Clearly passionate about the charitable ethos of the festival, The Maccabees made the most of their short stay by visiting the Microloan Foundation to see how the proceeds of vLOS benefit Malawi. They also showed a keen interest in the work I’m doing for Malawi Volunteer Organisation - although I think I scared them with some of my stories: even in just my first few days at the hospital I saw so many people sufferung from malaria, some of whom will sadly never recover.
I’m working with a number of really worthwhile projects in the Monkey Bay area. The malaria project literally saves lives by distributing mosquito nets and spraying the interior walls of houses with anti-mosquito chemicals. Working at the overstretched and underfunded Monkey Bay hospital is incredibly challenging but so rewarding, it’s so encouraging to know that the work we do there is simple but highly effective. Our HIV/AIDS groups are a vital source of support and education for those suffering with the condition, and we do whatever we can to overcome the stigma that still surrounds the illness. The Home Based Care program is also an essential service with which we teach local volunteers basic healthcare. This allows them to work like local doctors, reducing the amount of villagers making unnecessary, costly and scary trips to the hospital. There is widespread yet unsupported mistrust of hospitals here as so many believe the people who are admitted will not make it home again. I love the work I’m doing here, I feel really privileged to be able to do it, and I LOVE Malawi but it was nice to have a little taste of home with a British-run festival and some western music. However, I’ve got to admit it was a little surreal to see so many ‘mazungus’ (‘white people’ in Chichewa) all in one place!
It was pretty overwhelming and really encouraging to be around so many people passionate about doing their bit to try and improve the lives of those less fortunate. The brilliant vinspired and LOS staff, the acts and artists on the lineup, and a decent percentage of the punters attending the festival were all in the country to donate their time and energy in order to raise funds for the excellent work of the Microloan Foundation.
If you are 16-25 and would like to volunteer, find opportunities at vinspired.com
Words by Becki Cole, photos by Elliott Andrews
If you are 16-25 and would like to volunteer, find opportunities at vinspired.com
Words by Becki Cole, photos by Elliott Andrews
