A Friend of Malawi

RPCV Photo Gallery

Malawi Current Weather
Malawi Current News
Malawi Children's Village
Malawi National Anthem
Jack Allison's Songs
Link Index 
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Welcome to the former Friends of Malawi website. To make it clear, there is a new FOM web page found by clicking HERE. One of my joys and appreciations is the willing use of some of my very favorite photographs on the new Official FOM site. Please visit the new site but return to this one, too, as I will be adding new links and information, from time to time. Should RPCVs want their own photo page on this site, great. Please send my your best and favorite e-pictures and provide a description of each image. I have tons of web-space and would welcome collecting a fabulous photo gallery of various RPCVs or a set of links to your pages. I know the FOM site would like that too, so, two is better than one or none. 

In trying to clean up the duplicate items under the covers, I just blew away the most recent Home Page. Talk about being pissed but it is all my fault. Duh!!

I'm going to try and rebuild it from memory, as I did not have a back-up copy. My bad!

Did we have a blast in Chicago. A group of us from the La Jolla, California, initial training for the Eastern Region of Nigeria, beginning in August 1966, held our 40th Anniversary Reunion in Chicago. It was by all accounts a smashing success, in large part by the great and tireless work of the Coordinator, John Anthony Tomczyk. He's the cowboy in the picture in the JWS Gallery #3. With John's efforts, the support of his bride, Cynthia, we had a wonderful meal and discussion late into the evening. The prior afternoon, ten brave hearts watched the Keystone Cops, a/k/a The Chicago Cubs loose the S.L. Cardinals, 3 to 11. That was followed by a wonderful gathering and meal and catch-up conversation at the home of Sally Heyneman. Our last event was brunch at the O'Hair Hilton, graciously hosted by the Mbuzi (a goat), Jack Allison. We are currently voting on when and where we'll have the next one. Keep watching this space, as it will be posted here plus soon, pictures will be added in the Reunion Gallery. The scribe is transitioning computers and that always takes some days to get everything back in good working order.

Here is the group photo from the Chicago event in 2006

We had a great reunion in May of 2008 in Nashville, and hosted by Steve Heyneman. I'll fill this out like it was, once I get some time. Blowing away the Home Page was really scary.

Here is the group photo from the Nashville event in 2008

To paraphrase a famous song, "Times, they have changed". This site is now my private website about my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi  in the middle 1960s and the third leg of my Peace Corps commitment, the education of folks around you about your experience and to educate others about your country of service and the Peace Corps experience, with lots of information about Malawi, especially the photograph collection of various RPCVs, including mine, Jack Allison's fantastic public health songs, Malawi Children's Village, the Rotary Project for MCV plus information and the various Peace Corps, Malawi and General Africa and World links pages, but minus the official FOM stuff. 

As an aside but an important one to me, it has been my total pleasure to have provided this site to and for FOM, since 1999, at no cost to FOM, with the great support form NDSI (see below for more information). I totally appreciate the great support, complements, requests to use my pictures from the Galleries, etc., from many FOM members and others, over the years. When asked, I always say yes, with my complement of being asked, in the first place. The former FOM and current A Friend of Malawi websites have been my labor of love, that's for sure. 

Thanks, too, for all the great Guestbook Postings too, with some 420 plus postings to date. The FOM and AFOM site has had over the 57,500 visitors since my taking over the site from the originator, Don Lotter, Wil and Jane's son, in July of 1999. What a great number! I am proud of it.

Please enjoy your visit to my website and return often.

This site is designed to be viewed with your PC settings of 1024 x 768 pixels and ‘Small Font’. Should you be using lager settings, some labels might appear to 'word wrap'. Everything still works, it is just a little bit bigger. If any of the above links are defunct, or if you know a Web link that should be on my AFOM page please send the URL and description to:  John Strain  AFOM Web Guy.  I look forward to serving the site for some time to come. Please let me know your thoughts, comments and suggestions.  Thank you, in advance.  

Guestbook / Message Posters: Please note when you click the Private Message box, it will only be seen by me, the AFOM Web Guy, and not the casual visitor or old friend you are trying to hook-up with. If you need to contact me, John Strain, which is totally okay, please do so via this direct email link by clicking HERE. Private postings confuse many other visitors, so, I wanted to share this information to visitors. Thanks in advance.

Please sign my Guestbook    Please view my Guestbook, you may have a message!

If you are looking for old friends, general information, etc., please do not click the Private Message box when posting a message to the Guestbook, just post it. 

I hope this helps connect old friends, the main purpose of this feature. Way Cool!