Update April 2012

Hi all. It's been almost a year since I updated this site. If you are on this site, I'm guessing you still have some interest in going to Africa in 2014. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them. I travelled to Malawi in December 2011. It was my first time back to Africa since 2002 (nearly 10 years). It was great to see old friends and to visit a country I've spent so much time in (over 2 years in total). The quality of life was improving for some Malawians but many people I knew were much worse off. Jobs are scarcer and competition is increasing. There was no petroleum in the country so cars were lined up miles long waiting days/weeks to get gas. The rains were late and people were unable to plant their crops at the normal planting time. Food insecurity remains a big problem for Malawians and many people around the world. From the research I carried out, I prepared a paper and will paste the paper into a separate blog file.