FUNDRAISING CONCERT 26 FEBRUARY 2022

WEST SUSSEX

 FUNDRAISING NEWS

Our fundraising has, of course, been affected by Covid over the past 2 years.  But we have been able to run a few activities and have 3 more in the pipeline.  Watch this space!

A fundraising concert 26 February 2022

Just before the pandemic, we were extremely fortunate to benefit from the kind generosity of the owner and trustees of Champs Hill, a most wonderful private concert venue in West Sussex, who supported a fundraising concert there in aid of MSP and a London charity, Place2Be.  The concert was given by Vocal Fusion Acapella, a male barber shop group of which one of our trustees is a member, and the award winning Citi UK choir (finalists in Gareth Malone's BBC TV series The Choir) on 30th November 2019.

Vocal Fusion returns to Champs Hill on 26th February 2022, this time in conjunction with Kaleidoscope and Three's Company, all directed by Zoe Peate.

Fundraising stalls in Amberley, West Sussex

And we ran successful fundraising stalls in Amberley at Amberley Revival on 7th August 2021, and at the Wildbrooks Churches Christmas festival on 4th December 2021.

3 of MSP's trustees at our fundraising stall on 4.12.21

Our display board

 

 ONE OF OUR BURSARY STUDENTS HAS A UNIVERSITY PLACE!!

WONDERFUL SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY

For some years, MSP has been funding students at the Mpasa Community Day Secondary School.  Many of the CDSS students (learners) are from very poor homes.  With little local employment, families survive on what they can grow, and - if they are lucky - any surplus foodstuffs that they can sell. Many cannot afford the £6 or so per term that it costs to send their children to secondary school.  For more information, see the page on School fees.

MSP has been running a bursary programme at the school for 5 years.  We currently support 45 learners.

In August we received the wonderful news that DAVIS JOHN, one of our bursary students, had been offered a place at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources to study for a BSc in Animal Science.  There were apparently 24,000 applications nationwide for 3,000 university places this year so he has done very well.  And very few students from this poor part of the country - let alone those from the poorest of homes - are lucky enough to be offered a university place.

Davis John

Outside the office making a loan application

One of our advisers in Malawi, local head-teacher Dorothy Mafukeni, tells us that Davis is really hardworking and dedicated.  He is the eldest of 3 children.  He lost his father when he was very young.  His mother provides for them all with some piece work and subsistence farming.   He told us that he would have dropped out of school, had it not been for the MSP bursary.

We are determined to support Davis through university if we can, in the hope that he will be able to bring real long term benefit to the local community.  There are virtually no grants available now, and sadly, he has applied for but been unable to obtain a loan.

So we are looking for a donor or donors who would like to sponsor or part-sponsor Davis’s education.   The sums involved are very manageable.   I estimate the total cost of the 4 year course, including tuition fees and accommodation, at around £5,000.

If anyone would like to be involved or to find out more, please please let me know at themalawischoolsproject@gmail.com.

 MORE ABOUT MSP's BOOKS

Books in West Sussex packed and ready to go

Those of you who have followed MSP will remember that some time ago we were able, courtesy of two other charities, The Book Bus and The Book People, to despatch a collection of children's books to Malawi for use by local children.

It took some time for them to get there (!) and by the time they did, visiting Malawi had become difficult. 

Last year, our local adviser and wonderful helper Dorothy visited Mangochi, where the books had been delivered, and with the help of local literacy/teaching organisations and schools arranged for the distribution of the books - some in the Mangochi area, others back in Mpasa. 

Now in Mangochi, awaiting distribution

Some went to the Bolera Literacy Centre

A big "Thank You" from the Bolera Literacy Centre

The Bolera Literacy Centre in action

Some went to the nursery school near Mwanazanga Primary in Mpasa.

Some went to a nursery and literacy project run by the former head of the Book Bus and his wife in Mangochi

Sorting the books at Mangochi

And some went to schools in the Mpasa area, including Mwanzanga.

Dorothy handing books to the head teacher at Mwanazanga Primary

It had been our original intention to set up our own reading circles.  Sadly, we were unable to make that happen.  But we are delighted that the books have been made available to children who are enjoying them, and professionals who are able to work with them to help literacy locally.

 Our Star Pupils get College and University Places!

THOCCO FRANK

In summer 2021 we received an approach directly from one of our bursary students, Thocco Frank.  Thocco is the second of 5 children.  His mother provides for them with a little piece work, and of course farming.

Thocco's home

Thocco's mother

On his own initiative, he had applied for and obtained a place at a private college - Domasi Development College - to study nutrition and food security.  It's a 2 year course, with on-the-job-training, and an examination system which relies on exams set in the USA and UK.  Our wonderful headteacher in Malawi, Dorothy, visited the college, and Thocco, and advised it would be well worth supporting him.

Thocco Frank

Some of the college buildings

Thocco's computer

Dorothy at Domasi
Development College

With financial support from MSP she obtained a smart phone and (reconditioned) laptop for Thocco, prepared a budget, and made arrangements with the college to pay Thocco's fees direct to the college authorities.  We pay for his tuition fees, accommodation, food, supplies and materials, and expect, all-in, that Thocco's course will cost us (or rather our fantastic donors) between £2,500 and £3,000 for the 2 full years. 

...... and his phone

We very much hope that Thocco's on-the-job training placements will give rise to a successful career opportunity in a sector which could bring real benefit to his community.

School Fees continued.....

I am happy to say that we have been able to continue the payment of school fees throughout the pandemic.  This year we will be supporting 45 students - sadly a reduction on previous numbers brought about by big increases in fees, and crucially in government-levied examination fees, which have together more than doubled the amount payable per student.  But our funds support the school and the staff at large and we remain the school's largest single donor.

And I continue to enjoy the many WhatsApp messages I receive from friends on the ground, including the school headteacher, who recently (with the help no doubt of Autocorrect) apologised for his "erotically" presented school fees table.  Now that takes some doing!  I shudder to think what mad messages I may have sent in reply! 

FOURTH SCHOOL BLOCK FINISHED!

 Our New School Block

I am happy to say that - COVID, storms and travel restrictions notwithstanding - we have now completed a fourth school block at Mwanazanga Primary School. The whole of the credit goes to a stream of astonishing donors, who gave so generously to make it happen, and to good friends in Malawi who saw the whole project through on the back of funds and budgets supplied by MSP.  It looks like this:

The front

A classroom, with blackboard

Disabled access and storm drain

You may think it's rather like the other 3 blocks we have built - and yes, it's pretty well identical.  But this time we have added disabled access, even more termite protection and electrical wiring, in the hope that the electricity grid will one day be connected.  

This means that we have now doubled the school’s capacity.  And since there are now more than 1,850 students on the register, they need all the space they can get. 

Wholly managed by friends in Malawi

MSP entrusted the handling and management of the block to two good friends in Malawi – Dion Makina, the delightful carpenter, pastor, school governor and very kind host, with whose family I have stayed each time I have been to Malawi: and Dorothy Mafukeni, until recently the deputy headteacher of Mpasa CDSS (Community Day Secondary School) where we run our bursary programme, now head teacher of a new, private secondary school nearby.

Dion took this video while he talked to the contractor as he prepared the wall for the blackboard.

Together Dion and Dorothy have seen the project through to completion, pretty well on budget, and almost on time.  There was a little hiccough towards the end, when the contractor found his workers leaving him.  I discovered that he had given us such a good price in order to get the work, that he wasn’t paying his men enough.  Of course we put matters right and work resumed. And Covid has put paid to Dion and Dorothy's hopes of a grand civic opening - though I'm delighted they've been able to take credit in the community for it.

Supported by the community

All the local chiefs have been behind their efforts, and have helped to motivate the community.  We need them.  They make and provide the bricks, and do a lot of carrying of bricks, quarry dust and water for the build.  We have received some nice, warm thank you messages from the head teacher and the chiefs as a result.  

I am delighted that this has been a 100% local effort.  They haven’t needed to have some odd white woman telling them what needed to be done. I hope they will have enjoyed developing some project management skills.  And they have rightly been able to take all the credit for the work. 

For more, see the page on School building.