I can't fight the world's horrors, but I can enhance a child's smile / May 25, 2013 by Richard

Yesterday I started Kid’s Friend, an Aid Organization with the goal to give every child in Africa a luminous reflex.

One of children's best friend in the evening are the reflectors that shines in the dark. And we will start with Malawi is the 3rd worst country in the world for road traffic accidents deaths!

Malawi has a population of 13.2 million people and is one of the poorest countries in the world with a gross national income of US$ 2.2 billion. About 20 road traffic collisions occur every day in Malawi, two of which are fatal and two serious injuries. About 1 000 people are killed in road traffic crashes in Malawi every year.

Malawi is home to 6.8 million children (51 percent of the total population). It presents a number of opportunities and challenges for its youngest citizens and their families when they must walk to and from school and work. Just over 80% of all children aged 6 to 13 are enrolled in primary school.

The organization needs one billion reflecting pearls divided into green, orange and white pearls, three times 60 pearls wrapped in a smart, ecological bag with 2m elastic cord for each child. Allowing 5.5 million children between the ages of 6 and 13 is to produce reflecting hand crafts with their pearls for themselves and their families.

Help me to spread the message and the organization's establishment, by signing up at our facebook page :)

Lake Malawi / May 23, 2013 by Richard

Malawi isn't known for its beaches the way other African countries are, because it’s almost in the middle of the continent. Malawi is full of beautiful beaches, so what makes this one’s special?

Dave’s Place at Kande Beach

So what makes this one special? Aside from the quiet turquoise water, long stretch of uninterrupted shoreline and fine sand, that is… Well, Kande Beach’s lush landscape that makes Dave’s Place perfect, truly a grand tropical paradise. Dave runs Kande Beach Campsite with a nice touch.

Isola di Arthuro in front of Kande Beach — Isola di Arthuro in front of Kande Beach

Usisya Bay

Indeed you need to climb over a bunch of mountains to get to this beach, after 4-7 hours by 4x4. Yet Usisya Bay isn't all rugged you can also get there by boat, 8 hours. With its white sand, calm water and unbeatable sunsets, it looks like it belongs in the Caribbean. But it’s not, it’s in the middle of Africa. Usisya Bay may have very simple accommodation but no charter tourist, nor CNN or 3G signal within 100 miles…

A zoo in Africa / May 21, 2013 by Richard

Mzoozoozoo in Mzuzu, Malawi is a tourist lodge as well as a madhouse. In the residential center of Mzuzu; Gerard has been managing and entertaining travelers for the past 14 years. Campers, backpackers and crazy souls as well as locals stay here or just drop in for a “green” (Carlsberg beer), and listening to jazz and rock’n roll screaming from the speakers. In the restaurant and bar you find Ray a true survivor of the 60:s he is, a genuine hippie who trawled over all Africa on his Honda Gold Wing for the last three decades.

In this zoo you find basically tree animals: the guitar playing Gerard, the owner and “baba cool”. Ray, the Hippie and Jimbo, the gunigugu-man from out of space.

At Mzoozoozoo you can checkout but you can never leave…

The Perl off Central Africa / May 18, 2013 by Richard

The Perl off Central Africa doesn’t hang on a necklace, it hang off a cliff in Livingstonia in Malawi. The Lukwe lodge is a creation of love and passion from Lieza and Auke who lived here for more than a decade. They’ve managed to build a unique environment with smart and ecological solutions. Auke handmade practically all the furniture and build most buildings himself, with very simple resources but with an amazing precision, this creates a unique environment.

Lieza lived there in the jungle up a cliff 1300m high for almost 3 years, by herself, before meeting Auke. She manages the lodge with skill, knowing the locals and the environment better than anybody. During all this year’s she created a permaculture garden producing most of their needs. Her delicate hand with the staff makes the service excellent for visitors.

Lukwe lodge runs exclusively on solar power and also has their own water source. Fruits and vegetables are grown at the estate, chicken and rabbits lives there also. This is a truly ecological self-sustained lodge that should be classified as one of the wonders of the world by Unesco.

Click on the images below for HD

I had the privilege of spending several days in this part of the paradise with Lieza and Auke, thanks to my friend Gerard.

Auke sometimes overwhelmed by Lieza’s love :)

I went to Africa to meet a friend / May 17, 2013 by Richard

I went to Africa to meet a friend and to take a picture. I expected a clean, neat little house with an old man, but I found the same crazy dude I left 30 years ago in Switzerland. Still the same generous and funny guy, Gerard has moved on to the next level and runs an insane asylum in Malawi today (officially, it is a lodge for backpackers).