This is the second of five posts from Team Dayā member Chevan Nanayakkara about his experience Building Change in Nchetana, Malawi. Please subscribe to receive future posts.
- Please donate to my Team Dayā fundraising effort – all funds go directly to building schools.
- If you are curious about Building Change with Team Dayā, please contact our Head of Recruiting Jaryd Knutsen.
Find all of Chevan’s posts here.
By Team Dayā member Chevan Nanayakkara
Global human development is hard. In addition to capital, developing economies need access to expertise, need to undergo cultural changes and also need to transform their economies (often from agrarian-focused to pre-industrial or industrial oriented). There are no quick fixes and the process is slow but being part of the process is very rewarding. In addition to the direct impact you’re making to the local community and the developing country, hands-on service opportunities also make an impact and transform you and your community.
First of all, service to others reminds us to have gratitude and appreciation for what we have. The term first world problems has become common in our speech and just how first-worldy our problems are becomes obvious once you get out of the country and experience another culture, especially in a developing nation. It’s one thing to tour a country but having the opportunity to live with the people you’re visiting is unmatched.
The village we visited, Nchetana, just outside the town of Kasungu, didn’t even have the basic services we take for granted everyday: no running water, no electricity, houses were small 2-room thatch-adobe brick construction (with a lifespan of 15-20 years) and the village had no sanitation system. Daily life starts at dawn and ends at dusk. When paved roads did exist, they were so riddled with potholes that travel by car was limited to a maximum of 25 mph – making short-distance drives hours-long experiences. Being reminded about the abundance and opportunity of the American lifestyle keeps us humble in our modern world.
Service opportunities, at home or abroad, leave you with an orientation towards action and a desire to be a change agent. The great thing about the Team Dayā experience is that in addition to driving long-term outcomes, the experience and the work has so many short-term results that you immediately feel like you’re part of something impactful. That energy leaves you motivated to be a change agent in your home community long-after you return. It’s easy to get lost in day-to-day responsibilities but I’ve noticed that, for me, a service action begets a service orientation that begets more service action – it’s a positive cycle.
Another consequence of my Team Dayā experience was a much needed reminder that in the US we have a civic duty to be active in politics and government at all levels. In our village in Malawi, the community was really starting to develop a vision about what their future could be and wanted to work towards improving their condition for themselves and their future generations.
In developed townships in Malawi the national government oversees local matters through a “districting scheme” overseen by a local district administrator. However, in the unincorporated villages, like Nchetana, governance still operates through what is called the “Traditional Authority” (or “TA” for short) – it is a tribal organization overseen by a hierarchy of chiefs. Individual villagers work through the TA, whose requests ultimately roll-up into the president of the country through one of his ministers. The long route for Malawians to access their government reminded me that in the US we have the benefit of being able to influence leaders at all levels and an opportunity (and maybe a responsibility) to be a change agent vs. disengaging and becoming cynical.
Finally, the global impact of the work was not lost on me. Global peace and prosperity really manifests from countries working together and building relations through cultural exchange, international trade and foreign investment. The one thing that really struck me in my discussions with Africans is that the geo-politics is real. If Americans don’t stay engaged in human development throughout the world – desperate people, who have a desire to grow and improve their living standards, will become dependent on relationships with other countries who may not share American values.
In fact, shortly after my return, Russia hosted a summit with African leaders painting the U.S. and other countries as unsympathetic to African countries’ national interests. Malawi has active projects underway sponsored by many countries: Japan, Taiwan, Russia, China, EU member countries, the UK, and the US to name a few. In fact, one agricultural scientist I spoke with said he was very impressed with how much support the world is giving Malawi to develop and grow. Being involved with Team Dayā is essentially global ambassadorship – a way for us to demonstrate a commitment and partnership to developing emerging economies, improving the quality of life across the globe and, in the long run, opening up opportunities between nations.
There are no quick fixes to improving the quality of life across the globe. But there are opportunities to make a difference. Team Dayā is one of those organizations oriented towards driving active change. The benefits go beyond the lives you’ll impact on the trip. You’ll bring back an energy and enthusiasm that will keep you motivated to drive change in your personal life and your community.
I was blessed to participate in this Team Dayā activity with the following people, who provided me with an unforgettable experience and were also sources of unending inspiration, support and joy. Please reach out to any one of them to hear more about Building Change: Davina Kent, Riley Jacobson, Kerri Olson, Nicolle Pangis, Vib Prasad, Lauren Rosen and Jay Sears.
This is the second of five posts from Team Dayā member Chevan Nanayakkara about his experience Building Change in Nchetana, Malawi. Please subscribe to receive future posts.
- Please donate to my Team Dayā fundraising effort – all funds go directly to building schools.
- If you are curious about Building Change with Team Dayā, please contact our Head of Recruiting Jaryd Knutsen.
Find all of Chevan’s posts here.
