His eyes shine like a beacon of hope. They draw me in like a moth is pulled to a flame. Not to be burned, but to be submerged in a pool of energy, humor and passion. His name is Jeffrey Titus Maganga, and he is the most charismatic man I have met in a long time.
Mister Maganga works at Lilongwe’s Teacher Trainer College in Malawi, where he tells us all about TALULAR – Teaching And Learning Using Locally Available Resources. In Malawi, resources are scarce, and the help of the government is not always available. He teaches his students to use their imagination, creativity and common sense beyond the knowledge of college.
In the beginning, his never ending search for free materials drove his wife mad, whenever he returned from a trip to for example the supermarket, with bags full of useless stuff, junk even. Think of used sheets, of corks and reeds, paper boxes and cans, Useless.., until Jeffrey thinks of new ways to convert them into educational materials. Now she even helps me to collect them! He winks.
His enthusiasm is contagious, and my heart swells with pride. This is a man all of us can learn from. No fancy talk, no expensive materials. Just a man and his passion, his love for teaching, and for the environment.
Mister Jeffrey Titus Maganga!
I wrote this for Writing 101: A Character-Building Experience: “Today, you’ll write about the most interesting person you’ve met in 2014. In your twist, develop and shape your portrait further in a character study.”
I’d love to get feedback!
Figments of a DuTchess 
What an inspiring person!
Lovely story you wrote down.
Kind regards,
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Thanks, Rob. I wish more people could meet him in person.
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Respect for this man….the world needs more of this kind of people 🙂
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Yes, I agree. Many, many more.
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What a lively and happy face he has. I would imagine that he always keeps his audience absolutely spellbound. 🙂
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The student were very quiet and attentive, so yes, you are right. 🙂
Have a super weekend, Sylvia! x
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Great guy, great ideas! I’m going to send his picture to my friends in Cambodia. Hope they get inspired aswell.
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That would be lovely, Kris. Thanks so much for your comment!
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A great post, paying tribute to a great guy. Thanks for sharing. What an inspiration he must be.
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He is, Jenny! I also did an interview with him, for he has the same job as I have at my university, and he is such a charming, quiet man with lots of humor. I wish he really could do a TED talk, but he’d probably be too modest for that.
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It feels like a gift when you meet people like that and have the opportunity to spend some real time with them, doesn’t it? It is a shame that people like him don’t always get to the widest possible audience – he sounds like a brilliant candidate for a TED talk.
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He would captivate and inspire his audience, of that I’m positive!
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What a great character.
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That he is. 🙂 Thanks so much for dropping in.
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