2025-08-21 Brushstrokes, Visions and a Feathered Thief
Last night, the air at the guest lodge felt a little extra sparkly.
John Platt and Chimwemwe Luwanda had just arrived, weary from travel but full of light, back in their familiar Home of Hope rhythm. Every summer, like clockwork, they bring with them not just paints and brushes, but colour, expression, and joy in abundance.
We peeked at their Instagram (@platt.john and @chim_luwanda) and it's a treasure trove of their work not just here but across Africa. Whether it's painting hope on a wall in Malawi or sketching a new dream in Uganda, their reach is wide, but their heart is right here too.
This afternoon, we got to visit the storeroom of the Vocational Training Centre, and honestly, it was a joy. There’s something quietly powerful about a place that’s organised and ready. Every tool, sewing machine, and item neatly in place, waiting for new hands to use them. There's energy even in the stillness – like the storeroom is holding its breath, waiting for students to return and make the classroom walls hum again.
But even more exciting than what is, is what could be. We walked the site with the Home of Hope management team, and the conversation wasn't just logistics – it was vision. Big, bold, transformative vision.
They spoke of new vocational courses – car mechanics and electricians. Not just training, but experience, a vision to open a showroom right where Home of Hope faces the main road, where passersby could bring their cars in for servicing, have garments made or furniture built. A place that wouldn’t just train – it would earn, creating income for the centre while building skills and confidence for the students.
And there's more. Plans for a science block for the secondary schools. But in Malawi, when you grow your teaching staff, you also have to grow your housing. So the dream isn’t just bricks and books – it’s homes for the teachers who will shape the next generation of learners.
All of this isn’t just a blueprint. It’s a heartbeat.
Of course, even the best-laid plans can be, well… interrupted. For the last year, the fish ponds have been part of an exciting trial – a joint effort with MOF to grow fish as a sustainable income source. But something’s been fishy. Twice, harvest numbers came back far lower than expected. Where 2,000 fingerlings should become hundreds of plump 300g fish, we’d net just a few hundred.
Perched high above the pond, perfectly still, almost regal – was a heron. With its sharp eyes and sharper beak, it had the perfect view and access to the fishy buffet below. One heron, we read, can eat up to 100 fish an hour. That’s less mystery, more maths.
It might just explain the disappointing harvests. And while the future of the fish project is still being considered, today gave us a surprising clue – and a reminder that nature often has plans of its own.
It’s been a day of contrasts, really – quiet reflections and bold dreams. Artists painting stories on walls, students dreaming about science labs, and a heron teaching us that even good plans sometimes go sideways.
And that’s the beauty of being here. Every moment holds meaning. Every person adds a thread to the story being woven. Whether it’s a child singing in devotions, a mural coming to life, or a team mapping out the future – this is Home of Hope. A place where possibility grows – sometimes with paint, sometimes with porridge, and sometimes with a surprising visit from a very hungry bird.
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