Month: October 2012

Caroline Bach3 Comments

All I want for Christmas

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– So when are you coming?
– I will probably be home on.. I mean, in Malmö on the 24th..

And the feeling that immediately strikes you afterwards, about definitely not identifying with that city as your home.

Should I stay or should I go, now?

I need my palm trees. I just wish I could bring all my close one’s here and show them the beaches, the sea food, the long nights full of dancing, the people and the wonderful sun. Might change my mind next week though. Going to Tete province and I have been told I will most probably melt.

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UNICEF Mozambique – the page

This week, the focus on the UNICEF Mozambique Facebook page will be the Child-Friendly Schools initiative, presented through my stories and photographs from the field. Do you recognize the photo in the header? They are the two lovely girls Winet and Stefi who I met in Changara, Tete, when I was there in August.

The page is very popular, closing in to 6,000 likes and sharing information and stories about the situation of children in Mozambique both in Portuguese and English. Only 12 of my friends are currently liking the page so I would be very happy if more of you clicked the photo below, liked, and followed my stories. :)

 

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Green stuff

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– So what do you eat over there?
– Different things. A lot of sea food, European food, sometimes sushi, and a lot of Mozambican dishes, of course.
– What’s the Mozambican food like?
– It’s nice! It doesn’t necessarily look great, but it mostly is.
– Ooh, I want to see – blog a photo!
– Haha, really? Do you really think it would be interesting?
– Ah come on, I’m curious. Do it!

So on request, I give you today’s very Mozambican dinner: Matapá de Abóbora com xima.

Translating it, it’s basically cooked pumpkin leaves with a lot of coconut milk and some shrimps, accompanied by a kind of corn mash that keeps you full for two days. Very tasty stuff, if you ask me.

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UNICEF Publication: Child-Friendly Schools, Stories from Mozambique

New page in the projects section:

August-October 2012

 

As part of my 5 month assignment for UNICEF Mozambique, I travelled to the field to photograph and write stories related to our activities within the Child-Friendly Schools initiative. The final product was a bilingual 40 page booklet that was published and disseminated internationally. Click above for the pdf.

Under the aegis of Schools for Africa, the Child-Friendly Schools initiative in Mozambique promotes the rights of children and aims to improve the quality of primary education through a set of multi-sectoral interventions. It reinforces the goals of the Government of Mozambique’s Five-Year Plan (2010-2014) to realize an integrated and cross-cutting approach to basic education.
This includes child-centred teaching approaches, life skills education, physical education and sport, the provision of water and separate sanitation facilities for girls and boys, construction of classrooms, immunization and health screening, mechanisms for the prevention of violence and abuse, and initiatives to reach orphaned and vulnerable children. The programme also empowers children to voice their opinions, and uses various forms of media in the social mobilization of communities in order to promote the rights of every child—especially girls.
This booklet presents inspiring stories about Mozambique’s Child-Friendly Schools and the difference they are making in the lives of the poorest children. These stories, from two districts, are representative of experiences from all seven districts engaged in the initiative —Changara in Tete province, Chibuto in Gaza, Buzi in Sofala, Mossurize in Manica, Maganja da Costa in Zambezia, Angoche in Nampula and Montepuez in Cabo Delgado.

© United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) October 2012
Permission is required to reproduce any part of this publication.

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Back

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And just as infallibly as always, it cured everything. The sad face, the sore throat, the melancholy, the boredom and the uncertainty. There is nothing in the world that can compare to the wonders that dancing does to me, my body and my mood. I’m back on track again.

The painting above is from Núcleo de Arte here in Maputo, the Sunday hangout venue where art meets live music, grilled food, expats, rastas, dancers, painters and – unfortunately I don’t know the name of the artist.

(The sore throat might also have been cured by a wonder-spray that I got from a friend and sprayed onto my non-existent tonsils a couple of times. And the bottle of wine we shared the same day while painting our nails and talking about girly stuff.)

Caroline Bach1 Comment

Diagnosis

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It’s raining pretty badly in Maputo this weekend, and I’m still not 100% back on my feet. What about giving me a diagnosis, my dear super smart friends?

For more than a week now, I have had:
1. A sore and slightly swollen throat, in the place where my right tonsil would have been, had it not been removed.
2. A bitter taste in the back of my mouth.
3. A body temperature below 36 degrees.
4. A slow/sad mood.

I had strep almost monthly when I was a kid, usually without fever. This is the reason to why my tonsils were removed seven years ago – and I have basically not had infections in the throat since then.

I have some serious trust issues here in Maputo after hearing horror stories about the healthcare and after trying it myself.. basically, it costs a fortune, takes forever, and the doctors tell you nothing new. And ooh – if you insist, you get medicine that might have been banned in Europe many years ago.

Anyway, If there’s something that really upsets me it’s doctors that write prescriptions for strong antibiotics without being sure about the diagnosis. Oh, and a random detail: when selling pills here, they take the exact amount out of the box in the pharmacy – so you really have to beg to get the pamphlet that is supposed to accompany the pills.

Anyway, I will see if I can indulge in ginger/lemon/honey tea to treat this, hoping that it’s not streptococcis. And if it doesn’t get any better soon I might go for another study visit to a Maputo clinic. You’re joining, right?

Caroline Bach9 Comments

The wonderful surprises of DJ Jesaja

Growing up with an affection for the voices and beats in R&B and soul tunes, I have been struck by euphoria to DJ Jesaja’s music in different clubs in Malmö since I was 15 years old. They say that he plays R&B, but he always makes sure to throw in some marvellous oldschool soul track, or surprise with some classic hip hop, dancehall, New Jack Swing or funk, and I can’t help but loving even the most cheesy parts of it.

One evening in 2005, when I was sitting in front of the computer while on vacation in Poland, Jesaja called me on Skype. He was playing in a club in Sweden, and instantly managed to turn my boring Saturday evening into one of the most memorable music experiences I have had. Dancing with headphones ftw.

Today, Jesaja wrote to me saying that a stream of his latest radio mix was available online, and I instantly began swaying. One and a half hour later, when reaching Koffee Brown’s After Party, I died a little from nostalgia overload. This is just wonderful, so I’m sharing. Do enjoy.

Lyssna: Din Gata – DJ show

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b2b vs. transparency

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I guess that excellent colleagues pep-talking me via Skype while others send me love via Whatsapp is really reason enough to shake those irrationally blue feelings off and get back to business.

…anyhow – it’s already Friday.

Damn it, I’m so transparent that I don’t even need to say anything before people start telling me that I “look different” today, that there is something missing – “Where is all that positive energy of yours? We need it!”.

Is it really that obvious that I’m having a bad day? Maybe I need a crash course in faking “feeling great” because I really don’t know how to.

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Blue

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This might have been today’s highlight:
Lunch in a sunny park surprised by a blue headed beauty. I was reminded I’m in Africa, despite the Italian ravioli alla napoletana on my plate.
Motivation and awesomeness levels are worryingly low right now, I think I need a hug and a dancefloor.