Together for a Change

The Story Together for a Change;

the story so far

“At the heart of Together for a Change lies two very simple messages. The first is that the rich and famous cannot save the world on their own. If we really want things to change we need to turn the world upside down and listen first to those whose lives are blighted by poverty. The second is that together we can change the world; it is possible that we can be remembered as the generation who chose to deal with global poverty but it will take passion commitment and sacrifice.”

These were the words at the start of the project that is „Together for a Change‟ and the testimony to its success is in the stories of the two communities in Scotland (and the two in Africa) who chose to risk doing it a different way. Listening to their stories I wondered if they appreciated beforehand what might the con- sequences of their exchange visits to The Gambia and Malawi might be, but on their return they knew that their lives and their communities had been transformed.

The two stories are unique but with common features - the fears overcome, the growing confidence and self esteem as they faced difficult situations and the sheer joy of lives changed. They all now see the world and their role in it in a different way. It is impossible to measure but the value is priceless. Provanmill, Glasgow and Bakau, The Gambia The Background The story begins with the minister of St Paul‟s Provanmill, Russell McLarty, suggesting to his congregation that he felt that Together for a Change might help to bring a unity to the defined areas of Royston and Provanmill which were linked in name but not in reality.

The church already had a link with the Gambia with its President‟s International Awards (PIA) Scheme, which is similar to our Duke of Edinburgh, and the first exchange was done with five recipients of this award.

The minister used study leave to visit The Gambia and begin face - to - face discussions with the Gambian partners to agree how they might prepare for the visit in similar ways so that the experience was shared from the very beginning; this was to be a hallmark of the link that each had an equal responsibility. They agreed to look at modern „proverbs‟ as a way of understanding how people sustain themselves despite the daily grind of poverty.

The Preparation Back in Glasgow, Russell organised preparatory meetings where people from within the community got to know each other through creative activities. With encouragement from an artist, they painted pictures of the area and thought about the sayings that kept them going such as “a warm heart in an old coat” or “just hang on in there”. One group made paper and embedded these sayings, another made ceramic plates. Being asked to reflect on „your life in Provanmill‟ opened up a lot of thoughts about living in a poor area and as they shared their stories and their proverbs for survival, the journey towards the Gambia began.

Liz McCoy, who subsequently took over the running of the link, recalls that her only involvement was having one of the Gambians for a meal; this led to her going away for the weekend with the Gambian group and with other members of the community; “it changed my life.”

That first weekend was hosted by the Guild at Cove, near Kilcreggan and two artists helped facilitate the sessions. Liz recalled that it was a very well organised weekend and that there was a lot of true sharing of feelings.

“It was so relaxed and we just got on with everyone; they were so keen to know all about our life and we were interested in the Gambia though looking back we didn‟t really have a clue.”

The local church not only hosted them but the brownies provided lunch and some members took them round the highlights including a trip to Inveraray Jail.

This weekend away was a treat not only for the folks from Gambia but also for the folks from Royston Provanmill. The workshop at this weekend on the feelings and dreams of the group was developed into a song by the musician Ben King and recorded by the group. The words of the opening verse (sung to the tune „Stand by Me‟) say it all:

“As we live and we grow with wisdom and faith and be happy with all we can learn to share and exchange belief in our minds we can all live together as one” Before this Liz wasn‟t heavily involved in the community or the church; she attended but didn‟t do more than that. She also felt that although she was on speaking terms with all her neighbours, she didn‟t know them well and she admitted that she was quite a private person. This was all to change as the minister left the area and handed over the running of the project to her.

Much of the success of the subsequent visits must be attributed to Liz and to her organisational skills. By now, the Provanmill community was linked to a rural community in The Gambia called Bakau, which had been suggested by one of the members of PIA but, more importantly, also had a connection to the Church of Scotland.

Liz began the organisation of the second and subsequent exchange visits. In her methodical way, she developed an application form which not only had practical information about age, dietary requirements, how they got involved in the project locally but also what they hoped to achieve and what they brought to the project.

The same form was sent to Bakau and the applications exchanged so that folks would have „met‟ the visitors before they arrived.

People came from the different churches and also from community groups, and the organising group chose for the overseas trips, people who were already contributing to the community. The hope was that the community would be strengthened by their involvement. On each visit they also tried to find a balance - two men, two women and two young folk.

The Programme The next chapter in the story was to involve as many people as possible in the programme; some offered hospitality, others agreed to cook an evening meal at the church for the group, yet others joined in the activities. The amazing thing was that people who were not very committed to church or community group quickly became committed to the project. E-mail correspondence had highlighted common issues around HIV but also a desire to know about issues here such as homelessness. As it was a rural community in Bakau, there was also an interest in learning more about agriculture. All of this was taken into account and the programme developed around it.

At first people were very hesitant; there were some African asylum seekers in the community but little connection with them. As one woman said:

“it‟s not that I‟m racist, just ignorant about them; it had never occurred to me to ask where thy came from or whether they had come by choice or been forced.”

Others worried about what to feed them or whether their house was good enough to have them stay. These real fears and concerns gradually disappeared as they came to know the visitors as people and not just as a „label‟. The visitors arrived in September and it was quickly evident that they were very cold. A request went out to the church to provide warm clothing and thermal underwear was purchased for them all. The organising team was overwhelmed by the generosity of the locals and even young teenagers when they saw the young boys playing football in their bare feet, offered their best football boots as a gift. It gave credence to the saying:

„were it not for the poor, the poorest would starve‟

There was a mixture of fun, serious exploration of the issues and tourist outings. It was a learning experience for everyone as they visited and heard about the work of the Sandyford Clinic and The Lodging House Mission. The excitement too was shared as they met with the Lord Provost, who hosted them for lunch and as they did the tour of Glasgow on an open topped bus.

Built in to the programme was a two day work placement so that visitors could follow an interest, such as learning about the nursery and local primary school or visiting an agricultural college to learn about farming methods.

There were many opportunities to share and to talk about the issues facing them both. These included:

HIV: a workshop from Christian Aid, talking about the stigma of being HIV+ and how that has led to slow progress in campaigning against the disease in Africa. Gender equality in the Gambia: Adama mentors women at the PIA Skills Centre in Bakau. She talked about how being the only woman in a managerial position means that she faces difficulties because she has to prove all the time that she can do the job better than a man. She helps young girls in her project to understand and combat gender inequality. Disabled issues: Kumba was amazed when she saw the difference of how disability is dealt with in UK, saying that the disabled are considered in many ways; with access to buildings and almost all walks of life. In The Gambia they are excluded from many areas and there is much for Gambians to learn. The only way that she has any livelihood is though an internationally funded programme where she teaches arts and crafts.

This visit marked the first of many milestones on the journey and for the people of Provanmill their memories linger around the affirmation; no one before had said that they lived in a beautiful place, no one before had looked to them for advice and no one in their experience had appreciated how much they had to give.

The Visit to Bakau Preparation for going overseas was a whole different agenda. Not only did the six travellers have to get to know each other but there was also the practical preparations - injections, pass- ports, visas. Liz said that they had a really helpful piece of ad- vice from the staff at World Exchange:

appreciate each others‟ needs talk with each other about how you unwind and make space for that take time out - don‟t underestimate how tiring it is to live in another culture. Liz admits to being terrified on her first visit; being surrounded by black faces, living in very basic accommodation, tasting strange foods yet despite these initial feelings, she was to return as leader for each of the trips. She talks about her own learning and advice she would give to others.

„It‟s important to have people from your own community around you on these visits so that a lot can be taken for granted as they know where you are coming from. But the bottom line is that I‟ve done things I never would have believed I‟d have done. The lives of those who went were changed but also the community at home. It affects the family and your friends and has a ripple effect.‟

She now knows her neighbours well and is actively involved in a variety of ways. On each visit, she asked participants to give ad- vice to future travellers. Here‟s a few:

„use common sense when people are telling you something — don‟t take it at face value‟

„go with an attitude of understanding and respect‟

„put away your fears and concerns but be prepared to some very emotional and thought provoking sights‟

I met with three women, Liz, Maureen and Mary and each talked with passion about their experiences.

“They have such a strong faith - there‟s fire in their belly whereas ours is just a simmer”

“They have nothing, yet they have everything”

“ We were reminded that we had lots to learn from them” Maureen tells of visiting a centre for children with learning disabilities and on the first trip being horrified at the state of the room - it was bare and shabby and she confesses that she just wanted to get posters up and paint it for them. Many of the young people were unengaged, rocking backwards and forwards in their chairs and she says that she was thinking: „if only the room was colourful, that would bring them out.‟ She returned on a visit a year later and tells of her joy when revisiting the centre. Same room, same children yet the transformation in behaviour was amazing - playing, getting involved, singing ac- tion songs. She asks „how could I only see the dull space, when it was the attention of the leaders the children needed and re- ceived.‟

Liz talks of attending a confirmation service with adult baptism. The women were dressed like brides and she reflected on the cost to their families but recognised it was not so different here where families sacrifice so that their children can have the best.

The Challenges? It would be naive to suggest that there were no difficulties but in listening to the stories, it was as these were confronted and dealt with, that peoples‟ self confi- dence and self esteem were built. An initial difficulty was that the Gambian visitors saw the locals as very rich and conversations were needed around the cost of living and comparative poverty. On a much more practical level, many overused the mobile phones to contact home and an agreement had to be reached about what could reasonably be provided and what would need to come from the pocket money provided. For both visitors and travellers it needed to be stressed that this was not a holiday but part of a funded project with clear aims and hopes.

The Effect on the Community It is not only those who travelled whose lives have been changed, but those of their families and friends. They have learned that to create community costs little but reaps great re- wards. The church has become even more the hub of the eve- ryday life, the community believes in itself more. Many now know that they can do things they never thought possible, that they can use their voice to be heard. The change in attitude is much harder to define and much more significant to acknowl- edge. It can only be told by the people themselves:

The young man who now looks at a black face and thinks „I‟ll check if he‟s lost or lonely‟ instead of „what‟s he doing here?‟ His experience of standing out in a strange place has made him see life in a way that can never be unseen. The teenager who heard the ambitions of his peers in Baula and shared the hopes and determination to realise them, suddenly became aware of the opportunities which he took for granted and began to take school and his studies seriously.

These small examples could be echoed by so many in Provan- mill - each has been changed in a way for the better. Each has learned something about themselves, about each other, about their strengths and their weaknesses but, more importantly, about their expertise, their valid contribution to the story of pov- erty and their ability to work together to make a difference. Ruchazie, Glasgow and Baula, Malawi The Background Ruchazie Parish Church and Community came into the project late to replace a potential link that had faltered in the development. It is a small congregation in the north-east of Glasgow at the western edge of the Easterhouse estate. As the minister Bill Hunter said ‘At the beginning I often felt that we were running to catch up’. Although the beginnings were different and some of the organisation, many of the results of the link echo the experiences in Provanmill.

People in Ruchazie saw it as a real opportunity to build on what had already been achieved there and Bill Hunter said: “The opportunity to start this Together for a Change project comes at a time when we are rethinking and re-visioning what God wants for us. Meeting with and reflecting with a community on the margins in Malawi opens up new possibilities and offers us fresh insight. Most of us have been working away here for years trying to see God‟s leading, often finding God‟s blessing, often feeling the pressure of being God‟s people in a struggling community. It will be good to find friends in Africa who face issues like ours and who are seeking God‟s leading too.”

Donna, a member of congregation agreed: “I thought it would be brilliant for our community because there was a lot of violence and a lot of trouble with alcohol and drugs at the time and I thought that anything positive could help”

She had grown up with stories of Africa from her father who was in the Merchant Navy and he had talked of how their simple way of life outweighed materialistic things and how impressed he was with their dignity and their faith in God. Bill agreed to do much of the early administration but there was a team who worked hard on the project checking ideas out with each other, taking responsibility for the communication both with Baula and with the community in Ruchazie. The church had just finished a lengthy building project transforming their church into a space which they hoped would become the centre of the community. When they discussed it as a kirk session, they agreed that it would be a good thing to broaden the horizons of the community. By the way of it, now that some African families have moved to Ruchazie they have had an easier time because of the change in peoples‟ attitudes. It was a brave decision as there were many fears, spoken and unspoken;

“We weren‟t sure what would come out of the project, what we had to share or how we would cope”

The available funding made it easier and made the church more willing to approach people in the community. At the beginning there was a natural hesitancy as people consider their commitments - who would look after the children, how would it be to have a stranger staying in their home on top of the ordinary everyday struggles. After the first visit of the Malawians, this was never a problem again.

Baula in Northern Malawi is a scattered village dependent on subsistence farming and it was chosen by the Primary Healthcare (PHC) Department at Ekwendeni hospital along with the council of chiefs. They chose this village which had never had outside connections as they felt that the benefits to the people would be great. All early contact had to be by letter as Baula has no electricity and this made progress slow and limited. Even in the limited exchanges of ideas they identified shared issues of debt, poor health, poor housing and lack of opportunity and that both communities were facing these head on, becoming involved in the struggle to better people‟s lives in every way.

Before the first group arrived from Baula, conversations continued in Ruchazie and they used the themes of family to talk together and to prepare for their Malawian visitors.

What does family mean to you? Most likely it means something different now than it meant a generation ago. Maybe only a few years ago. We often talk about family as a building block of society but what does that mean? Particularly what might it mean in a community where for many families almost everyone has a step brother or sister. Where some families still have grannies, aunts and cousins who live round the corner, but others have no support at all? Where there are more teenage mums (and dads, though they‟re often absent) than in other parts of the country. Where almost all the children get free school meals and clothing grants. What does it mean in a community often scarred by violence and hurt?

In Baula, the partner community, there were similar questions and for them the big issue was how orphans fit into family life. In a community of around 6000 which is made up of around 1000 families there are around 500 – 600 orphans because of AIDS, malaria and poor nutrition and hygiene. Who will care for these children and young people? What effect will that have on family life? Are there ways we can help? Are there things we might change? What support can we offer?

They began the project with a myriad of questions and a willingness to share these with each other, recognising that the end result might be even more questions. It was a brave step in already vulnerable communities.

The Visitors from Malawi The organising group agreed that the main aim was to share their lives with the visitors, letting them live alongside them in their families, in their groups and in the community, answering their questions, telling them what it was like to live in Ruchazie. They soon realised that they had much to share as they visited the schools, the nurseries, the kids clubs and the community cen- tre as they explained how the credit union worked and the role of the housing association. They walked the streets of Ruchazie and pointed out the positives and the things they wanted to change. On this first visit, they packed so much in to the pro- gramme in their desire to show them as much as possible but in subsequent visits they were more specific and allowed the group to spend time in areas which were of particular interest to them for example nursery teachers spent time at the nursery, school girls spent time at the school and the secretary of the village health committee visited both the GP and the baby clinics. They all agreed that they got so much more out of these one to one conversations and experiences.

A significant visit for the farmers of Baula was a visit to the Bield‟s organic farm where they learned about composting. Thomas, the committee secretary decided to try it at home and first did a trial comparing the results of his normal fertiliser with the compost; on discovering the yield was identical, he has now switched to compost and is saving himself a lot of money. This has encouraged others to do the same. Each visitor received a welcome gift of towels and toiletries from Ruchazie church and part of the budget was set aside to buy warm clothes. They took the Malawians to local charity shops so that they could choose a warm coat and any other essentials. Clement the committee chair became the proud possessor of a suit which he wore with pride. They also gave each some „pocket money‟ should they need to buy any small items.

Money was an issue they had to talk through as it was hard for the Malawians not to see the Scots as donors. Their fear was that if they returned to Malawi empty handed, they would be accused of keeping it for themselves and there would be a loss of trust.

After many conversations, they agreed to do some local fundraising and to look at how they could approach grant- making trusts together to fund projects in Baula. It was a slow learning process and could only come out of deep conversations over an extended time; there was no easy fix for this.

As in all good relationships, a compromise was reached; the important exchange they agreed was of knowledge and expertise, so they spent some time developing „messages for each other‟ but in the light of the concerns about going home empty-handed, they agreed to give Ruchazie people the opportunity to make donations at the final community feedback day which was supplemented by the generosity of the bingo club at the local Catholic Church and others and a total of £200 was raised. This level of honesty and compassion was to be the foundation and hallmark for the future exchanges and for the success of the project. Like Provanmill, some of the highlights for both groups included a visit to the Scot- tish Parliament and Glasgow City Cham- bers where the opportunity to tell their story and to explain this groundbreaking project. Most of the people from Ruchazie had not seen how government works and their visitors were giving them the opportunity to sit at a meal with the Lord Provost and share their story. No less signifi- cant was seeing their own community through the eyes of the Malawians. No-one had ever told them that where they lived was beautiful, that they had so much, that they had a wisdom to share. They also met the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland - a very significant figure for the Mala- wian Church because of the long historical connections and he enjoyed their visit as much as they did.

For the Malawians, however the visit to Blantyre, the birth place of David Livingstone, was like a dream come true; it is part of their heritage, taught in their curriculum and even today is the basis of their economic and social thinking „Peace, freedom and fair trade‟. All the folk from Ruchazie, as well as the tour guides, were moved to tears when the Malawians sang a hymn at David Livingstone‟s memorial. Whether they were working to- gether or being tourists together, they learned how to talk about what they were trying to do and the tangible outcomes they were already noticing.

“I think it is empowering both communities, giving them a sense of identity and a sense of reality and because we are quite di- rect in the way we speak to the Malawians- because we aren‟t like upper class, we just tell them the way it is and they‟ve been doing the same with us. Because we‟ve got strong foundations in honesty between us both, we don‟t agree on everything but we accept each others‟ cultures. I think just the fact that we‟ve come from a Christian background, that we both believe in God, helps though we do practice in different ways.” What did they learn from each other? First and foremost that they had so much in common and that because of the deep sharing they were engaged in that they quickly became goods friends.

For Ruchazie they began to realise that the western world has so many material benefits but Africa has deep spiritual wealth, but for the Malawians there was an equal revelation that not all white peo- ple are rich and for both that they be- longed together in one extended family.

“I think we came down a pedestal or two on how they see us and we put them up a pedestal or two as to how we saw them because they do organise their own villages, they do look after one another and pull together as a family and a community and we really do admire how they look after one another”

The First Visit to Baula For any first time visitor to Malawi, the culture shock is immense, but for people who have never left the UK the arrival in Baula could not have been imagined. Because of the length of trav- elling time, they arrived in the pitch dark to a true African wel- come. A huge crowd was there singing their delight at their arri- val before they were taken to their hosts‟ homes. The houses in Baula are not in a street but scattered throughout the bush and you can envisage the panic in the dark and the unknown. It be- came clear that folks needed some moral support as this was all just too strange.

Then the experience of walking everywhere and being the only white faces made a huge impression on the group. Alongside this was the equally new experience of being treated as „royalty‟, where they were brought the best seats for meetings whilst the folks from Baula sat on the ground, where their opin- ions mattered and people were eager to hear them tell their stories. They were introduced to each of the village chiefs and taken around the whole area.

“ it felt like being the queen; we were in the best seats, we were given speeches, everyone came out and shook our hands then the questioning began. Questions from what we ate to what our hospitals were like.”

As they had done In Glasgow, the villagers from Baula shared their daily life; they ate together, they visited the schools and the baby clinics, they were shown their fields and their irrigation pro- jects. They worked together, played football together and sang and danced together and most importantly they worshipped together.

The learning from each other Without exception , the answer to the question about what the Scots had learned from the exchange visits to Malawi is focused on community; it is expressed well by Mary:

“I‟m not rich but now I know I don‟t really have anything to worry about. I used to watch a lot of TV but now I am getting more involved, and feel more purpose to what I‟m doing”.

Most of those who had the opportunity to go to Baula have be- come more involved in the community and for some it was a re- alisation that they were capable of doing more. They have now agreed that it ought to be a principle of who is chosen to go on visits from both sides that they are involved in the community and that this will encourage them to grow and share what they learn and do more.

When the visitors were first in Ruchazie, the hosts were very nerv- ous and were worried that the Malawians would get hassled be- cause of the colour of their skin but what they experienced was that their arrival brought out the hospitality and the generosity of the community. In fact one man drinking “Buckie” in the street welcomed them and told them “if anybody gie‟s you any hassle send them tae me!” It was a community which often felt over- whelmed by bad news yet they opened themselves to this group in an unexpected way. Because they ate together at the church, folks could meet up with them there and get involved in a way that felt comfortable to them.

Learning to worship with the joy of the Malawians and learning from their deep faith changed many who came in contact with them. Much more intangible is the notion that people in Ruchazie have learned to think differently; they have learned that they can achieve what they want to do; from a church with a cafe to a centre offering alternative therapies and help with coping better with stress. It‟s not only the church which has recognised what it has to offer, the schools have become in- volved; for example children at a local special needs school have shared their expertise and have felt affirmed that there is a now a disability group working in Baula. Self esteem has been increased, compassion and a sense of solidarity been instilled and a knowledge and a determination to change life for the better has grown.

“We might not be able to evaluate a great big money making scheme but community involvement and faith is what they have brought us. I think personally that is priceless”

In Baula, over the years of visits, they have developed skills in ar- eas such as the credit union, composting, nursery care and dis- ability provision. All areas, where poverty has denied them ac- cess to information, they have absorbed the opportunities given by being in Scotland and transferred through their own effort and enterprise. Martin the director of New Horizons in Queenslie taught Gift (one of the group) about addiction support groups and the power of the twelve step programme which is now be- ing run by a small committee in Baula. When they were in Scotland the Ruchazie committee ensured that they spent time in areas of their interest, for example spend- ing a few days at the credit union including dealing with cus- tomers at the front desk, or spending a few days at the nursery learning about the rhythm and variety of child-centred nursery education. They too feel that sense of being part of something bigger and no longer a forgotten community.

The folks from Ruchazie saw the struggles of the folks from Baula- the effects of the AIDs pandemic, orphans, malaria, poor hy- giene and water supply, lack of access to education and basic goods, yet they were able to care for each other; this made them realise that with their access to education, their access to charitable funding that they too could begin to care for each other in the community in a different way. They also became very aware that the villagers in Baula did everything; what was done by different agencies here was done by village commit- tees there and time and again the people of Ruchazie said how much they wanted that kind of community spirit.

There is no doubt that at times both communities were out of their comfort zone yet in facing these fears and committing themselves to the project, they overcame the difficulties and deepened the friendships. This is summed up by Bill when he re- plied to a query about the downsides of the project.

“I‟m not sure if there are any downsides because we have not gone and tried to take over; we‟ve not done any building pro- jects; I mean they‟ve got builders and carpenters and they know better how to do it than we do”

That humility is a hallmark of this project, that willingness to learn and admit to not having all the answers has led to an openness and an attempt at equality despite the economic differences. Both have visited with open eyes and open hearts and tried „to walk in another‟s shoes‟, knowing that only as they commit to the long haul together will there be lasting change. Together for a Change is supported by the Church of Scotland Priority Areas Committee and the Church of Scotland World Mission Council