Marta and Noemi sharing notes with Mr. Bwezani of Andiamo Secondary School
They came as basketball players but they have left as trainees of another life, different from that of Europe.
Marta Casartelli and Noemi Frate have left Malawi today 15 October 2012 for Italy after their two week stay.
Noemi Frate
“I want to come back here,” Noemi says. She says that though people here are poor as compared to those in Europe they are happy. She calls her stay here the “best experience” of her life.
“When you come here, you change your mind because you discover another reality,” she says.
Concurring with her is Marta who says she never wanted to go back home. She encourages everyone in her country to come to Malawi.
She goes on to say young people here in Malawi are better than those of Italy. According to her, young people here smile and are spirited.
Marta Casartelli
“We have more and we want more while here they have less but they are happy,” she concludes.
Noemi and Marta’s visit follows another visit of volunteer Alessandro Cappelli who also spent two weeks training young people basketball skills. Their visits are made possible by Balaka Malawi Basketball (BAMABA) Association from Italy.
Noemi and Marta are third year university students of Catholic University of Milan and Insubria University respectively. While Marta is studying Economics, Noemi is studying Languages, which include English, Spanish and Germany. Both come from Como in Italy.
While here, they trained young basketball players from schools around Andiamo Secondary School. These include, Bakhita, Balaka, St. Charles Lwangwa, Mohale Secondary Schools and St. Augustine Primary School.
By Patrick Bwanali