Grace Bandawe Centre

This is a shot of part of the gardens at the Centre where we are working with the teachers. It is a conference centre with accommodation and is run by the Presbyterian church of Central Africa. The grounds are really lovely and carefully tended with some really nice flowers and shrubs.
The buildings to the right in the picture are some of the bedrooms, while the building to the left is the restaurant. It is open on two sides but covered by a thatched roof.
The building in the foreground with the thatched roof is called a macheza. It has seating all round the inside and a stone table in the centre. It replicates the kind of meeting area that would be found in a Malawian village. The roof provides shelter from the sun and rain , while the open sides ensure a good flow of air that keeps the temperature cooler. There are several of these in the grounds and on hot days many of the teachers choose to work on group activities there instead of the teaching room.