Life Currently | Preparing for International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Kigali, Rwanda

Happy new month my loves!

November has been the one month I have been looking forward to for the past half of my year.

I really wanted my last half of the year to be epic, and I am grateful it is. For the second half of my year, I had to publish the “By The End of your Teens” book, go on the Book Tour (which I am yet to, hopefully by early next year), attend the ICFP in Rwanda, and lastly explore Kenya with my loves Jack and Dave. If this sounds very busy to you – you are right. It is!

Talking about this month, I was one of the 100+/- youths that won a Video contest to attend the International Conference on Family Planning in Kigali, Rwanda from the 10th-15th of November. I will be flying out on the 8th to Kigali through Nairobi, and back on the 16th through Nairobi again. I will stay over in Nairobi with Jack for 2 days and arrive back in Malawi on the 18th. Dave will fly out to Nairobi during that week and I will join him and Jack on Friday in Nairobi where we will proceed to Mombasa for the weekend. Exciting!

Every other year since 2009, the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) has brought together the family planning community to share best practices, celebrate successes, and chart a course forward.

The ICFP serves as a strategic inflection point for the family planning and reproductive health community worldwide. It provides an opportunity for political leaders, scientists, researchers, policymakers, advocates, and youth to disseminate knowledge, celebrate successes, and identify next steps toward reaching the goal of enabling an additional 120 million women to access voluntary, quality contraception by 2020.

The ICFP also serves as an international platform from which countries, organizations and individuals can make public commitments to family planning, and can be recognized for their achievements. Dozens of side events are organized around the conference by many institutions and groups from around the world.

The first conference was held in Kampala, Uganda, in 2009 and convened more than 1,300 participants around the topic of family planning for the first time in fifteen years, sparking positive change for family planning policies in Uganda. With more than 2,200 participants, the second conference was held in 2011 in Dakar, Senegal, and highlighted family planning issues in Francophone Africa. The 2013 ICFP drew more than 3,400 attendees from 110 countries to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the theme of Full Access, Full Choice. The 2016 ICFP was held in Nusa Dua, Indonesia (it was originally scheduled for 2015 but had to be postponed because of airport closures due to volcanic ash), and attracted over 3,500 delegates and participants from nearly 100 countries. Its theme was Global Commitments, Local Actions.

The Fifth International Conference on Family Planning

The fifth International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from November 12 to 15, 2018. The 2018 ICFP will be co-hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Rwanda. The ICFP will be held at the state-of-the-art Kigali Convention Centre, which in the past has hosted the 27th African Union Summit and other high-level meetings.

Applications were called for youths between 18 and 25 in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights to submit videos showcasing their media-making skills with relevance t SRHR – competing to be Facilitators, Keynote Speakers and Media Makers at the Conference. All the youth will also be attending the Pre-Conference from 10th-12th and the main Conference from 12th-15th. I was one of the winners and will be attending the conference. Yaay!

I have been involved in facilitating and overseeing the writing and creation of the monologues that will be performed on the morning of the 13th of November. I am part of the live production of this event – and I will be introducing the plenary, and all the youth speakers.

I have also been give a role as a “Writer“! I will be in charge of the “Sex O’clock Newsletter” – a witty paper that will be sent out to all participants at the event. Exciting for me as a writer!

I also plan to sell (Hard-copies) and give away (soft copies) of my book at the event.

Given that I just bought my camera, I will be over-updating you about this journey. Yaaas.

So I guess we can skip to how I am getting myself ready for this venture:

Planning: My trip, what I need to carry and what I will want to see in Kigali and Nairobi. Apart from it being purely professional, I also want to do tourist activities.

Making: Conference plans ans scheduling meetings. I am such an avid planner and rarely do anything impromptu.

Creating: Brochures regards my book. I am maximising on this opportunity. I want each and every single person who will be at the conference to remember they met Nthanda Lizzie Manduwi, author of “By The End of Your Teen” – even if they did not buy the book.

Eating: Lotsa cheese. Lotsa cheese.

Drinking: Fruit juices and tea. The corporate life. Woop.

Reading: Pride and Prejudice. Why is this book so hard to read? It has literally been months, but I really enjoy it for the moments I manage to get a grasp of what is going on.

Currently Reading: Magazines on Pregnancy and Babies. Just curious if motherhood is something I would consider anytime in the future.

Writing: The book “When the Dust Settles”. This is the book I was developing last month, inspired by Dave and I’s story. I am currently in the process of defining the characters and the plot.

Playing: It smart. I am being extra cautious and extra witty with my cards.

Wanting: To go explore East Africa and make lots of connections, duh!

Needing: My car back! The parts arrived, 

Regretting: Nothing. I’m easy.

Wishing: For a a new car. I know baby Lizzie is back, but a girl can dream.

Enjoying: Staying in my house. I am usually away, and start taking this space for granted.

Loving: Where my career is going. Nothing is set in stone, but I am optimistic.

Following: More online magazines. If you have followed my blog for a while, you already know where this journey is going.

Thinking: Of making the most out of my whole trip – career and funwise.

Overthinking: What the I want for my life – love and relationship wise. Am I ready to settle down? Do I ever want to settle down at all?

Admiring: All the youths attending the ICFP. Such inspirational goal-driven beings. I have had a blast working with some of them and they are all so uniquely talented. I can’t wait to meet most of them… Happy, Winnie, Juven, Yohana, Sekulu!

Sekulu is such a brilliant writer, and included me in her recent digital magazine assignment. I can’t wait to see how great she becomes!

Opening: up to being sociable. I am the exact definition of a hermit, but I want to sell est 500 books at the ICFP and to be able to do that, I must socialise!

Listening to: “Usezondibona” by Vusi and Zahara. Such a song! I’ve also been enjoying Skeffa Chimoto’s new album – my favorite song on it being “Mama”.

Watching: Food Network, and the shocker – Football! Imagine! Dave finally managed to succeed in dragging me to football games.

Grateful for: Kate Baye Easton. Such a humble and beautiful soul. I am eternally grateful for the opportunities she has given me.

Phone Photography done outside my home in Lilongwe

By Ntha Media