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Hello !
Unfortunately I am writing to you back in the UK since the last few days in Africa were hectic and I did not get the chance to do my daily blog !
So I am now casting my mind back to Friday which was our last day at the Kawalazi plantation. In the morning Peter and I had the great honour to inaugurate the new houses built for the plantation workers. We cut the ribbon in a lovely ceremony where the village women and the children sang to celebrate the occasion.
After this we drove to the nursery to see where all the new tea seedlings are being produced. These will be used on land that is being converted to tea growing. We then went on to visit the tea factory and see for ourselves all the different stages the tea leaves go through before they end up in your tea bag or as fresh leaf tea. We also did a tea tasting session, showing us how the colour and taste of teas can be changed through blending. Finally we gathered again at the office to decide the way forward on the project. The favourite one is the conversion of tobacco land to tea growing for small farmers in the Kawalazi area, offering them a more profitable and sustainable income. Indeed the demand and price for tobacco keep falling. All details to be finalised.
It was then time to say our good bye to our wonderful hosts, Pannu, the general manager of the 3 tea plantations in Malawi and to Kamran, the Kawalazi tea estate manager. They had indeed booked a surprise for us : our last night by Lake Malawi ! When we got there it was like pure paradise and so beautiful (until I was told to watch out for hippos and crocodiles at night!). This marked the end of our stay in Malawi.
Saturday and Sunday were spent travelling back from Malawi to Nairobi (via Lusaka in Zambia for lack of direct flights !) and we spent an unplanned extra night in Nairobi since our flight to London had been cancelled. So I made it back to the UK on Sunday night !
All in all, this was a wonderful trip. Peter and I learnt so much about the coffee and tea business but we also saw the impact that our help can bring to the local farmers in Kenya and Malawi through the Brighter Tomorrow At Origin projects. So we can't wait to get the next projects started and letting you know all about it !
This is the end of my blog I am afraid so from now on, go to the www.brighertomorrow.info website for all the latest news from Kenya (and soon from Malawi !).
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