JOCV 50th year anniversary

Name: Noriko Nishimura (maiden name Fukaya)
Batch: FY1993-2 (Dec 1993 - Dec 1995)
Technical Field: Pharmacist
Host Organization: Central Medical Stores (CMS), South
Hometown in Japan: Chiba City, Chiba

A Piece of Memory: "Sugar and the Tools of Civilization"

December 1993. After a last-minute disturbance in Malawi delayed my dispatch by about two weeks, I finally landed at Kamuzu International Airport. I had just arrived in a brownish world after departing London, where the streets were brightly lit and in full Christmas mode. I still vividly remember the sight of rain pouring down from the clouds on the horizon that I saw in the car on the way to the dormitory.

I was assigned to the manufacturing department of a state-run pharmaceutical wholesaler in Blantyre, a commercial city in the southern part of the country, where I was in charge. The company manufactures products with simple formulas, divides them into smaller portions, and distributes them to a neighboring bulk store (warehouse). There was a proper procedure manual, and the work could be handled adequately by local staff alone. I honestly didn't know what I was being dispatched for. Machinery left behind by generations of predecessors was lying on the floor out of order. There were two counterparts... a veteran man, "C," and a young girl named Chifundo, who was almost a newcomer. They had the knowledge necessary for the business, and there was nothing for me to do... then the incident occurred.

The tip-off was that sugar for use in product manufacturing had been stolen. The suspect was an experienced counterpart "C." Apparently, he was unloading several bags of sugar at his store on his way to delivering goods from the sugar factory (one bag weighed about 50 kg). The local staff had known about his misdeeds for a long time but kept quiet because they were afraid of retaliation. It is a failure as a manager to have items stolen so easily. My predecessor had told me to be careful with "managing locks and items," so this was what he meant! My primary mission was to prevent theft. The matter developed into a trial, and I had to take the stand in court. Chifundo was the one who supported me when I was in a state of mental and physical disarray. Perhaps because we were close in age, we often voiced complaints to each other and got excited engaging in girls' talk. It was often a relief for me, spending casual days together in this way. I was then reassigned from manufacturing manager to the head of CMS, and the manufacturing department was managed by my newly arrived veteran counterpart "K" and Chifundo. In light of the sugar incident, Mr. K and Chifundo understood my intention to have the Malawians themselves best manage and monitor operations, rather than relying on foreigners who would come every two years to do so. They took pride in their work and really worked hard. No matter where you are or what color your skin is, there are people with whom you can share understanding, and there are also bad guys. It was a 2-year period where I realized such a normal thing. Turning down a request to stay until the end of the fiscal year, I returned home, but the whereabouts of CMS and Chifundo since then have been stuck in the back of my mind for a long time.

The lovable Chifundo family

Time passed, and the tools of civilization brought us together again, and we were able to keep in touch via social networking sites and update each other on what was going on. In that country where someone's funeral was being held every week, it would be a miracle to see her once again more than a decade later, albeit on a screen, alive, with a family, and handling a smartphone. It's not easy to go abroad now because of the COVID-19 crisis, but someday I would like to go to Malawi with my family and have a good old lady talk, not girl talk, with the Chifundo family.

The next is a piece of memory of Hiroaki Maruyama (woodworker), a JOCV member of Batch FY1993-1, who worked in Mzuzu, a city in the northern part of Malawi, and is still very active after returning to Japan, having participated in TV Champion and winning the Award of the President of the Japan Crafts Association.