‘My experience at ITC has improved my leadership and managerial skills,’ he said on the ITC terrace during the recent warm spell. ‘As coordinator of International Christian Fellowship, I must check that the Fellowship is ticking every day. And as president of the SADC, I make sure that the 25 UT and ITC members have a chance to meet and discuss pertinent issues that we face.’
On top of all that, Mpanga is busy studying for his MSc in Urban Planning and Management. The 39-year-old is on leave from his job in his home country of Malawi, known by many as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa.’ His job for the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development entails numerous national projects, including the coordination of the World Bank funded Infrastructure Services Project, and government-funded Rural Growth Centres Programme. He also contributed to one of the major Malawian projects called the Nsanje World Inland Port Project, also known as the Shire-Zambezi Waterway Project (SZWP).
‘Malawi is landlocked,’ he explained. ‘So the government initiated SZWP to construct an inland port on the Shire River in the Nsanje District. Naturally, a port attracts investors, and this project will help Malawi to cut her import costs by sixty percent, a huge savings for our government. My job was to coordinate the preparation of the Nsanje Urban Structure Plan which included detailed layout plans for the newly proposed city around this port. My goal was to guide the physical development of the proposed city. The project involved various ministries and departments, the private sector and also neighboring countries such as Zambia and Mozambique.’
Mpanga arrived to the ITC last year and hopes to graduate in March 2012. ‘ITC was an eye-opener for me,’ he said. ‘Regarding my work, it has equipped me with the skills and knowledge needed to execute an urban plan using mapping approaches and software like ArcGIS, ILWIS and Google Map Maker.’ ArcGIS is a cloud-based geospatial content management system for storing and managing maps, data, and other geospatial information. ILWIS is free open-source Geographic Information Systems software and Google Map Maker lets you add to and update a map.
‘Malawi is a country endowed with lots of natural resources, but the people are poor,’ continued Mpanga. ‘Map production is expensive. But ITC has equipped me to produce high-quality maps in a cheaper and faster manner, which I hope to put into practice in my country.’
Mpanga likes the security he feels in the Netherlands. ‘I feel safe to travel at any hour. You can park your car on the street at night and go to sleep. This cannot happen in my country.’ As an urban planner, he appreciates how Dutch cities provide bicycle paths and pedestrian crosswalks. ‘The life of the individual is very much valued here,’ he said. ‘And the people in Enschede are friendly if you need to find your way.’
Naturally, he misses his wife and three children and also his mother. Not to mention the local nsima, which is a thick maize porridge eaten with meat, chambo fishand vegetables.
Despite being away from home for so long, Mpanga appreciates his experience at the ITC. ‘As a Christian,’ he said, ‘I first thank God for this opportunity to pursue further studies. My bosses back home have been so encouraging and supportive. I also thank all my professors and staff at ITC who have helped me to settle down and feel at home. May God bless them.’
As a church leader, Blessings’ message to Dutch youth is clear. ‘I would love the youth to embrace their faith. In my country, one of the biggest churches, the NkhomaSynod of the CCAP, was formerly known as the Dutch Reform Missionary Church. Dutch young people today need to maintain their legacy of spreading the gospel.’
Catherine Ann Lombard
Mpanga experienced snow for the first time when studying in Sweden. ‘You can read about snow, but to touch and see it all over the trees, roads, and waterways is something different.’ Photo: Gijs van Ouwerkerk
