Skill Sharing in Malawi
About the author…Alison Theaker
I first met Alison at a networking event and immediately knew she would be incredible as part of our Women’s Entrepreneurs Team. Alison describes herself on Linked In as a coach with particular experience at mentoring and training. But the thing about Alison is she has guts and will take on a challenge and give it a go. It is this adventurous spirit and determination that we were looking for…she kindly agreed to chat to us about her experience of running a workshop with the students at Rainbow Hope Secondary School and the ladies in business in Blantyre. Luckily we had Venetia Norrington there to capture her in action- thanks for the pics Vee!)
Alison at the Blantyre skill sharing event in Malawi- chatting good business practice with Mwaii.
Working with business women in Blantyre
Working with the women entrepreneurs in Blantyre was really enjoyable. It was interesting to hear about the different businesses that they had created, and the successes they had had. The day was a mixture of presentations and activities, and visitors and locals worked together. A lot of laughter and hugs! I did active listening plus how to turn gremlins into minions.
My workshop on Active Listening.
I took part in a two day programme at Rainbow Hope as part of my trip to Malawi in September 2018. I had prepared a session on active listening for both year groups. The first session was with the younger group, and I realised I was talking about some quite challenging concepts for them. The participation was not as lively as I had expected. I felt a bit downhearted that it hadn't worked as well as some of the other sessions I had seen others do that day. However, the strength of the group was that there were several others who also had experience in training who were able to make some really supportive and constructive suggestions so I could tweak it for the following day. Then in the morning I got a message from Kate who said that the headmaster had been in touch with her to say that he thought the active listening session was the most important for the students and he felt that this would equip them with vital skills for the future. I felt really uplifted. The reworked session went really well - I was on top form and the students really seemed to get what I was talking about and joined in. It was a really energising part of the trip and made me feel I had made some contribution to the students.
Is this trip for you?
‘I loved the workshops, to meet these awesome women who will reshape Malawi with their courage, confidence and ideas was totally inspiring. Every day I thought "it can't get better than this" and every day it just did that. The most inspiring holiday I have ever had; giving back whilst experiencing the country, the people and the culture and building friendships along the way. All done in the most authentic way. Thank you so much for the most amazing experience!
— Astrid Bergman, Consultant, Womens Partnership Expedition 2019
What skills do I actually need?
The most important skill for our impact expeditions is the to listen. Be humble. Be willing to share. Come with as little preconceptions as possible.Just be open to be inspired and feel that tingle…
