Making a Home in Shandia

Making a Home in Shandia: A Program Director’s Homestay with Berta

By: Patrick Maluwa, Program Director ‘24-’25

When volunteering abroad or interning abroad, communication is so important to understanding the host culture. Manna Project International's long term volunteer from Malawi shares a bit about his time spent in a homestay in a Kichwa family in the Amazon Rainforest and how it improved Spanish, Kichwa, and his understanding of the community he was in.

When I was leaving my home to come to Ecuador, I was feeling very sad as I was thinking about leaving my family, friends, and my country for the first time in my life. This was hard to swallow for me. The day came when my family and friends gathered to escort me to the airport. Seeing my mother cry as I checked into my flight hit me very hard as the knowledge that I would be away from home for a long period of time finally landed. She hugged me and whispered in my ear, "I am happy for you, my son. Seeing you grow and have the passion to serve communities and be one of the responsible members of society is one thing that I desired for you and now I am witnessing your growth, however I will miss you and please work hard". The journey began. It was a very long trip full of unanswered questions as it was my first time to go to Ecuador and leave Malawi, so I didn't know about the way of life of the people, or even the place, weather, or the food.

Fast forward 6 months to now and the way people have welcomed me in this community and made me feel comfortable and feel like I'm home. Despite being welcomed in the community I had one barrier which was communication as I had zero knowledge about Spanish speaking and most of the people in this community not only speak Spanish, but they also speak Kichwa language which is an indigenous language in South America, part of the Quechua family. Because of this, I was having problems communicating. Therefore Manna Project International  helped me organize a homestay as a way to practice more Spanish and learn more about the community’s culture. I now write to share my experience of my home stay and the second home that I’ve built in Shandia.

I spent my 2 weeks living with my mother, Berta Andi. Berta Andi is a Shandian woman whom I came to know through the programs that we have here at Manna Project International,  especially through the agriculture project. We have gotten close through this program as I get to go with her to her chakra and help her there. Berta is 56 years old and she lives alone with her dog, Blanca. She has a son who is a student in the University of Ambatta and is unable to visit frequently because of the workload and the 6 hour bus journey. During my homestay I learnt a lot from her and experienced motherly love from her. She taught me how to prepare local food such as maito de tilapia,a local tea called guayusa, chicha de yuca, and jugo de naranja (orange juice). She always made sure that I slept well and that I was under the mosquito net. She is so caring and acted like a mother to me. Some days we would make dinner together and chat as a way to teach me a lot of words in Kichwa and Spanish as well as what she learnt from her parents as a child, such as cooking, working hard, being strong and fishing.

It was really a life changing period for me as she was teaching me things that can be helpful for me to have a better understanding of the Shandia community and Kichwa culture. She introduced me to many of her relatives such as her brothers and nephews and nieces. One of her nephews is named Limber and he also became a good brother of mine. I am so grateful for making this connection. Limber taught me how to fish as we used to go fishing together and catch different fish like kala chasma.In addition to the cooking I learnt from Berta, Limber also taught me how to prepare a local dish meal by the name chontaduro. 

My Community is my Classroom

By: Patrick Maluwa, Program Director 2024

Sometimes when we think about learning, we have very specific ideas: desks, a blackboard, someone standing in the front of the classroom talking.. But that’s not the only way to learn and, at Manna, we don’t even think it’s the best way to learn. Let’s let our Program Director, Patrick Maluwa ‘24, tell us a bit more about how he learns while being onsite in the Amazon Rainforest..

My time here in Ecuador with Manna Project International has been incredible. Working alongside the wonderful people of the Shandia community has been both fulfilling and enlightening. The warm reception I've received from everyone here has made my experience truly special, but being so far from my own country and culture has given me new experiences and opportunities that I can’t wait to take back home with me.

One of the highlights has been indulging in the delicious cuisine of the Amazon, particularly within the Shandia Kichwa community. From mouthwatering dishes like maito de pollo, maito de tilapia, and mote to unique beverages such as chontaculo, chicha de yuca, and chicha de chonta. Each meal and drink has been a delightful journey into local flavors and traditions. What's even more exciting is that I've had the opportunity to learn how to prepare these dishes through our women's group, adding a new skill to my repertoire. Through these cooking sessions (and living day to day), I have been able to  immerse myself in language and culture. I've been actively learning both Spanish and Kichwa through interactions with the community members, which has been incredibly rewarding.

The agricultural project we have has helped me gain insights into Kichwa farming practices and cultural traditions. Spending time in people's chakras (farming fields) has provided me with a deeper understanding of how farming serves as more than just a source of food; it's also a vital part of the community's identity, providing medicine, such as balbasco, which is used to heal a person when he/she is having muscle pain, and dragon tree, which helps when when someone has a cut. Income and even materials for crafts like bracelets are also some of the ways how people are also benefiting from their chakras, which has been inspiring to see how much benefit comes from living sustainably. Also, personally, I have gotten to know different kinds of fruits that I didn't know before such as Chirimoya, Pitahaya (dragon fruit), Achotillo, Cacao and Maracuyá (passion fruit), which all are very nice and sweet in taste so it’s also been a very tasty experience for me.

When I have free time I spend it chatting with people in the community and through that I have also learnt that people work together when doing a community project called a “Minga.” Mingas are very nice and I have attended four mingas here in Shandia . I have learnt a lot from working together with the community to achieve a common goal. One of the mingas I have attended is when we were constructing a school library it was nice as I had a chance to hear different stories about the community and the culture, eat together with people, learn how important it is to work as a team as work is done very fast as people here are very committed to work that aims at developing the community. They also have unique cultural customs. One such custom is putting chili in the eyes of newborn children who are 5 years old for the reason that they have to be strong and they don't get sick very easily. Not only that but also they have to be well mannered and hard-working children. The women who plant yucca paint their foreheads with achiote in the form of a cross and carry forest leaves to bless the yucca stakes. Before planting yucca, they perform a preparatory ceremony to get the help of natural forces such as the chakra amu, and  the chakra amu represents their connection to the earth, their ancestors, and their sustenance. This involves the use of face paints made with the plant called manduru.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of this community of Shandia and work with the people while learning from them. I hope to have more stories and experiences to share with my people in my home country Malawi.

About the author:

Patrick Maluwa is a recent graduate from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources where he studied Gender and Development Studies. Patrick has a strong desire to make positive impact and has worked on various social justice campaigns and initiatives in Malawi, skills that he hopes to build upon and return to his home community in Lilongwe. A farmer by trade, Patrick is responsible for MPI’s sustainability and agricultural initiatives in the community of Shandia.