On Sunday 24th November, there was a palpable buzz of excitement throughout Ruarwe as this was the day that the new Maize Mill engine, funded through a grant received from Africa Direct, arrived in Ruarwe village. The engine was purchased in Lilongwe by Frank Msuku (Project Manager at NYM) and Castaway Nyirenda (Bursar at NYM). A recommended mechanic, with extensive experience planting and maintaining such engines, accompanied them from Lilongwe to ensure correct and safe handling of the machine along the journey. The passage took them from Lilongwe via Mzuzu to Nkhata Bay by road and then on to Ruarwe via the Ilala Ferry.
On arrival in Ruarwe, there is no jetty to allow easy offloading of this very heavy piece of engineering and so the mechanical crane on the ferry had to be used to load the engine onto the service boat and then a group of strong village volunteers lifted the engine onto the beach. It was nerve-racking and thrilling to watch everyone come together to get the engine safely to its new home in the milling house! We’re so pleased that the mill is up and running! Thank you to everyone who helped on the journey.
Phunzira 