I’m in early negotiations with Ben Nyirenda from MultiChoice about sponsorship for this year. I need to speak to the DEM about an assistant and this year’s budget. I have a busy few days travelling to Lilongwe to meet Kalombo and then onto Blantyre to meet MultiChoice.

Government allowances for leaving your work station have gone up from 513 to 920 kwacha a night. The VSO sports volunteers meet up to plan the FA sponsored football and HIV/Aids awareness courses. The English FA don’t want to work alongside the Malawi FA on this one and prefer to work with VSO. In Lilongwe Dan and I meet Kalombo and he really confuses us. They have reorganised the year’s events even before getting our feedback on last year. The Blantyre meeting is cancelled so I’m back to Mzuzu via Mzimba to see Joseph. We are trying to get started with our primary football and netball competitions. We meet the eight Mzimba Primary Education Advisers whose help we need to mobilise the primary zones into action. It will be difficult but possible they say. We have to trust these people to ‘spread the word’, distribute the training manuals and motivate the schools to play.

Life is fun at the moment and I’m seeing the funny side of everything. I need to on the morning of 11^th February. I arrive at work and am one of the only people around. People left wonder why I haven’t gone to the big budget meeting in Chintheche. It is because nobody told me. At 9 pm last night it seems minibuses took everybody. I arrive late at the Divisional Budget meeting. Mr. Derek Ziba is in his element confusing everyone. I’m given no warning about this and then asked to write a yearly budget in twenty minutes. Mr Ziba can’t or doesn’t want to answer any of my simple questions. We all leave very confused but laughing as everyone has their allowances. I’m told I have 32,000 kwacha left to spend in this financial year. It is all very confusing.

On a personal level I’m now the proud sponsor of a Chibuku Bar managed by one Downs Nyasulu. It is conveniently located at the top of the school road and frequented by most of the teaching staff looking for a cheap drink. I buy Downs 1500 kwacha worth of Chibuku to get him started. It is a proud moment for him. He has signs on the wall that read ‘Don’t hate Nyasulu’ and ‘Downs will help your suffering’. His three children Blessing, Obren and Together are often at my house. They called her ‘Together’ because he and his wife Victoria made her together.

I was given £300 raised by children at Saltley School. I have applied for a VSO small initiative grant as well. It is enough to hold an athletics course in each district with about twenty participants. Fabiano owes me big time and he agrees to deliver the courses on my behalf. It will get him out of Mzuzu and my sight for a few weeks. I visit a few Mzuzu zone games. The refereeing is still the biggest issue and most games have some dispute. I finish my budget and give it to Mr Ziba. It is 833,000 kwacha and I’m quite proud of my work. I’m doing a lot of trouble shooting visits at the moment to resolve issues between teachers or schools. I’m in the south again for a MASSA meeting. It is the usual stuff. Mr. Kalombo is in charge and bossing everyone as usual. Mr. Kandikhole is doing his best to confuse everyone. Mr. Ali the President is just smiling at everyone. Mr. Justin Saidi is being put down by Kalombo at every opportunity. Dan, Rob and I just look at each other and wonder what the hell is happening. Then there is Miki Sakamoto the JICA sports officer from Central East. He is a lovely bloke just looks confused the whole time. Rob the 3^rd VSO is resigning very soon after only nine months in his post. He has had enough and has got a job at an international school in Blantyre. Dan sounds frustrated at the moment over the job. Kalombo said to me after that he enjoys provoking people into arguments to get their opinions. The 2000 programme is agreed and the north is ready.