GenCoo Magazine - Gencoomalawi.eu

In this volume
GenCoo Magazine
V O L U M E
1.
CENTRAL
1 ,
N R . 2
A U G U S T ,
2 0 1 5
TOPIC
Looking back at 2014,
what are my intentions
for 2015 concerning
GenCoo?”
Central topic: looking back at 2014
 Story of Michèle
(pp. 2-3)
 Story of Ilse
(pp. 4-6)
 Story of Bram
(p. 7)
2. EMPLOYEE IN
THE PICTURE
 Michèle Pieters
3. NEWS

La Famiglia
Next issue:
Sponsor project
2015-2016
“LOOKING BACK AT 2014, WHAT ARE MY INTENTIONS FOR 2015 CONCERNING
GENCOO?”
With this question in mind, the four officials of Generation Cooperation (Michèle, Shadreck,
Bram & Ilse) started to write their story. Each of them shares in his/her own style some thoughts
about how they experienced last year and how they expect 2015 to be. In previous issue, the
story of Shadreck, the founder of Generation Cooperation was central. He gave an overview
of the past years (and the projects). In that sense, you immediately got a good insight in Generation Cooperation as organisation.
In this issue, you can read the story of Michèle, the founder of GenCoo vzw. Afterwards, Bram
and Ilse will tell about their (first) impressions of the project, based on their voluntary work last
year.
PAGINA
2
Happy new year from another angle
By Michèle Pieters
“You give strong hugs”, he said. I was staring. He elaborated: “The first time we met you
didn’t hug because your immunity system was low as you were undergoing chemotherapy”. I
smiled. “Right. Well,.. according to me there’s no point in hugging somebody if it is not heartfelt. I cannot stand these awkward embraces from a far distance.” I paused. “I can only accept it from my Malawian friend, for hugging is not part of his culture”. I continued: “On the
other hand it took me quite a long time before I got used to him looking straight into my
eyes and holding my hand while narrating stories.”
I smiled. “People and their customs.”
In primary school I would think of 70% as the realm of the stupid. In my early years of high
school it would become a little less than avarage and by the time I reached my last year
70% had become an undesirable ideal.
Some years later when they told me I had this type of cancer in this stage and that I should
consider myself to be very lucky, because with this kind of treatment my chances to survive
would be 70%, .. the only thing that occured my mind was, fuck .. there’s a 50% chance that
I might die.
From a philosophical point of view it is noble and important to regularly remind yourself of
your own mortality. I know that. It is just that .. well how to put it .. When you are undergoing
chemotherapy, the pragmatic point outweighs the philosophical point of view. You simply
don’t want to think about the possibility that you might not make it through the next year,
because you are not sure you will. The thing with cancer and its treatment is that you have to
bargain with the devil in order to exorcise another devil. Meanwhile you are deprived from
the true luxuraries of the living: a careless sleep, a careless embrace.
I consider the Chief instoration as the most important event of my life in 2014, because to me
it was a symbol that was representing a shift of power. I was no longer undergoing my cancertreatment. I was recovering from it. I had been given the chance to expand my mind as
my suffering had not been without sense, for I was kicking and alive. I had been given another chance to embrace life.
By becoming a Chief the mere fact of embracing life would go hand in hand with being
given the highest degree of respect and recognition, .. that is to say .. on a specific local scale.
“What does it mean to be a Chief”, I would often ask myself.
GENCOO MAGAZINE
PAGINA
Dit artikel kan 150 tot 200 woorden bevatten.
geplande evenementen toevoegen
Bijschrift
of
middel van een speciale
bijdoor
afbeelaanbieding
een nieuw product
Als
u de nieuwsbrief
gebruiktthe
omstoryding.
I mean
.. I can narrate
how I ended up among the Chewa in the first place and describe
aanprijzen.
uw
te presenteren,
kunt u from our first encounter till the instoration as a Chief. I can talk about
thebedrijf
process
that took place
gebruik
maken
van
inhoud
U kuntsince
ook artikelen
op het
web
Chieftaincy in general:uithow it where
when why
who
how what works. I can tell how Chiefs
ander
marketingmateriaal,
zoals
raadplegen
of
daar
artikelen
zoeare supposed to behave and I can equally share stories how some Chiefs I know behave. I can
persberichten
en marktonderken die u alsduring
opvulling
gebruiopen up about
the things that happened
thekunt
ceremonies
I underwent. And I can also report
zoeken.
ken.
stories how I have been treated by the local community before and after the instoration.
Als u met de nieuwsbrief de verEen groot gedeelte van de inhoud
But will
these
storiesofbring
to the question
what it means to be a Chief? I guess not.
koop
van uw
producten
dien- clarification
van de nieuwsbrief
kunt u ook
From
moment moet
I try to
experience
perspective,
words fall short and Chief Nabanda
sten
wiltthe
bevorderen,
u erput thegebruiken
voor into
uw website.
Met
evaporates.
I end
some kind
of a joke.
vooral
voor zorgen
datup
de narrating
nieuwsMicrosoft
Publisher
kunt u op
brief nuttig is voor de lezer.
eenvoudige wijze de nieuwsbrief
“What do you get when you mix
permanent
fall out and Western culture?
converteren
naarelectricity
een website.
U kunt bijvoorbeeld een artikel
Deze
kunt
u
vervolgens
op
het
schrijven met allerlei nuttige inforI don’t know what it is, but if oneWorld
day Wide
you will
looking for asylum in Southern regions, I will
Webbe
publiceren.
matie, u kunt een overzicht van
welcome you to my land, for I am a Chief.”
Kop
artikel
binnenpagina
(Youvoor
should
onlyopkeep
in mind that “my land my rules” and I am very fond of absurdities)
Just kidding. The other side of the “being recognized and respected” coin is that you can no longer maintain a lifestyle that cultivates personal freedom as highest virtue. Instead there’s more
responsibilities. As true development can only be understood as a collective dynamic, your mainpriority as a leader is to maintain peace and unity among your people.
Dit artikel kan 100 tot 150 woorden bevatten.
Not an easy thing to maintain
nieuwe procedures binnen uw
Met verkoopcijfers kunt u
inbedrijf.
a world
that shatters into pieces
aantonen dat het bedrijf groeit.
at the speed of light..
In nieuwsbrieven kunt u vrijwel
alle
onderwerpen
U page
In out
sommige
nieuwsbrieven
2015.
“Time tobehandelen.
rip a clean
of the
playbook,verroll up the shirtsleeves and prepare to conkunt artikelen plaatsen waarin
schijnt een column, bijvoorbeeld
struct a new life, brick by brick and possibly from the ground up.”
wordt ingegaan op nieuwe technomet een boekrecensie of redactiologieën in uw vakgebied.
neel commentaar. Ook kunt u
As a first year philosophy student
I was
fond of talking
about the importance of working together.
nieuwe
werknemers
of klanten
Ook kunt u trends in het bedrijfsFor some
years Shadreck
have been shedding blood, sweat and tears creating somekind of
leven
of de economie
besprekenand I introduceren.
framework out
of
ofa voorspellingen
doen.
nowhere for this vision to be there. Now this is the first time in our Gencoo
history
that “strangers”
are willing to work together with us. Bram and Ilse are in fact no longer
Als
de nieuwsbrief
alleen intern
strangers
but part
the family.
Via them there is the prospect of a joint project together with
wordt
verspreid,
kunt uof
ingaan
op
Edukado as well as with la Famiglia.
Different sorts of energy and opportunities will come together in 2015. I will honor the Chewa by
behaving as an honorable Chief.
3
PAGINA
4
My first impression of GenCoo Malawi
By Ilse Luyten
How our GenCoo adventure started
Looking back, I’m very happy. I’m very happy that Bram and I followed our hearts. In October 2013 we met Michèle for the first time. I don’t know how to describe that moment, but it
was very special to say the least. Never before did I feel so connected with someone even
though I didn’t know her. I was immediately moved by her persistence, her vision on development and by her way of living. After this meeting, Bram and I talked a lot about GenCoo
and the meeting with Michèle. We knew this meeting was not the end of our shared story.
Two months later, we organized a spectacular exposition in Ghent together. I don’t know
how we managed it in such a short time, but it was amazing. The vibe in that house in Ghent
felt good. It was also the first time I met Shadreck. You could feel the strong connection between Michèle and Shadreck. From that moment on, I strongly believed (and still believe) in
Generation Cooperation. Soon after the exposition, Bram and I decided to travel to Malawi
ourselves (summer 2014). I really was looking forward to be in Africa. It always had been a
dream to travel to Africa once in my life. I thought it would stay a dream that never would
come true. But it came true: a new adventure was out there!
During the next 6 months we made plans and prepared ourselves for this adventurous travel:
vaccinations: Check! Sunscreen: Check! Passports: Check!….
I was very curious and nervous: how will the kindergarten be in reality? How will the teachers
teach? What will we eat? What kind of toilet will we use? I expected a rather primitive but
quite romantic life, living in the wild, at one with nature!
Our trip to Generation Cooperation Malawi
The first day we landed in Malawi, I was very emotional and overwhelmed. Probably, it was
because of the long trip (and not much sleep) combined with a little culture shock, I guess. I
was especially shocked by the lack of respect towards nature from a lot of Malawians. It
was difficult to see how much trash was thrown away on the sides of the streets or how it
was burned in big containers. I will also not forget the albino people who were begging on
the streets, while their face was full of skin eruption. And the crowded vans which a lot of
people used for transportation, looked as if they could fall apart at any minute. I realized
even more than before that we are so spoiled (I have such an easy ‘material’ life). The confrontation was hard, a reality shock! But at the same moment, I was also happy that I could
be there. It would change my world view, my own perspective, my way of living.
It hadn’t taken long before the material shortcomings were pushed to the back of my mind
and I could appreciate the beauty of the country and the people.
When I look back, I remember a lot of happy faces.
The kids at the kindergarten with their big smiles, I
will never forget! Even if I experienced a bad night,
their happiness always made me smile again! More
was not needed to start the day with a happy face.
GENCOO MAGAZINE
PAGINA
I also liked the women and children, because
they are great singers and dancers. They
Dit artikel kan 150 tot 200 woorgeplande evenementen toevoegen
dance with passion and from theBijschrift
heart! To be
den bevatten.
of door
middel van een speciale
afbeelpart of these moments was verybijspecial.
Als u de nieuwsbrief gebruikt om
uw bedrijf te presenteren, kunt u
gebruik maken van inhoud uit
ander marketingmateriaal, zoals
persberichten en marktonderzoeken.
aanbieding
een nieuw product
ding.
aanprijzen.
U kunt ook artikelen op het web
raadplegen of daar artikelen zoeken die u als opvulling kunt gebruiken.
Als u met de nieuwsbrief de verEen groot gedeelte van de inhoud
koop van uw producten of dienvan de nieuwsbrief kunt u ook
At the
didn’t
like thegebruiken
greetings.
wantMet
them to see me as a “queen”. But after a
sten
wilt beginning
bevorderen, Imoet
u er
voorI didn’t
uw website.
whilevoor
I could
appreciate
the local
greetings.
vooral
zorgen
dat de nieuwsMicrosoft
Publisher kunt u op
The nuttig
chieftaincy
ceremony
of Naeenvoudige
Banda (Michèle)
was also very special. I really liked the ‘gule
brief
is voor de
lezer.
wijze de nieuwsbrief
wankulo’
dancers
and
the
drummers
and
it
was
nice
to see how happy and thankful the community
converteren
naar
een
website.
U kunt bijvoorbeeld een artikel
was
for
having
us
there
(the
kindergarten
in
particular).
Deze
kunt
u
vervolgens
op
het
schrijven met allerlei nuttige inforWorld
Wide
Web
publiceren.
matie, u kunt een overzicht van
The end of our trip
After three to four intensive weeks, our trip came to an end. It was hard to say goodbye. I’m so
Kop
voor artikel op binnenpagina
happy we did this trip. Whatever I’m writing, nothing can describe my experiences. I’m so proud
to be part of GenCoo vzw. Because I was at the kindergarten almost every day, this project has
affected me the most. The kids have changed so much during our stay at GenCoo. First they were
afraid and very shy, but at the and they were very eager to play with us or hug us. “Do, do as I
do, don’t worry” was the song they made as a “goodbye” gift. It was hard not to cry. When I saw
that
our kan
names
were
one ofprocedures
the walls binnen
of theuw
school, I also became very emotional. I will
Dit
artikel
100 tot
150written
woor- on nieuwe
missbevatten.
this place so much! I met sobedrijf.
many Met
(little)
sisters andkunt
brothers.
I even got a new name (I was
den
verkoopcijfers
u
called
Eliza).
aantonen
dat
het
bedrijf
groeit.
In nieuwsbrieven kunt u vrijwel
alle onderwerpen behandelen. U
In sommige nieuwsbrieven verBack
in Belgium.
Back to schijnt
my ‘rushed’
kunt
artikelen
plaatsen waarin
een column,life
bijvoorbeeld
wordt
ingegaan
op were
nieuweback
technomet eenitboekrecensie
redactioAs soon
as we
in Belgium,
was strikingofhow
individualized and asocial the life is we
logieën
in uw While
vakgebied.
neel
commentaar.
kunthome,
u
are living.
we were taking
the
train backOok
to our
I observed the other passengers. In
nieuwe
werknemers
of
klanten
contrast
with
the
daily
greetings
in
Malawi,
nobody
greeted
us
or was happy we were back
Ook kunt u trends in het bedrijfsintroduceren.
(except
our
friends
family
and
parents).
When
someone
locked
eyes with us they looked away
leven of de economie bespreken
while pretending
ofquickly
voorspellingen
doen.
we never saw each other.
I miss the African vibe, the daily greetings, the smile of people who are really happy you are
Als de nieuwsbrief alleen intern
there and have had a good night. I miss the sun and the ‘outside’ life. All these things gave me a
wordt verspreid, kunt u ingaan op
warm feeling inside and suddenly, these things are gone. I miss, I miss, I miss…
However, life goes on and it is striking how fast your life becomes again part of the “Western
madness”, like Michèle would say. Very soon, I was once again running from one place to the other, living by my watch. After a week of rushing and (I think) not having the time to clear my head
(after all our experiences in Malawi), I ended up in a black hole. I cried a lot without any reason,
I searched for African music, watched the pictures and movies I made during our trip… The longing to go back to Malawi was strongly present. I removed half of my clothes. I took 8 boxes filled
with clothes to a second hand shop. So many clothes I didn’t need anymore (a friend of mine said
it was ‘part of acclimatizing’).
However, my life goes on, must go on.
5
PAGINA
6
LOOKING FORWARD: 2015-2016
EDUCATION + EDUKADO VZW
2016 will be an important year for GenCoo Malawi. Edukado vzw will construct some
classrooms together with students from the VUB (Brussels – Belgium). Their visit needs a
good preparation. Shadreck (GenCoo) and Edukado are alreading exchanging mails to
prepare the construction of the building and their visit to Malawi next year.
In general, education will be the main focus for GenCoo:






Preparation Edukado—GenCoo collaboration
Elaboration of our GenCoo-vision towards education in general
How to implement this vision in kindergarten and primary school
valuation of structure of the school (teachers)
Looking for a director of the school?
New evaluation of the school (summer 2015)
MAKING A GENERAL PLANNING
During my stay at GenCoo, I saw that the buildings of GenCoo were not well maintained.
Maybe it’s something that they forget to do or that it’s not common to do. In order to make it
easy, it’s an idea to make a planning of activities that needs to be done every year. Even
when the buildings are still okay and don’t need a maintenance, they still can be checked in
a more ‘formal’ way. We can even think about other activities, such as evaluation meetings,
etc.
I would say the planning is not something that is really fixed. We can make a planning for
every month, for example. Some ‘Belgian’ activities can also be placed on the planning…
GENCOO MAGAZINE
PAGINA
My first impression of GenCoo Malawi
Dit artikel kan 150 tot 200 woorden bevatten.
geplande evenementen toevoegen
Bijschrift
of
middel van een speciale
bijdoor
afbeelaanbieding
een nieuw product
ding.
aanprijzen.
By Bram Vissers
Als u de nieuwsbrief gebruikt om
uw bedrijf te presenteren, kunt u
gebruik maken van inhoud uit
U kunt ook artikelen op het web
Starting at the end of 2013, I have been involved in the workings of GenCoo Belgium.
ander marketingmateriaal, zoals
raadplegen of daar artikelen zoeAll members
of GenCoo have
different
persberichten
en marktonderken their
die u als
opvulling contribution
kunt gebrui- to the organization.
Michèle is the founder andken.
inspirer of GenCoo. Her aim is to bring gradual changes
zoeken.
to the
local
way
of
life
for
the
better,
without
destroying
the
Chewa
way
of
life.
She
does
this
by
Als u met de nieuwsbrief de verEen groot gedeelte van de inhoud
immersing
herself
in the culture,
by now
sheu ook
has become a chief, which is a very respectkoop van
uw producten
of dienvan deand
nieuwsbrief
kunt
sten wilt
gebruiken voor uw website. Met
ed bevorderen,
position. moet u er
vooralShadreck
voor zorgen
dat de nieuwsMicrosoft
Publisheriskunt
u op leader and organizer, and is the one with
manages
the project
in Malawi,
a born
brief nuttig is voor de lezer.
eenvoudige wijze de nieuwsbrief
the visons and actions to bring development to Malawi with small scale local projects.
converteren naar een website.
U kunt bijvoorbeeld een artikel
Ilse is more involved in education.
evaluates
the teachers and students, and she tries to
Deze kuntShe
u vervolgens
op het
schrijven met allerlei nuttige infortranslate GenCoo’s vision toWorld
a practical
application
Wide Web
publiceren.regarding education.
matie, u kunt een overzicht van
Myself, I focus more on the sustainability and financial independence of the project. More
specifically, I try to help the chickenfarm as much as possible by giving council where possible,
Kop voor
artikel op binnenpagina
and creating tools which provide Shadreck an overview about the performance of the farm,
and how it is evolving. The aim of this farm is to be able to pay for all running costs of GenCoo Malawi, and provide funding for future projects without having to rely on sponsors and
gifts.
Dit artikel kan 100 tot 150 woorden bevatten.
In nieuwsbrieven kunt u vrijwel
alle onderwerpen behandelen. U
kunt artikelen plaatsen waarin
wordt ingegaan op nieuwe technologieën in uw vakgebied.
Ook kunt u trends in het bedrijfsleven of de economie bespreken
of voorspellingen doen.
Als de nieuwsbrief alleen intern
wordt verspreid, kunt u ingaan op
nieuwe procedures binnen uw
bedrijf. Met verkoopcijfers kunt u
aantonen dat het bedrijf groeit.
In sommige nieuwsbrieven verschijnt een column, bijvoorbeeld
met een boekrecensie of redactioneel commentaar. Ook kunt u
nieuwe werknemers of klanten
introduceren.
7
Employee in the picture:
Michèle Pieters
FOUNDER GENCOO MALAWI
Quite creative but not in ways that fit easily into the “schooling” structure. Wants to make her life count. Already made a mark in the world
through her activities in Malawi. Has been recognized in the form of
funding from the Flemish government, the University of Ghent, and
other public agencies. All of this has taken place since 2006. In the
meantime has earned a Master’s degree in philosophy with a thesis on
the relevance of contemporary philosophy for problems of development. Has been initiated into one of the local tribes, in the spirit of the
fully engaged anthropologist.
GenCoo Malawi meets La Famiglia!
Azo, Gunnie, Hullik, Di. b and dj Niels Driesen are the members of La Famiglia. They
are a rap group from Maasmechelen (Limburg – Belgium), which has formed in 2011.
For a long time, Maasmechelen was a coal mine area. Because of the mine, lots of
guest workers from abroad came to work in the mine. That’s why Maasmechelen is such
a multicultural municipality. The rappers of La Famiglia also have different backgrounds. Although they have different roots (from Italy, Turkey, Greece), the members
have one collective root: the street. La Famiglia defines itself as streetrap on a high
level. They produce deep, meaningful texts on emotional and heavy beats.
They are inspired by underground rappers and by their own experiences on the street, the consequences,
misfortunes and how to deal with the (hard) things in life. They already worked together with other rappers
from abroad and are really working hard to become a well-known rapgroup! They just finished their second
album. In cooperation with GenCoo, La Famiglia is making a song about GenCoo (more specific about Michèle and Shadreck and their dream). We are excited and we will keep you informed!
Check their facebook page!
Gencoo Malawi
www. gencoomalawi.eu