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Where we do it > Malawi - Anne Sanderson

Glasgow based occupational therapist Anne Sanderson decided she wanted to do something different. She chose VSO and Malawi. 12 months on she was living in Malawi’s largest city Blantyre and supervising rehabilitation technician students all over the country.

Where were you working in Malawi and what did your job involve?

I worked as a tutor in Malawi's only training centre for rehabilitation technicians. There are so few occupational therapists and physiotherapists in Malawi that rehab technicians are an urgently needed resource. Our students came from all over the country to complete the three-year diploma course. It was a great opportunity for them, as there were almost guaranteed jobs at the end of it. The students were so keen to learn they just devoured textbooks.

I worked alongside a Malawian physio and another VSO volunteer, also a physio. Our work was varied, from teaching in the classroom to supervising students doing practical work in the hospitals or out on placements in rural areas up and down the country. Our classroom had desks and a few plinths. Books had been donated via volunteers' networks at home but few other resources were available. When we left we had just put in a bid for a VSO grant to buy computers to set up a resource room with internet access.

My contribution was in trying to think of more interactive teaching and learning methods and how to help the students actually apply knowledge and skills, not just learn the facts. The challenge of applying your own knowledge and skills in a context so different to what you're used to is not to be underestimated. This is when resourcefulness really comes into play.

What kind of challenges did you face?

I often came across situations that shocked me. The average lifespan is incredibly short, mainly due to the devastating impact of HIV & AIDS. I’d been working with older people prior to going to Malawi and was struck by how few older people I met whilst out there. HIV & AIDS affected people in all walks of life. A few of our students were sick and some even died whilst I was there. Unfortunately this was part of life.

I don't think I ever adjusted to seeing people living in absolute poverty or trying to cope with disabilities in a way that wouldn't be seen in the UK. But for every thing that troubled me there were more things that made me smile. Cultural and language barriers were interesting but we always got by. People always laughed when we tried to speak the local language - we must have come across as quite strange, but I think it was probably appreciated when we did make the effort.

You lived in Malawi for two years. Did it feel like home?

Wherever you are soon becomes home after a while. Blantyre is a city with a blend of the traditional as well as more modern influences. In some ways it was reassuringly similar to home - we could be found in internet cafes or swimming in the local hotel pool. But more often than not we'd be stumbling off packed mini buses going to the bustling market to get fresh fruit and veg or queuing eternally in banks waiting to be served along with everybody else in town. Just a half hour walk from where we lived we could be out in the villages visiting our night guard who lived in a small two-roomed hut with his family of six. It certainly is a place of contrasts.

What were your favourite things about Malawi?

Amazing weather! The vibrant colours. Wildlife. Lake Malawi. Music. The city coming to life at 6am (though on some days this could easily be struck off the list!). Spectacular sunsets. The dry dusty season followed by the lush rainy season. Downpours like I've never experienced. The friendliness of the people. The easy going pace of life and the focus on relationships with friends and family. Seasonal fruit that you could buy easily at the side of the street or grow in your back garden - beats M&S any day.

Do you think you made a long-term contribution?

I hope so, even in small ways. The students I trained are now working out in the field. We also tried to secure future funding for our training centre and lobbied the government to start a school of physiotherapy so that Malawi could produce its own professionals instead of sending people to other countries to be trained.

Exchanges were not just made professionally but on a personal level too. I made friends locally, went to church and even got the chance to play in an orchestra. I've learnt more than I've been able to give and it's an experience that will stay with me for my lifetime. Volunteering certainly affected my outlook and the way I live here. So I’d say that the contribution is not just limited to the two years overseas.

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