Mavuto Banda
Mavuto Banda is from Malawi and studies Water Management and Food Production, which is a double degree programme jointly offered by IHE Delft and the University of Nebraska. He heard about IHE Delft through colleagues who studied at the Institute before and developed became interested, which led him to apply for the Master’s programme.
How his interest in water became his passion: “The passion for water has been within me for some time. My dad is a farmer and he used to take me to the field where I played with water while he was irrigating. He had to walk long distances to get water to irrigate certain places and so I learned that there was more to be done in irrigation and from there, my passion developed.’’
About problems in his home country: “Africa in general, but Malawi in particular, have been facing challenges related to water for a long time. If there is no drought, there is flood. These problems are very serious in Malawi. For example, right now as we speak there are many issues happening related to water, such as crop failure, due to prolonged droughts. Some of the problems we are currently facing will require serious efforts.”
What made me choose IHE Delft? It was the combination of my passion for water, my background in engineering and the fact that IHE Delft is one of the largest water institutes in the world and with its reputation, I did not have to think twice.
“I actually find the teaching style quite similar to the one I experienced during my BSc. The most challenging part is perhaps the study pace. We have to process a lot of information within a short period of time, which requires a lot of energy, due to its intensity, but it also requires you to plan ahead, to be more organized and focussed. Since this is essentially what we need in life - to be organized, focussed and to plan ahead - if at the end we come out successfully from IHE Delft, then we’ll have an easier transition in our professional life.”
“When I finish studying at IHE Delft, I look forward to putting my knowledge into practice and applying it to solve the water problems that facing my country.’’
Update
Mavuto's story continues here: From a Google search to global journey: water program leads student from Malawi to Nebraska (article on the website of Nebraska-Lincoln).