Most ladies in Malawi wear a bright chitenge over their clothes to combat the dust. It’s 2 metres of wax printed cotton and it has many many uses; either as a skirt, or to hold a baby to your back, or to tie things up in a bundle. We’ve been getting lessons from the students on how to wear them, and we’ll definitely be bringing a few back to Glasgow. Even if the red dust isn’t such a problem back home.

 

Nsima, nsomba, nyama, nyemba: food!

A milestone in our first week here (which seems a long time ago now) was buying bowls so we could get food at the canteen with the other students. 

Lunch and dinner are served on campus every day, 12-1 and 5-6, prompt.  It costs 750 kwacha (MKW750, around £1), or MWK500 (about 75p, ish) for the veggie option.  This was our first taste of traditional Malawian grub.

The menu’s familiarity ensures you know what you’re getting. The students were all excited for us to try nsima (a dense maize flour porridge – think polenta or American grits but more finely ground and cooked for longer).  A standard portion consists of 4 patties (or bullets) known as a cross. We got a few funny looks as we dug in with our camping sporks... it's more common to use your hand to pinch the nsima into bitesize pieces with a dab of sauce and some of the relish (stewed veggies)

Nsima is the staple of the Malawian diet, the alternative being rice. Either option is accompanied by a choice of nkhuku (chicken), nyama (meat, usually beef or possibly lamb), nsomba (fish) or nyemba (kidney beans) for the vegetarians. There's also stewed greens (pumpkin or bean leaves), a tomato based sauce, and maybe aubergine or okra if you’re lucky. Some days you can also get a boiled egg in a spicy sauce. They're really good. The portions are also so huge that at first we thought maybe the students made do with only one big meal per day. They tell us that they usually have lunch and dinner, but breakfast is usually just a cup of tea (with milk powder and plenty of sugar).

We have talked about Malawi time already, which means that most things seem to involve at least half an hour or more of waiting around. Meals are the one exception to this and if you’re not fast you’re last. Some days we’ve rolled up just before one to find only empty pots and the apologetic faces of the ladies who cook and transport the food to campus.

There are other places to eat in town, for when we’ve reached our rice limit, but these are all much more expensive and require a tuktuk journey. There are also little roadside stands where you can get freshly cooked chips (mbatata iriisi - Irish potatoes, or mbatata - sweet potato). Luckily, most days we're too tired to be picky, and rice definitely does a good job of filling you up. 

Salima trip.

Wearing the KCN colours with pride

On my first weekend in Malawi, Kamuzu College of Nursing had organised a football match with Salima Technical College, situated on the shores of Lake Malawi.  Recognising the importance of integrating into the KCN, I (Michael) agreed to go on a road trip with a bus full of rowdy boys (and girls) to play football.  It also sounded like a good laugh.

We assembled at 8am on board the ‘Mighty Torino’, KCN’s bus and flagship mode of transport and set off through the beautiful Malawi landscape.  

We stopped off in Salima itself to buy snacks and supplies and I had my first glimpse of rural life.  Upon the bus’s arrival, locals carrying armfuls of fruit and raffia headgear with a fervour that belied their desperation to capitalise on a much needed source of income, including one forlorn looking little boy who came up to me and tried to sell me a ragged page from an exercise book scrawled with various letters and numbers.  Unsure how to react I and not wanting to show myself out as being an easy mark I mumbled some apologies and walked on, but in retrospect I wish I’d given him a few Kwacha.

Kondwan, myself and Godwell before the off.

We got stocked up then headed on to the campus at a place called Senga Bay which resembles a desert island, 100m from the shore of Lake Malawi, with fresh water breakers rolling in to the beach and the water a balmy temperature (or balmy enough for this Scotsman basking in Malawian ‘Winter’). 

The football pitch at Senga Bay

We gathered for the football match and I was assigned position of Right Back, then I remembered I’d not played a proper game of football in at least 5 years.  After a few simple passes left me wrong footed and sprinting after the ball, my team mates spared my blushes and kept me out of the play.  I knew things weren’t improving when people were saying if I was tired I could come off, and eventually I got the order that I was being substituted for someone younger and more agile.  I’d lasted about 20 minutes.  Ah well, the game ended up a respectable 2-2 draw against strong opponents and no-one seemed to hold a grudge.  Stuart, the KCN director of Sports summary was rather positive about my performance (‘quite fast but with poor co-ordination’).

The post-match bath was a dip in Lake Malawi then we had a stroll along the beach for a traditional meal of nsima, fish and beans, in an honest-to-goodness proper shack, where I was greeted with gasps of amazement, I don’t think they get many of my sort around here.  The students of both colleges were incredibly friendly and I got know some great people within my first week of being here.  

Result!

Getting here: the never ending journey

We left Glasgow a week ago, and have spent the past few days settling in on campus. We still haven't got logins for using the internet on our laptops, but students have helped us to connect to WiFi with our phones. So we will be playing catch up with stories on the blog for a while. Let's start at the beginning...

We've been planning this trip for so long, and have had to negotiate quite a few obstacles, but it still didn't quite feel real as we waved goodbye to our loved ones at the airport.

Our journey would take 22 hours, via London, then Johannesburg and eventually to Lilongwe. As the plane took off from Glasgow we all breathed a sigh of relief as we realised Caley to Malawi was actually happening!

A miscalculation in London about how much time we had before boarding our plane to Johannesburg, led to a panicked 15 minute sprint across the terminal. The tannoys were announcing final calls and doors closing. As we tumbled down the tunnel to board the plane, the air steward kidded on that he was locking the door and we'd missed our flight. But all the ground crew fell about laughing at the sight of our faces, and we were able to settle in for our 11 hour journey.

We flew over Europe and then the Sahara Desert, down to South Africa before changing planes and doubling back up to "the warm heart of Africa".

Feeling a bit sleep deprived, but still just as amazed to be where we were, we waited to board our final flight.

On the flight from SA to Malawi, I met a Malawian nurse called Jacinta who was travelling back home from Boston where she's doing her Masters. She teaches in Lilongwe, at the sister college to Kamuzu College of Nursing, and was very excited for us. She reassured me that we would learn a lot while we are here, and said she would check in on us.

At the airport, we queued up and were waved through security, with a vague instruction to present at the visa office within 30 days. Then we walked through to the arrivals area, a jostling sea of taxi drivers all competing for jobs. We split between 2 taxis, to have enough space for all 6 of us and our luggage. And then we got our first proper glimpse of the place which will be our home for the next few months.

Next up... A tour of campus, and our first taste of nsima - the national food staple of Malawi.

Malawi time

We are now officially registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) of Malawi! Malawi time takes some getting used to, and the process took us 3 days (with multiple trips to banks, letters from our uni, and forms signed by our lecturer Alan as well as the Dean here at Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) ). Things move slowly here, but everything seems to get done eventually.

On Tuesday, we were told we would need to pay $100 to register with the NMC Malawi. Unfortunately, on Monday we changed all our dollars into kwacha, so we had to head back to the bank. ATMs only allow you to withdraw 40000 kwacha at a time (about £57) but we needed to change 48500 kwacha. So, two ATM transactions, two charges from the bank, then the charge to change it into dollars next door at the bureau de change (they couldn't give us foreign currency directly using Visa). Then, when we finally got to the cash office at the NMC, we were told that they no longer accepted dollars, as it had led to corruption in the past. So we were asked to pay 15000 kwacha instead (much better deal...). By this point, I didn't have enough kwacha left (it was beginning to feel a bit like a chuckle brothers episode) so our escort from the admin department and the uni bus driver lent me 3000 until we could get back to a bank.

We also had to pass a surprise interview with the NMC Director of Educational Exchanges, to discuss our previous theoretical and practical experience, and our objectives for this placement, to make sure they could provide enough opportunities for learning here. Luckily, we aced it. And next week we join the KCN third year cohort!

This week we have also tried nsima (maize flour porridge), bought bowls so we can use the student canteen on campus, learned how to greet people and say thank you in chichewa, met some students, braved the showers (a story for another day), and visited the Lilongwe wildlife centre next door to the campus (where we came face to face with a wild boar on the trail! And also saw crocodiles, monkeys, baboons, a duiker and a serval cat).

Apparently classes start at 7.30am here. Some of us (ahem) struggle to make it in on time for 9am lectures at GCU so we'll need to make sure we don't show ourselves up. It's not as easy for us to sneak into the lecture anonymously here. Early night on Sunday I think.

This time next week...

Arms have been jagged, flights are booked, Memos of Understanding have been emailed across thousands of miles and I'm now well versed in the medicinal options for preventing the contraction of Malaria and how to fly to Southern Africa avoiding countries with a risk of Yellow fever (via London and Jo'burg) -6 days to go and it's actually starting to happen!

When we started planning this almost a year ago we knew we'd have to do some fundraising and we decided on a Kickstarter type project where our sponsors get various little rewards in exchange for support.  We've had some extremely generous donations already, but why let them hog all the glory- there's still time to donate today!

Seriously though, today is the last day and your last chance to help us with this project, if you can spare a few pounds, dollars, pesos or yen that would be greatly appreciated, please do so using PayPal via the link below:

https://hubbub.net/p/caleytomalawi/

Many thanks,

Caley to Malawi Team

All systems go!

The long awaited email finally arrived! All paperwork is now approved, which means this project is finally real. It's happening. It's time to book flights.

I am currently on a train heading to London for the Student Nursing Times Awards ceremony, so I will write a more complete post later. But we wanted to share the good news. We are so excited. It's all coming together!

Countdown: 20 days.

3 weeks to go!

Exams are over. We've had our vaccinations. I've started packing up everything I own so it can go into storage, as I can't afford to keep my flat while I'm away. We are continuing to prepare for our placement, even if things have been quiet on the blog for a while.

Basically, due to a couple of things out of our control, we are still waiting for the last official bit of paperwork. This is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our university and the college of nursing in Malawi, and without it nothing can move forward.

We have been assured that this delay doesn't mean the project is doomed. But being in limbo like this, so close to when we're due to leave, is frustrating. Especially since we completed our part of the official paperwork in November. And until we have the MOU, which is the last piece of a seemingly complex jigsaw, we aren't allowed to book our flights, or arrange accommodation. This does not match up with the timeline I had planned, or the Gantt chart I drew up way back last September. But I am trying to be optimistic, and flexible. The planning process so far has been a lesson in patience and perseverance.

Every time I get an email, I hope it will be the news we're waiting for. Fingers crossed we'll have more of an update in the next few days.

Highland Fling today!

Hello folks, sorry it's been a while but the team have been busy organising pub quizzes and baking cakes, and studying for exams and getting ill (me, mostly.  Must be a proper blog, we're beginning posts with apologies and excuses)

So, today is the day of the Highland Fling and I'll be running it along with four of my fellow Harriers in the picture above (taken at the summit of the West Highland Way route on Conic Hill).

No full fling for me this year sadly, the niggling in my leg (posterior tibialis inflamed through over use) wasn't clearing up after about 6 weeks of rest and it was too much time off to get fit for the full thing. 

So instead I'm part of the relay team, and because only running 13 miles along the West Highland Way isn't much of a challenge when you were planning on another 40, I decided it'd be more fun if I readjusted my fitness levels so it's still a challenge. (Ie too much time sitting in the library eating chocolate).

Before I go- a Big Happy Birthday to my old band mate and generous supporter Rob McCabe- sorry I had my head in books all week- Happy Birthday and all the best form Team Caley To Malawi!

Let's Get Quizzical: Pub Quiz 18th March

It always feels daunting when you've planned an event, and you're waiting for people to arrive. What if nobody shows up? What if everything goes wrong? What if... well, you get the idea. I'm a joy to plan things with.

Before people arrived, we got an email alert from Hubbub about a new pledge. Our classmate Kallen donated £150 to show his support for our project! It's not easy to express how touched we were by this, without seeming insincere. I'm not exaggerating when I say that we were speechless, and had to blink back tears to continue with quiz prep. This vote of confidence was exactly what we needed. Thank you Kallen.

Tables starting to fill up

We were utterly overwhelmed when the tables started to fill up around 8pm, and we even had to do some furniture moving to make sure we could fit everyone in! Our amazing friends and family meant we easily filled the whole top floor of Walkabout. You are all amazing.

Eve (left) and Corrinne (right) the giants, with Rachael (centre)

Walkabout provided free food, while we ran about collecting entry money and selling raffle tickets. It was exciting getting to see so many people who want to help us get to Malawi.

Our quiz masters for the evening

Corrinne and Jen, ready to mark answer sheets

Michael at the ready with the mic, ever zen Jen, and a very excited Eve

A big shout out goes to Eve, who originally pitched the idea of a pub quiz; And Michael, who liaised with Walkabout and helped Eve to put together the questions. Rachael inspired us all to ask around for raffle prizes, after she approached various Glasgow based companies and successfully secured donations.

Raffle donations came from Tunnocks, Sophie Daw of LyonDaw Jewellery, Jackie from Inner Peace Beauty, and generous friends and family.




We learned a lot from the night, and have plenty of ideas to make an event like this run a bit more smoothly. But overall, we're so happy with how it went and we hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

We raised a grand total of... drumroll... £400.55! 

That nudges us a bit closer to our fundraising goal, but we still have a long way to go. If you want to support our project, but are unable to come along to one of our events, don't forget that you can donate via PayPal or Swipe on our Hubbub page.

Hubbub fundraising milestone: £100!

We've passed the £100 mark on our online fundraising Hubbub page. Still a long long way to go, but it makes us so happy to see your support.

Thank you so much Russell Gibb, Robert McCabe, Euan Anderson and sullymanjero!


Only 7 hours to go until our Pub Quiz Fundraiser at Walkabout. Hopefully more good news to add tomorrow!

See you at 8pm, Walkabout, Glasgow.

The Bake Sale – 16th March 2015

So last Thursday (12^th March) the group got the devastating news that we would not be shortlisted for our application for the Magnusson award. The award would not have alleviated all of our money struggles with the project but would have helped a great deal. It was especially hard news for Corrinne as she had spent the most time and effort on the application (and for that we thank her for her efforts). 

After finding out this news there were a few ‘freak outs’, mostly from me (Rachael). Would I be able to afford this? Could I juggle working a lot in order to save, on top of my uni work? But with support from friends, family and each other we have all decided to carry on with the project. We aim to fund raise as much as possible and then pay for the rest ourselves.

 Our first big fundraiser was a Bake Sale on Monday 16^th March in the Students Association at GCU.

 Eve and I headed this fundraiser, spending all of our weekend either working or icing cakes!

I have to give a huge thank you to my mum, wee Kay, as without her there is no way I could have contributed to the Bake Sale! She spent all of her Mother's Day in an apron stirring, measuring and decorating the cakes, cookies and tablet she made! Another thank you has to go out to Eve's auntie Claire who worked in a team with Eve to make some of the best chocolate muffins, crispy cakes and malteser cake I’ve ever seen.

We sold every cake made and managed to raise an amazing £240.94. 

We would like to thank all of the students and staff who bought our cakes and helped make the Bake Sale a success. It was a boost in morale for all of us and we are now looking forward to our Pub Quiz on Wednesday 18^th March in Walkabout at 8pm!

    

Minor Setback

The university motto is "for the common good". That's what we are working towards with this project. Unfortunately, yesterday we received some disappointing news. Our application for support from the university Magnus Magnusson Fund was unsuccessful.

I'm trying to stay positive as I write this, but honestly I'm feeling pretty gutted. This news is disappointing for a couple of reasons. Obviously, securing that funding would have been immensely helpful for all of us. As I've said before, costs add up and it's a lot for a student to cover. However, we're all confident that the value of this project far outweighs the cost, so we're determined to do everything we can to make sure it can go ahead. We're working extra shifts, saving as much as we can, organising fundraising events, and relying on friends and family to invest in us. This funding would have got us considerably closer to our overall funding goal. But not getting it doesn't automatically prevent things from going ahead. We might just have to reconcile ourselves to sinking a bit further in to debt in the process...

I think what's bothering me more, is that we didn't manage to convince the judges with our application. It's the first application of this kind that any of us has put together, and we worked hard to convey what we want to achieve. But it wasn't enough. That's hard to accept, when we feel so committed to making sure that this whole endeavour is a success, both for ourselves and for the people we meet along the way.

By going to Malawi and working alongside nurses we hope to raise awareness of learning disabilities. By offering accessible information and training about HIV for people with disabilities, we hope to have a positive and long term impact on health and wellbeing. We recognise that our training as Learning Disability Nurses gives us a unique skill set. We want to use this, to support those who could benefit the most. To give something back. For the common good.

We're just going to have to work harder to make it happen.


For ways that you can help us, go to our Hubbub page.

About our project

A bit of background

Planning for this project began all the way back in 2013. In our very first week of first year, our lecturer mentioned that an international placement might be possible but warned that we would be responsible for organising it ourselves. Corrinne started plotting, and reading as much as possible to see if Malawi could be an option. She talked about it a lot. So much so, in fact, that by the end of first year she'd managed to convince a few more people that they wanted to get involved too. The team started to take shape.

There was a stack of paperwork to complete, and our weekly planning meetings began. Our lecturers were massively supportive and helped to set us on the right track, but let us take the lead. Over time, we began to get a clearer idea of what we wanted to achieve in Malawi. We knew we wanted it to be more than just a placement somewhere sunnier than Glasgow - we wanted to think of a way to put our skills to use, and specifically benefit people with learning disabilities in Malawi.

Here's what we've come up with...

The Team

Corrinne, Michael, Rachael, Eve and Jennifer.

We are currently in our second year at Glasgow Caledonian University, studying Learning Disability Nursing. We will graduate in October 2016.


Corrinne and Michael plan to spend 14 weeks in Malawi. Rachael, Eve and Jennifer will be there for 7 weeks.

About our project

We are going to Lilongwe, Malawi, between May and September 2015. Our project has 3 main goals:

1. Improve healthcare for people in Malawi, in particular for those with learning disabilities.


2. Raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. (With a focus on supporting those with learning disabilities or limited literacy to understand more about transmission, risks and testing.)


3. Develop ongoing links between Glasgow Caledonian University Nursing Department and Kamuzu Nursing College and the University of Malawi in Lilongwe.

We will provide nursing care for people with learning disabilities, and the general population, in both hospital and community settings.


We will also deliver training about HIV and sexual health for people with learning disabilities, and provide accessible information that is easy to understand.

Why this project? Why us?

According to the non-profit Enable Scotland, in Malawi only 25 per cent of people who have a disability and need medical treatment have access to necessary services. We will use all of the specialised skills, knowledge and experience we have acquired as Learning Disability Nursing students, to improve awareness and encourage local nurses to act as effective advocates for people with learning disabilities requiring healthcare. By sharing good practice, and working sensitively with local nurses and nursing students, we hope to have a positive impact on the lives of people with learning disabilities in Malawi.


In addition to our regular placement hours, we will develop accessible information and training materials about HIV and AIDS. In Malawi, people with learning disabilities are statistically more likely to have HIV. There are a number of factors which contribute to this. The Situation Analysis Report for People with Disabilities in Malawi (2011) highlights the lack of information available in accessible formats for people with learning disabilities or limited literacy skills. There are also a number of misconceptions about how HIV is transmitted, and HIV testing. We will deliver training to local nurses and nursing students, to support them to work sensitively with local people to raise awareness and address this serious issue. By offering training to local nurses, in addition to working directly with individuals, we hope that the positive impact of our work will be sustainable, and will continue well after we return to the UK.


The current climate of NHS funding freezes and increased burden on health services poses considerable challenges for nurses in the UK. It will be helpful to see how nurses in Malawi manage to remain positive and motivated in the face of even greater hardship. We will develop resilience and adaptability, and gain a greater understanding of culturally sensitive care, which will benefit us and the people we support throughout our nursing careers.


It is our ambition that we will establish an ongoing reciprocal link between Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Malawi, so that future nursing students from both universities have the opportunity to gain international experience as part of the pre-registration programme.

Fundraising

For more info about fundraising events click on the links in the sidebar.

Or visit our Hubbub online funding page for more details about the project and ways that you can help.



Feel free to ask us any questions about our project. Just leave a comment below.

Hubbub Fundraising Page Goes Live!

We are very excited to announce the launch of our online fundraising page at Hubbub, a crowdfunding platform for education/non-profits.

We've been busy planning some exciting fundraising events, applying for various scholarships and grants, and working extra shifts to save up enough pennies to make this project a reality.

The costs quickly add up when you plan to spend up to 4 months over 7,000 miles away from home... It'll be worth it though.



And here's where you come in - you can help us in different ways:

•  Make a donation. Have a look at the page to see the various rewards (you can donate any amount over £1).

• "Become a helper" to share details of  the project with people you know. The more people who hear about the project the happier we'll be.

• Come along to a fundraising event! See the link in the side bar for more details about paintball on 2nd May. More details soon on the upcoming Pub Quiz at Walkabout (18th March), Bake Sale at GCU (23rd March) and more.

• Or get in touch if you have any handy hints or tips for us about Malawi.

Introducing: Jennifer

Jennifer

Learning Disability Nursing Student

Second year

Glasgow Caledonian University

1. What are you looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to experiencing new things; I haven’t done much travelling at all so I think seeing the different way of life will be amazing. I’m looking forward to experiencing the difference in the nursing care of individuals with a learning disability between Malawi and Scotland and also the few days off which we will have off to go exploring! We have spoken about buying bikes when we are in Lilongwe which will allow us to get out and about. I can’t wait to see the different clothing, foods and all different things which we don’t have at home.

 

2. What will you miss most?

I’m not really sure what to expect yet and therefore I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to miss. From what I imagine Malawi to be like, I think I am going to miss the everyday things the most. For example: being able to take a hot shower every day, central heating (although I’m sure it will be air conditioning I am wishing for!) and being able to contact my friends and family whenever I want. I know that when I come home I am going to be so much more grateful for the everyday things in life!

3. What have you enjoyed most about the planning process?

I’ve definitely enjoyed the group meetings the most and the enthusiasm from other people in the group. It has at times been hard to stay motivated as it has been such a difficult thing for us to organise ourselves however meeting with the others in the group has always brought our excitement back and allowed us to focus on our goal.

4. What has been the hardest part of the preparation?

I am the most unorganised person ever and probably due to being the youngest in the group I am definitely not a ‘leader’. The planning process has definitely made me realise this and I hope that my time in Malawi will help me to build on these skills so I don’t have to rely so much on others!

5. What made you choose LD nursing?

Very cheesy, but for as long as I can remember I have wanted to work with individuals with a Learning Disability. After doing quite a lot of voluntary work, I found how rewarding working with individuals with a learning disability is and I realised that it is a strength for me and something which comes completely naturally. I didn’t actually realise that learning disability nursing existed until I started looking for a university course to apply to. I am so glad I have chosen LD nursing as my profession, it is an extremely positive line of work to go into and there are so many opportunities.

6. How do you think this placement will help you to be a better nurse?

I feel that in my past year and a half of nursing I have already had my eyes opened to a lot of different things and I know that experiencing life in Malawi will completely change the way I think of everything. I think that seeing the differences in the health care systems and the way that doctors and nurses work will be very interesting and help us to look at things in a different way. Nursing can be a very stressful profession and I think the experience of nursing in Malawi will allow me to challenge myself and develop my problem solving skills. I feel that my placement in Malalwi will be an amazing opportunity to learn from nurses who are used to working with entirely different resources, and who may have different approaches that we can learn from and use to shape our future practice. I also imagine that working in an environment where there may be limited resources will make us all appreciate how much we have in the UK, especially in the NHS.

No Full Marathon Idiot

Okay, so I think we're needing an update on here...

On the February 7th I drove down to Kendal and after I got settled in my B&B (number of drive-bys before I found it: 4), I unpacked my stuff to take my place at the start of the Grizedale Trail 26 marathon in the Lake District, however things didn't quite go to plan.

The mandatory kit, incl. a torch (the race starts at 9.30am!) and some advice on a plaster that I'd later ignore.

 First of all, I didn't make it to the line in time for the start- I'd walked the 1/4 mile to the registration desk just as the pre-race briefing was happening when I realised I left my id in the car so I had to run back (sprinting by Marathon standards) to collect it and run back to the start again.

By this time the rest of the field had already set off, so I asked a race official what I missed in the briefing just as another late runner arrived, and the two of us set off together.  We started out discussing all the stuff runners talk about while running (our training, travel arrangements, future races- in case you wondered) and it transpired he is a registered nurse working for NHS Borders, and it also turns out he raised money for Learning Disability organization, Mencap by running the Marathon des Sables (if you don't know what that is, I'm not telling you- it makes my ultra aspirations look a bit puny).

The view from my B&B - sunrise over Kendal

The course climbed quite a bit (almost 200m) along forestry tracks in the first 4 miles before taking us through a gate and onto rocky moorland trail across the summit of the hill just as the main pack from the Half Marathon field caught up.  These guys were really going for it on the trail which was narrow, rocky and icy, and I saw a few runners just ahead take some pretty painful looking falls so I gingerly picked my way across the path, having enough to worry about with the distance and all the climbing in store.

After what felt like the longest 6 miles I can remember, I'd grown tired of seeing Half Marathon runners disappearing past me and I actually stopped to adjust my race number on my back to show I was attempting the full marathon distance - I admit this is a bit petty but I was starting to struggle  with a niggling leg injury I'd hoped wouldn't give me too much trouble, and facing the sharp end of a 20 mile run I needed any words of encouragement I could get from fellow runners.  

I got to the feed station and check point at 9 miles- had a couple drinks of juice, grabbed a handful of dry roasted nuts and mashed them into a bit of cake and scoffed the lot (surprisingly tasty!).  However I'd stopped for long enough for my leg to stiffen and when I resumed running what had been a dull but constant pain behind my left shin had sharpened and spread up my leg to my hip. I took a couple of ibuprofen, grit my teeth and started running again and it eased off slightly but these weren't good signs.

I'd had misgivings about taking part in the race from the outset but decided as I'd booked travel and accommodation I'd get to the start line and see how I got on, and while running I'd unable to make up my mind about what I was going to do until this point. 

Being passed by a Half Marathon runner.  If you can't beat them...

If I'd been training with the sole aim of finishing this race then I'd have kept going and ground it out, and it wouldn't have been pretty or fun but I might have stood a chance of going the distance but I realised that 'This isn't the goal' and I outed myself as a DNF (Did Not Finish) to one of my 'Race-Friends' (you get them), which made it official for me.

I tried to stay philosophical and see the it as being part of my development as a runner, being able to make the right decisions and stay focused on the long term goal.  However there was a psychological aspect I never thought I'd have to contend with- for the last 3 miles, along with the discomfort from my leg... I couldn't stop singing 'The Gambler' by Kenny Rogers.

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run

So after another long mile (the 14th one in what should have been a 13 mile race) I got to the finish and informed the marshal I wanted to drop out, I confirmed I didn't need any medical attention and she directed me (around the finish gantry where the Half Marathoners got to enjoy their success) to the official who was collecting timing chips.

There was relief that I could start the 110 mile journey home about 3 hours early and with almost none of the battle scars you get from running for 5 or 6 hours, but also a sense of disappointment as I'd been looking forward to some of the more technical parts in the second half, and also guilt- was my injury that bad?  Was I just being lazy and not really up for the challenge?

This all dissolved for a moment when I handed over my chip and a little girl that had been giving out medals to all the finishers came up and gave me a Half Marathon finishers medal - it was a lovely moment and I was genuinely touched.  Little things like that can make all the difference.

 In the wider context of raising funds for the trip to Malawi, what does all this mean?  It's not great, that's for sure - fearing the prospect of injury in the run up to the Highland Fling I'd planned to start collecting sponsorship for the D33, a race much flatter and 20 miles shorter (what am I thinking???) so if injury had kept me out of the 53 mile Fling, I'd still have achieved something.

However the D33 is in just under 3 weeks time and it's unlikely I'll be ready by then.  I've lost my safety net and it's a case of preparing as best I can in the hope that come 6am on the 25th April, I'll be in Milngavie with 1,000 other ambitious idiots ready for 'a nice days running'.

To get there I need to strengthen my legs without aggravating the injury any further and try to maintain my cardio fitness so that I can drop back into my training plan, striking a balance between effort and the effect it will have on my body.

I've got running friends who would say it's not possible to get the level of fitness needed in this time, I've got running friends that said I was mad when I signed up.  Both groups might be right, but I need to regroup and try something different to get there - I'll just have to give it my best shot and see how my body responds.

Introducing: Rachael

Rachael

 

Learning Disability Nursing Student

Second year

Glasgow Caledonian University

1. What are you looking forward to?

I am definitely looking forward to helping people, or at least trying to. Nursing is all about patient centred care and if you do not care about people then you should choose a different profession. Experiencing a different culture and learning how nursing in Malawi compares to nursing in Scotland. Working in the sun will be pretty good too! I can’t pinpoint one thing I am looking forward to most but feel like this is a once in a lifetime chance and I can’t wait to go!

2. What will you miss most?

Will I be a typical Scot abroad and say Irn Bru and a piece and sausage? Haha! I will miss a lot of home comforts, I know that, but want to prove to myself and others that I will survive without fake tan and false lashes for a while! I will of course miss my friends, family and my boyfriend Joe but the person I will miss most is my nephew Luca. He will turn 2 while I am in Malawi and I do fear that he will forget who I am while I’m gone. It will be exciting to come home and see how much he grows up in 7 weeks! I will also miss my Mum a lot, she is a great listener and good at calming me down when I blow the smallest worry way out of proportion like having no money to get to Malawi!

3. What have you enjoyed most about the planning process?

Working with the group! Meeting up weekly to discuss what we need to do to make Malawi happen has been fun and stressful but it has really helped being able to bounce ideas off one another.

4. What has been the hardest part of the preparation?

Having an 8 week placement before Christmas meant we had no scheduled days in University so it made it very difficult to meet and plan with the group. It felt at times that we had to put planning on hold as we were all on placement in different areas and also had exam and essay stress to deal with. This term it is much easier as we are in Uni 3 days a week, although we still have essay and exam stress!

5. Have you ever lived abroad before?

Not yet…but seeing my friends travel and plan to move abroad to work has made me very jealous so maybe one day!

6. What made you choose LD nursing?

I have to be honest with this answer and say that I found Learning Disability nursing completely by chance. It is extremely different from anything I have ever done before. I knew I wanted to study nursing when I started my 2nd year at college studying HND beauty therapy, I had thoughts of dropping out, however, I felt I would have wasted a year already at college and decided to continue and complete my HND qualification. After finishing college I began working in an office as an admin assistant as I had missed the deadline to apply for a nursing course that year. Luckily my mum encouraged me to apply through clearance on UCAS – and from there I found Learning Disability nursing at GCU. I was still very naïve when beginning the course and thought that all nurses worked in hospitals and wore a uniform. I have since then had my eyes opened to the different branches of nursing. I now work part time as a support worker for adults with learning disabilities and feel this strengthens my work on placement and at university.

7. How do you think this placement will help you to be a better nurse?

I feel that growing up in Scotland and always having the NHS, I have forgotten that this is a luxury that most countries do not have. I feel that my experience in Malawi will make me a
more resourceful nurse and make me appreciate the tools and equipment available to me in Scotland. I hope that the experience will not only improve my skills professionally but also help me develop personally.