What's new from Mzuzu

Got to keep up to speed on the latest planning issues...

I admit it has been quite some time since my last post. The last 6 weeks have been extremely busy, even though the students have been on break since mid July. After 3 months at Mzuni, I am beginning to get a lay of the land and understand where my skills could be best utilized outside of my stock job responsibilities of teaching and mentoring students. When I first arrived, I expressed uncertainty as to exactly what I would be doing. However, what I mistook for vagueness in the job description was in fact flexibility, which has allowed us to explore opportunities related to capacity building here at the University, which is where the real value of this experience lies.

Since my last professionally related post, I have completed the first draft of a paper that focuses on the role of urban and regional planning in climate change adaptation here in Malawi, which I will present at the upcoming Malawi Physical Planning conference in Lilongwe. I will also be attending a conference hosted by the African Association of Planning Schools (AAPS) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from October 5-8. The conference’s focuses on curriculum development in response to the challenges facing 21^st century cities such as climate change, rapid urbanization and informal settlements.

On the capacity building front, we have been exploring opportunities with the newly established Centre for Water and Sanitation Excellence based out of Mzuni. The Centre is an independent agency whose mandate is to undertake applied research, and to implement its findings, in the fields of water supply and sanitation and to train men and women how to plan for, provide and maintain affordable, clean water and sanitation for the benefit of communities in Malawi and in the surrounding countries. Initially we were interested in helping the Centre with proposal writing, but this has since opened up new opportunities.

Last week Merrill and I attended the first meeting between the various public sector agencies involved in the provision of water and sanitation in the Northern Region of Malawi. The meeting was held to establish what will be known as the Northern Region WASH Alliance, which will be dedicated to improving the accessibility of water and sanitation to marginalized groups in the Northern region. Long story short, I am now the chair of a taskforce for coordinating the Alliance. The partnership includes the newly established Centre of Excellence for Water and Sanitation, a variety of NGOs and the region’s four District Assemblies. My first task is to coordinate a drafting committee to formulate a strategic alliance document that will articulate the mandate, objectives, governance structure, etc. to guide the Alliance forward... I am grateful for this opportunity... Didn’t see this one coming from a mile away... More details to come!