Action for Natural Medicine Training

Wednesday August 18th, 2010 – Mulevala
I am sitting at a solid wooden table overlooking a vast expanse of undisturbed forest covering rolling hills. No, I’m not in Nauela. This week I’ve brought a counterpart from the PLWHA group in Nauela, Joakim Pedro, to a training in Mulevala in the neighboring district of Ile. Mulevala is an administrative post like Nauela, but is located on a much less used road. So even though it is more condensed and developed than Nauela, it seems much more rural, remote, and calm.

But if it’s so rural, why is Mulevala so developed anyways? I haven’t gotten a straight answer yet. During colonial times it was probably largely due to the area’s agriculture production. Recently, however, it may be due to the impact of nearby mines in Gile that bring an influx of traffic and income to the area. Unlike Nauela, there is no place in Mulevala to get cell phone service. Indeed, one must drive/walk 7 kilometers out of town to a large tree and climb up to get service. “How did someone find out about this to begin with?”, you might ask. Who knows?!

To give you some more insight as to “Why Mulevala…?”, well the site is actually the home of Denys, a Moz 13 PCV. Denys is about to complete her second year of service here in Mozambique, but is planning to extend her service for 1 extra year in Mocuba (the second largest city in the province, located a little SW of Mulevala). Like me, Denys was also paired up with FGH, but as it turns out there’s even less FGH presence here than in Nauela because FGH literally never visits! They sent her here 2 years ago with the plan to extend their services here, but that plan never materialized and she was stuck her alone. A few months into her service they offered to move her elsewhere, but no one really wants to move sites right after having just made their house a home…

I say Denys was stuck here alone, but that’s not really true. The reason we are actually here this week is not to be with Denys, but rather Monica (also called Monschi), an Austrian missionary/nurse here through Christian Services International. Always a wanderer, Monschi has a pretty interesting story that has led her to visit some 40+ countries while serving others. Over the past 5 years that she’s been in Mozambique, Monschi has created a pretty baller house by rural Mozambique standards (electricity, running water, CB radio, high ceilings, etc) and pretty elaborate, well-developed projects. Her 3 main ones being: HIV/AIDS, Malnourished Children, and Natural Medicine. We, Joakim and I, along with 4 other PCVS and their counterparts, are here to learn about the latter: natural medicine readily available in the tropics.

The natural medicine group that Monica works with here in Mulevala was trained on an individual basis by a larger organization called ANAMED, Action for Natural Medince – www.anamed.net, and has since grown to include 7 people. The association has an official link w the church with the belief that God created the earth, plants, animals, and people to support one another. They have several fields where they grow 20+ different types of herbal plants including Moringa, Artemisia, Lemon Grass, Hot peppers, Aloe, Guava, etc to treat illnesses and symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, malaria, buns, cuts, pregnancy pains etc.

Generally the group grows the plants, harvests them, dries and prepares them for storage, and then sells them. At the crux of it all, the medicine the group makes are various teas, creams, oils, and drinks. The group also gives lessons to the community about how they can also make their own medicines and use them correctly. ANAMED has several books, but there is always a little difference between what is written in the book and what is taught. Definitely risky business at some points.

In the middle of the week we also will be making a stove from local material that is supposed to reduce the amount of wood needed to cook (good for time spent collecting wood and the environment), but there are definitely some obstacles (ie - a lot of front end work, it being different than what people are used to, might be taking away from some of the valued away time women get while looking for wood, etc).

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I am sitting in pain next to 3 middle aged Mozambican women who couldn’t be more comfortable and interested. I feel weak saying this, but after only an hour or so, my back is already tired from sitting on this backless bench. The sun is beating down on the tin roof overhead. We’re making a “tintura” of various plants to help support the immune system. These mixtures are gin-based (to improve the shelf life of them) and are a little complicated to make… don’t think I’ll ever be making them! Today’s the 4th day our Natural Medicine training and I am already becoming quite a bit skeptical about our ability to duplicate this program in Nauela. Maybe we can include at least some aspects of it. I don’t know how we’ll get the Health post to buy into it though…. We’ll see!

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I talked with Monschi this morning about some of my doubts/questions. She told me that they motivate the group by paying their “volunteers”1350 mets/month and the leader gets 1500mets/month. Definitely not an option for me because of the money constraints and lack of sustainability…. In fact, when Monschi goes back to Austria in November (her mother has cancer that has spread throughout her body and Monshi need to go home to be with her) she “knows” that no one will continue to work when the mission’s money dries up. Maybe at the very least the knowledge will stay in the community.

While project is giving a great service and knowledge to the community, it is not financially sustainable. They give the medicine out to the community members who can’t pay, and only charge 10 metacais (30 cents) for those who can pay, but HIV/AIDS patients always get their medicine for free. In Mocuba and other bigger cities, people charge more… but here in Mulevala you can’t raise the prices too much before people will just stop being interested in it.

Lastly, Monschi assures me that, according to her research, there aren’t any bad chemical reactions between ARV therapy and Moringa/Artemisia which they give to the HIV positive patients. Hopefully that’s true and everyone at the health post takes my/her word for it too.


Thursday August 26th, 2010
Even when you’ve been working the whole time, it feels weird/bad to be gone from site for so long. First Tanzania, then PDM, then PSN, then the Natual Medicine training… since the middle of July I’ve only been at site for a handful of days and nights. Most of which were during school break so no one was here anyways. You feel out of place coming back after so long. You have to dive back in with all of your new ideas and that’s what I’ve been trying to do. I wanna start up a chess club, revive the theater group, continue working with the church, the Lurdes Mutola Foundation, Muretchele (the PLWHA group who did the natural medicine training), etc. It’s overwhelming at times because there are other side projects that I’m not even thinking about (ie the World Vision enriched flour/nutrition project).

Today I get a semi expected 30 minute visit from Rosie, a PCV from Cabo Delgado, just to say hi and deliver a few things on her way back North. She tried to help me pick up my solar panel… but alas, the shop keep still hasn’t gone to Nampula to buy it… patience! Definitely something you get good at here.

I’m writing this letter out on paper while lying down on my bed by candle light. Looking down at my bed I am thinking about the little things… like my idea for making a bed spread quilted down comforter from capalanas… can’t wait... I’m saving up little by little to buy the remaining fabric. Today I had to spend so much money ($12!) repairing my bike! GAH! I’m broke until next month, but once that happens, I should be good. Amanda’s decorating habits have definitely rubbed off on me. In a good way… now I’m more moderate in my frugality. :-)

BTW, are you excited for the start of Gator Foodball season? I am! And I don’t even get to watch any of the games live… Duuuuh, da da, da da, Go Gators! Random thought: this will be the first football season that I haven’t been to a single games since… I was 3 years old, I think. Have to ask my dad about that one though…

Friday August 27th, 2010
Today I met with Osorio and Wilson at the hospital about incorporating the natural medicine training into Muretchele’s work here in Nauela. They were very supportive and excited to hear about it. I was really worried about them being very skeptical, but they were all for it! The two Muretchele reps, Joakim and the president (Elicio), were both beaming and very excited about the prospects.

We might have a training with the whole group as soon as mid September! I’ll keep you updated :-)

Below are some pictures from the ANAMED training:



My counterpart, Joakim, checking out the picture guide of medicinal plants in the tropics


Yohko and Joakim moving the clay to start making a display stove


An instructor showing us how to break up the clay to make it into the right texture


Our counterparts working hard while dumping the clay from the wheelbarrow to get going on the project


Meanwhile... Rosie and Noemi goofin' around in the wheelbarrow trying to run over poor Yohko :P


Yohko getting down and dirty while stuffing the cracks in our attempt at making a special kind of clay stove to save the amount of wood needed to cook.


Yohko and Amanda taking a break from the stove construction to pose for the camera.


Denys, the PCV in Mulevala, coming by to snap a few memories


A PC counterpart from Quelimane being treated for an conjunctivitis with an aloe wrap (I think?)


Amanda making some serious notes on the esteria during the afternoon lesson


The training class seated and ready to learn


A local pastor putting in his two cents…


Moringa leaves!


The group on a hands-on garden tour of Anamed’s medicinal plants


Amanda with Joakim, my counterpart, and another PCV counterpart from Mocuba who are all showing off the lotion we just made from hot peppers.


One of the ANAMED teachers showing off their sprouting Artemisia plants


Taking a break to relax and lie down on the esteiras after lunch


More maxin’ and relaxin’ between sessions


Making notes about the ANAMED concoctions we are learning about


Teaching about HIV/AIDS…


Making a “tintura”… an alcoholic based remedy that has a longer shelf life


Trying to explain to one another some of the more confusing points.


Amanda and Rosie having a moment as the training comes to an end


Monschi wrapping up the week’s sessions with some closing comments