Where am I?

Have I fallen of the face of the planet? Well, no, not quite, although I have disappeared from my standard haunts...

Where I actually am, as of 9/10/97, is in a small country in south eastern Africa, called Malawi. There -- you can see it on the map -- it's labeled just above and to the left of Madagascar... It's actually located between Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania. 

The 160 regions of Africa - as of 8/97; courtesy City.net.

And now for something completely different

What am I doing there? Well, I decided that I didn't want to have to fight for tenure, and instead have accepted a position with a group called Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). VSO recruits people who are willing to work for two years in a developing country for a local wage: 'taint much, but it's not much different than being a grad student!

VSO offered me a couple different interesting positions. (I *could* have taught micro-processor design in an Electrical Engineering Dept. in Sri Lanka; turned *that* one down!), but the one I accepted I'm quite excited about: I'm setting up a computer system to inventory and track medicines for the Ministry of Health and Population. The goal is to ensure that medical supplies are being evenly distributed through out the country. I will get to learn about health care policies at a national level, and I get to see if maybe these computer things are actually useful. In addition to setting up the system I will be training people in how to use the system and how to maintain the computers.

The project is funded by the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group .

And if you're interested in learning more about volunteering, check out What is volunteering?

Contact Information

I don't yet have my personal mailing address. For now, if you want to write, write me care of VSO: Libby Levison
c/o VSO Malawi
PO Box 608
Lilongwe, MALAWI
(south east Africa)

A friend will be posting my address and email here once I know it.

Where on the map?

I will be in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. For my work, I will have to travel to Blantyre (in the south) and Mzuzu (in the north). You can see it here: and, full size, here .

Frequently asked questions

1. Yes, I'll have email.
   There are a couple different options. My work address is probably through the WHO: chances are it'll be libby@mlw.healthnet.net. (actually it's libby@theplateau.com - ed)
2. Onions, tomatoes, green leafy vegetable, dried beans and peanuts.
   I've been told that these are always available in the market. I have not been told if I will have a refrigerator.
3. Tea and tobacco.
   90 percent of the population is still rural, and the major industry is agricultural. These are the major crops.
4. Only one shot.
   I had a large number of shots last year for another trip; I was only missing meningitis this time. (Yellow fever, hepatitis A, hep B & rabies. And anti-malarials.)
5. Yes.
   I'll be there for two years. Of course I'll go on safari.
6. Not very hot.
   Lilongwe is at 4500 feet. So the temperature is usually between 60-90 -- a little cooler in the evenings.
7. 330,000
   Lilongwe has a population of 330,000. It was built to be the capital in the mid-60's (Zomba, in the south, was the capital previously).

Libby has now written a number of "Stories" about her experience in Malawi and has added some of her Photos too.  

For more information about Malawi try The Plateau's Malawi pages.

Back to Libby's "old" home page.