"East or West—hippos are the best!" East or West—hippos are the best!"

We knew immediately that our chant—Kip's idea for a high-energy opening for each day of Camp Malawi —would blow the posers away. We had a mere 10 minutes at the end of Day 1 to work it out with our talented homeroom, and only enough time for one run-through before the assembly on Day 2.

I adored our homeroom. After a slightly rocky first day for new kids Benson and Harrison, they were fitting in well with the Wukani kids. There were two sweet Tiwonges, both with long braids; one wanted to be a flight attendant and one wanted to be a nurse. There were also two Elizas, known as Eliza K and Eliza M, both sporting the most charming smiles. Best friends Sunny and Chiweko had designed nearly identical nametags featuring "a handsome boy," and both wanted to be scientists. Mary, bigger and older, proved herself quickly as a leader, and small-boned Frank was someone who I wanted to hug on a daily basis. With the chant created by Sunny, moves choreographed by Mary, and Frank's confidence in helping teach it to the rest of the class, our Blue Hippos were really coming together.

The Green Elephants in Ethics class.

Kip teaching Ethics to the Blue Hippos

Hamilton works on a puzzle in the Red Lions' Art class

The Green Elephants in Health/Sports class

On Day Two our big idea was teaching some basic documentary/photojournalism. The kids knew how to use their cameras now, but we wanted them to learn about capturing moments and creating stories. The art class proved easiest to photograph, as Jamie, Stephen and Meegan ran things loosely and didn't mind as long as our kids kept quiet. Kip and Ashley's leadership class was a bit more difficult, as they were doing skits—occasionally photogenic but our photographers were a distraction.

Sports was the big winner—everyone got fantastic shots from limbo & jump rope, but it was hard for us to keep track of our own kids with so much space to run around. Still, at the end of the day everyone was happy, had learned a great deal, and proudly shared favorite photos via LCD screen.

At the end of the day, Rosemary told us that due to MORE surplus in the WAO budget, she and Moffat wanted to treat us to a nice dinner at the Mzuzu Hotel, the nicest hotel in town. I was a little unsure how to feel about this. After Makuzi, there was STILL a surplus? How could there NOT be something else to spend this money on—if let's say a nice dinner cost $25 each, that's $325 for the 13 of us, including Rosemary and Moffat. That went pretty far in Malawi, and I'd personally posted a breakdown of school fees on our website. Was this really necessary?

Of course I couldn't say this to Kip, but I quietly mentioned my doubts to a few others. Unsurprisingly few agreed with me, although it seemed non-profit researcher Rubina might have had doubts too. I had to put my misgivings aside—my non-participation simply would have stirred bad feelings, and I honestly didn't have any problem with the overall management of We Are One. Still, it made me think of the issues people have against volunteer vacations, issues that I personally have as well but pushed aside for WAO because this is OUR organization, grassroots and completely run by friends, not a trip we paid a middleman for. But it was troubling to wonder about other organizations. When you're helping desperate people, how could there ever be a surplus?

To find out more, please visit the We Are One Malawi website.

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