Sitithana Kasapila’s Reflections

My Personal Story: Feelings, Revelations, and Experiences in the Field

By: Sitithana Kasapila

I am Sitithana Kasapila one of the members that worked with Bikes Without Borders. This is a Canadian based non-profit NGO which helps the less fortunate in developing countries by using bicycles as a toll for empowerment. Bikes without Borders performed a survey of transportation needs which took place from 18thMay to 2nd June 2010 in Zomba district, Malawi. It was really interesting to learn that I was one of the people who made up the team. After comprehensive training, we were off to do our fieldwork. Although I like working with the rural people, I was skeptical about going into the villages. I had mixed feelings of what the people would be like. It was even difficult for me to imagine what the situation would be like meeting people who were total strangers. But I was confident in the fact that Malawians are probably the most friendliest people I have ever met.

The day we started field work, I was relieved to hear that we were going to begin by meeting the health care workers in the Health Centres and the cyclists in the Market places. With this, I realized that the task was much easier and not tiresome as it is when it is door to door. In the villages, the people were very friendly and so willing to talk to us. It was even easy for me to build strong relationships with the respondent because they were more open. It was very interesting for me to reflect and feel mixed emotions. I was feeling sorry most of the times we were leaving the villages because I had learnt so much about their hardships.

The field work on its own was an eye opening experience. Apart from funny answers mostly from the cyclists, we shared lots of knowledge and experiences with the rural people. I came to realize that these people have knowledge and they know some things that I never knew before. Apart from the shared experience and knowledge we all together open up to new knowledge that we all never knew. Working with Bikes Without Borders was really one of the most wonderful experiences I have had in my life.Sitithana Kasapila was one of ten Chancellor College (located in Zomba, Malawi) graduates from the International Development program hired to conduct research.