On a weekend when I was free I would go and sit down by the lake near my house. It was a beautiful spot to relax and think. My friend Jemmi who I was helping put through night school was coaching a team of local boys who we named the ‘Jemmi All Stars’. I would go and help him. I was enjoying my time living in Mzuzu.

Almost every day I would realise the huge challenge of making my job a success but also would think that there were enough positive signs to spur me on. I meet the DEM and give him my plan for next year. He tells me provisionally we have 180,000 kwacha for sports programme next year. I stress the need for sports officers in the district offices but this is probably too much to ask for and too soon.

In Mzuzu it seems like I am making some enemies as our programme is achieving results and it puts some sports officials in a bad light. I want people to support us but if they do it gets confusing. One such man is Mr. Musuku the Mzuzu City Sports Officer with his office at the stadium. He is in charge of people using the stadium for events. We have a big divisional final to plan for and I want the best venues. He made it so difficult for me to book the stadium well in advance I almost gave up trying.

Things are changing slowly. I made a visit to see the Nkhata Bay DEO one afternoon to discuss the education offices support for the district finals in terms of transport for schools and food. I made a surprise visit to Mpamba CDSS and saw Mr. Mogha one of the course participants doing some great netball training with his girls as they had a big game coming up. I was impressed and proud of us both. I’m also busy at the moment trying to get sponsors ahead of our divisional finals. I am talking a lot to MultiChoice Malawi with a view to getting some support. The boss likes me and wants to support school sports in the north where he is originally from.

I visit the Nkhata Bay West Zone finals at Mpamba CDSS. Four schools are around somewhere as I arrive ready for a 12 o’clock start. I’m refereeing the football and blow my whistle to get Luwazi CDSS and Mpamba CDSS on the field. Serious ‘juju’ is in operation as I’ve already seen the ‘juju’ man from both schools. It is bad luck to enter the field first but one team has to give in. I give an ultimatum and within seconds we are off. Final score Luwazi 4-3 Mpamba. I had to give a penalty to Luwazi as the goalkeeper had assaulted the striker. I regretted my decision almost as soon as I had made it. The penalty box was surrounded by supporters with just enough room to take the kick. I decided to get on with it hoping it would go in and we could restart. It went in, the field cleared and the final whistle went soon after. On the netball court Mr. Mogha handled the games well. The final games will be next Saturday as it is now dark. I have witnessed the enthusiasm at first hand and loved it. My programme is actually happening and it made me happy inside. Mr Moghe was there sorting out everything brilliantly.

By the end of the next day I’m in Lilongwe again to meet Mr. Kalombo. I brief him on all the progress in the north and he seems impressed. MASSA is trying to create a yearly timetable of events but has cancelled more than they have held so far it seems. In the north we are following our timetable well. Dan Payne a new VSO has started his job in the Central West Division. We spend time together talking about it all. He has just arrived with his girlfriend Jayne who is devising sports training courses at the Kamuzu Institute. Rob is the 4^th VSO and he has just started in Blantyre. I really don’t like visiting Lilongwe and am always happy when I get back to the North.

Finances were always a problem. I would make my requests in good time and would usually get the money at the eleventh hour. The DEM put his money where his mouth is today and made some big promises. I get 60,000 kwacha to buy balls as zone prizes and 30,000 kwacha to hold our divisional finals in July. I must not disappoint.

I need the stadium but two big events have taken precedent over our programme at the last minute. Manfred Hoerner the German manager of the National football team is delivering a two week coaching course. There is also the small fact of the general election coming very soon. Not a good time to try and organise anything. I am becoming a bit of a celebrity at the stadium and feel that I should have precedence over Manfred on this one but my arch enemy Mr Musuku from the stadium lets me down again. I need to get out of Mzuzu and head to Nkhata Bay with Jayne Delves to do some netball coaching. Jayne is working at the Malawi National Sports Council writing schemes of work and training courses. Her boyfriend Dan Payne is the sports development officer in the Central West Division. They both studied sports at Birmingham University and applied as a couple to do VSO.

Kalombo has given us three days’ notice of their visit to Mzuzu to hold a MASSA Orientation Meeting. I need to inform all our district chairpersons to come to Mzuzu. By 2 pm I am totally stressed and in the ‘Peoples House’ Spot with Fabiano and Jomo. We get really pissed. There are riots in town the next day as a UDF officials wife was gang raped by some local thugs. All offices have been shut and people are staying inside. The police tear gassed the bus station to disperse a crowd just as I happened to be there. Finally I get home with tears in my eyes. The election was held on the 15^th June having been postponed twice to increase time for voter registration. The election was marred by a row over the registration process, which resulted in some 100,000 eligible voters not being allowed to take part. There were finally about five million registered voters and a 94% turnout. It is official the ruling UDF party have won the election. Muluzi has polled 52.34 % of the vote with Gwanda Chakuamba of the MCP/AFORD Alliance with 45.21%. Our Rumphi course has been cancelled as there are riots everywhere it seems. Muluzi is a Muslim and a mosque in Rumphi has been torched. In Mzuzu there was a lot of stone throwing and police on the streets.

Kalombo can’t come at the last minute so he sends his number two Mr. P Kandikole. The Northern Division Sports Committee is present even with only two days’ notice. We listen to the man try and explain a league system for a competition. We have been organising our competitions for six months now. This man is one of Malawi’s top sports administrators. I have a more productive meeting with the boss of MultiChoice and he tells me he is ready to support us with 20,000 kwacha in the form of kits, balls and trophies. I also got an anonymous letter today saying ‘Fabiano was an idiot and nobody would support our programmes while he was there’. I have serious doubts about Fabiano and his job but I also have doubts if I’m doing a good enough job so I can’t be too critical. I’m looking forward to the upcoming hassles of the district finals. I see their success or failure as a measure of our progress so far. I’m thinking a lot at the moment about how to plan to avoid frustrations but then realise the frustrations are part of life in Malawi that people feel every day. Rising above the frustrations and achieving something is the real measure of success. It is six months in my job and VSO warned me about the six month ‘downer’. I was feeling it and fighting it hard.