Some more photos......

Chief of Chimenye and local chief of chiefs with Dion (in the striped shirt) who assists MSP locally 

Coronavirus in Malawi

Malawi has been one of the latest African countries to report coronavirus cases, all said to have involved people returning from the UK.  It is one of the the least able to fight the disease. The government has closed the schools, urged people to work from home where possible, and banned public meetings of 100 or more, and the president and ministers have taken a pay cut to fund health work.  Information about the disease is available on radio and television, and online. But most of the people we work with in Mpasa have no access to modern forms of communication.  And exhortations by the government to keep apart and begin rigorous hand washing mean little in a community where people live in cramped, overcrowded homes and often cannot afford soap to wash themselves and their clothes, let alone indulge in hand washing repeatedly during the day.

All of the children we support are from poor homes. MSP’s trustees and I have taken the decision that we cannot leave these families completely without help.  We have initiated a modest public information campaign in the villages nearest to Mpasa, and we have provided funds for the chiefs to distribute soap to the poorest of families, together with an information leaflet produced by the secondary school.  So far 150 families have been helped in this way. Distribution to the poorest of the children at the secondary school will begin tomorrow.

Soap paid for by MSP

Awaiting distribution

The chief of Timu village distributing soap

2020 developments

I’m sorry to have been silent so long. All the work we have initiated in Malawi continues. Our new school blocks were completed long ago.  And for the past year we have concentrated on paying school fees and providing support for the almost 100 bursary students at Mpasa Community Secondary Day School, providing incentive prizes for the children at primary school, and providing books to the Mpasa reading circles. Unfortunately the wonderful English lady I recruited to work for us in Blantyre in June last year became seriously ill and left Malawi for good in December.  She had done 2 follow up reports for us, and had great ideas for taking things forward.  Since then I have had 2 abortive attempts to get to Mpasa to pick up on further projects, stymied by illness, weather, and now of course coronavirus. As soon as I can get there and establish our future programme, you’ll be the first to know! And in the meantime our regular support for schoolchildren will continue.