A ramble

Today was a very typical day

I went to the bank at lunch time to pay in a cheque from WFP for travel expenses. All the cheque payment slips had run out (this is the biggest branch of the biggest bank in Malawi), so I was advised to use the cash slips. After queuing for 25 minutes in the ‘deposits’ line, behind a couple of tobacco farmers who had turned up with literally a wad of money which needed counting (the biggest note here is 500Kw – the equivalent of two pounds), the man behind the desk said that I couldn’t pay a cheque in without a cheque slip. I explained the situation, and we came to the compromise that I could cash the cheque and pay it into my account in cash. Later that day I went to the cash point. Now, there are technically four cash points at the City Centre branch of the bank, but usually only 2 of them are working. They also close for two one-hour slots in the middle of the day for maintenance. Of course, there was only one cash point working when I turned up. Malawian cash points are really something else. You really have to be prepared to enjoy the experience, otherwise you’ll end up hitting it. First of all, they are incredibly slow. There’s none of that putting the card in and punching out a pin number. Okay, so technically you do just that, but it’s not exactly instantaneous. The cash point I used had a faulty screen, so when you typed in the amount you wanted, you couldn’t actually see anything, so it has to be done by trusting what you type. That, and the fact the bank won’t let you take out more than 40 pounds.

I actually quite like the National Bank. It has a good logo, a large, glassy, clean building a mere 5 minute walk from Kang’ombe House, and friendly security guards by the cashpoints. However it failed to tell me they were charging me for setting up a bank account, or that there are monthly charges for having a cash card (note, only usable for withdrawing money from another National Bank cash point. The whole paying by a card thing here is completely non-existence, unless you are in the nice travel agent, where you can pay for flights by credit card). I admit, I didn’t ask about the charges, but I still think I should have been told. It’s a bit like the doctor when I had malaria. Such a lovely guy, but he completely failed to tell me the side affects of medication, whether it would clash with anything else I’m on, and whether to continue taking my normal prophylaxis.

But really what am I complaining about. It’s not like the banks in the UK are that great either (sorry Holly).

It’s also a novelty (although not a very nice one) for people to die of anaemia. I was quite shocked about this at first…I mean, how can you die from anaemia. Well, 9 months later and it seems that it’s actually one of the commonest causes of death (after malaria, AIDS and needless road accidents). Laz’s uncle, who went in for an operation for a blocked urethra, ended up dying of anaemia. Ntolo’s wife, who had given birth to their first child 5 months ago, died of anaemia three weeks a go, and the mother of someone who works at our sub-office warehouse, also died of anaemia following a car accident. Yes, it’s quite true: a lot of people die around here (especially in the last couple of months). Apparently there isn’t enough blood, and what there is isn’t too good quality, and most of the time transfusions are done far too late. And that’s the whole problem here: late presentation. This refers to nutrition, education, health, even the current government budget – it’s all prepared, or presented, so late that it doesn’t stand a chance.