Report from Fr. Boniface – St James Rectory, Blantyre – 31st October 2022
Dear Brian & the Malawi Team,
I would like to thank you for the items you gave me. Thank you for the TV Screen, the laptop and the two desk computers. I have given the desk computers to the Headmaster of the diocesan secondary school of Likulezi. They had only five computers for those taking computer sciences, a class of over fifty students.
Now they have seven and I hope that will make a difference. I gave the laptop to a college student who is studying food processing and her name is Nkhamanyachi Chikwapula. She is doing her attachments with Chiradzulu District Office under the Social Welfare Department and she very much needed a computer for her research.
Thanks for the clothes and the bed linen. I will distribute the clothes to those most in need. As for the bed linen, our house is a place where priests who are sick recuperate from and so we do need good beddings. We have had few cases of terminally ill priests staying with us. Currently we have one priest who suffered a stroke with us. He is recovering.
There are quite a number of items at Sevenoaks in the garden shed. If you have the opportunity of sending another container, you may do me a favour to have some of them transported.
How is your health? I hope you are improving all the time. Praying for you.
Thank all those who work hard to sacrifice their time and resources to send those various items to us. God bless.
Fr. Boniface Tamani. St James Rectory, Blantyre. Malawi. 31st October 2022.
Report from Fr. Francis Spiritual Director for Mzimu Woyera Seminary – 9th November 2022
Dear Brian & Corpus Christi Malawi-Twin.
I write to give a vote of thanks and feedback having received all the items sent in the container. All items that were marked with my name on the check list I received them. And the items were distributed in the following manner; all books and computers and all school related items were given to Mzimu Woyera Seminary. All students and teachers are very grateful and they have asked me to give a word of thanks on their behalf to you and the entire Malawi Twin team.
The children’s clothes were given to the home of orphaned children in Chikwawa and it was all happiness and joy.
Lastly I wish you and your family good health and God’s Blessings.
Fr. Francis. Mzimu Woyera Seminary.
2022 Malawi Container – Report Dated 21st October 2022
Work began on our 13th container to Malawi during February 2022, during early March donations became to arrive.
During March, April & May, we had eight packing sessions by our dedicated teams of sorters & packers.
During April & May Kevin (our IT engineer) refurbished 35 desktop computers & 11 laptop computers & loaded with basic software.
Again this year we had sufficient funds from donations to enable us to “buy in” £1,500 of school materials (pens, pencils, rules, chalk, crayons & many other items). We also sent a replenishment of ink cartridges for the printers we have placed in Malawi at a cost of over £700.
We have sent to eleven beneficiaries that are located in three different districts:
1) Blantyre
2) Lilongwe
3) Karonga
Our consignment this year totalled: 778 carton/items 702 cu ft. 4743 kg
On Friday 11th June 2022 we loaded our transfer lorry at our warehouse during the evening, this was supported by many of our helpers, supporters & parishioners, and this was followed by refreshments.
Fr. Saju blessed our shipment for a safe onward journey to Malawi.
The following day (Saturday 11th June 2022) our transfer lorry departed Tonbridge at 4-30am to meet the container that loads in Birmingham. We arrived just before 9am & loading began, the container takes around six hours to load, all the items are fitted in like a “jigsaw” to maximize the space (well done Anthony & team who oversees the loading). The task was completed by just after 3pm, the container was sealed.
The container transferred to Felixstowe to start its sea journey.
The container arrived in Beira container port Mozambique 22nd September 2022, it travel overland into Malawi & arrived at Blantyre on Thursday 29th September, waiting for customs clearance.
There was a major problem this year with the clearance of the container for some reason the Malawi revenue & customs were not happy with the documentation that was presented. This delayed the clearance of this year’s container.
Eventfully this was resolved & the container unloaded Blantyre on Tuesday (18th October) then Lilongwe the following day (Wednesday 19th October 2022).
All our beneficiaries were present at both unloading points & successfully collected their items. It seems that we have just one missing carton this year, let’s hope someone finds they have a carton belonging to Maggie & returns it.
Maggie once again took charge at Lilongwe & check the items that will travel north to Fr. Sam at St Patrick’s Seminary & to Fr. Steven at Karonga. Maggie oversees the loading of a smaller vehicle that travels north.
May I thank everyone who has made it possible for us sending our thirteenth container to Malawi, there are far too many to name individuality.
But I must just mention 1) Ruth Alexandra (Tyler Holdings) who donates the warehouse for our project. 2) Chris Burt (Lenham Storage) our transport lorry from Tonbridge to Birmingham. 3) Nicholas Devine our HGV driver, without their contribution out container project would not be possible.
I will attach some photos that I have received of the unloading at Blantyre & Lilongwe.
There will be more to follow of the coming days & weeks when they unpack & share the items, these will be put into a slideshow which will highlights of this year’s entire container project. Once this is complete, it will be available on our Malawi website.
Thank you once again, for your help & interest of our Malawi container project.
Brian Wilkins. On behalf of Corpus Christi Malawi-Twin
Photos from Fr. Michael of Changoima
Latest news 29th September 2022
I am pleased to inform you that our Malawi container has arrived in Blantyre. It is at Fortunes Ltd warehouse (same unloading point as previous years). It is hoped that it will unload at Blantyre next Wednesday (5th October).
11th September 2022
Our 13th container should dock at Beira container port (Mozambique) on the 20th September. From there it will travel overland into Malawi and will await customs clearance in Blantyre where we hope it will unload before the end of September. Next step will be to travel overnight to unload at Lilongwe the following day.
Items for St Patrick’s seminary & St Joseph the Worker cathedral, Karonga, will transfer onto a small vehicle to travel north.
Loading our 13th Container June 2022
I am pleased to report that our thirteenth shared container to Malawi safely loaded at Sutton Coldfield on Saturday 11th June 2022; it was good to see that the container was over 95% full.
We sent a total of 492 cartons using all our allocated space of 700 cubic feet. The total weight of our consignment is 4743 kg or almost 4 ¾ tons.
As previously, the most requested items from our friends in Malawi was Computers and items for their schools. Kevin our computer and IT engineer refurbished and loaded basic software onto 39 desktop computers and refurbished a further 12 laptops making a total of 325 desktops and 142 laptops sent since 2009. The computers allow Malawian students to gain vital digital skills which are fast becoming essential to daily life and help them seek meaningful employment for their future.
Your generous donations this year have allowed us to purchase over £1,500 of school materials including several thousand pens, pencils, crayons, felt tips; hundreds of rulers; drawing equipment; glue; textbooks and many other items. The schools and parishes have 12 printers between them; we spent just over £720 replenishing ink and toner cartridges.
Previously we sent 26 sewing machines; a sewing machine will allow a family to make items for the family and items to sell in the local market. These funds support the whole family. This year we’ve sent well over 50 cartons of fabric which will assist the making of garments and other items.
The container includes almost 50 cartons of children’s clothes, many cartons of adult clothes and shoes, 32 cartons from SALUT Malawi to assist girls & women as well as hundreds of pairs of reading glasses, thanks to Specsavers of Tonbridge.
All this has only been possible with the help and support given by you, our parishioners, and the many donors from outside our parish who have supported us for many years.
Special thanks to donors Tyler’s for providing the warehouse for our project, Lenham storage for use of their 18 ton lorry to transfer our items to the container and Nicholas our HGV driver, who freely gives us his time.
May I thank you all on behalf of our friends in Malawi – Brian
Equipment donated by St Joseph’s Convent August 2021
The chair of governors from St Joseph’s Convent prep school, Gravesend, contacted Brian to say that sadly the school had to close in July 2021. Their lease for the buildings was not renewed and despite spending the last 12 months searching for new premises they were unable to find any within their budget. 80 students had to transfer to other schools.
The school was more than happy to donate lots of equipment to our Malawi-Twin, knowing it would help many children in Malawi schools, that suffer from a lack of resources.
On Friday 13th August 2021 Brian and Colon O’Hara went to Gravesend to collect he equipment (thank you Colin). Grateful thanks also to goes Adam & Trevor King of Twice Recall Ltd, Tonbridge who kindly donated the use of a vehicle as there was far too much for our two cars.
I have attached some photos, these items will benefit our future containers.
