Up to year ending December 2012 we had given £213,922 to our projects in Malawi.
The value of our five Containers is in addition to this amount.
Most of this help has gone to our five parishes but various smaller projects have also benefitted.
NSANJE
Was the first parish with which we twinned and our first gift was made in 2002. In this time we have given them £27,756, which is listed under six categories:
£7,618 – Was given to upgrade a derelict building, into a successful and flourishing primary school. This gift also included furniture, teaching equipment and the supply of electricity.
£9,338 – Was given to the parish community. This included repairs to the church and presbytery and the setting up of educational centres for the youth such as:
• A Media Centre.
• A fully equipped computer study centre.
• A fully equipped sewing workshop.
£2,300 – Was given to enable the purchase of the equipment needed for the irrigation of land to enhance food growing.
£3,500 – Was given for repairs to two area churches.
£5,000 – Was sent to Nsanje in 2005/6 when a major famine gripped the country. This allowed them to purchase and distribute maize to all members of the community, regardless of creed or ethnic background. This Project has now concluded
CHIRINGA
We were introduced to Chiringa parish in 2003.
The parish priest was concerned about the many children who were too young to attend primary school. There were no facilities to keep them occupied during the day. There was an empty building available as a play centre if he had the funds.
We agreed to finance this project and commit funds for annual funding.
All the children who attend for five days per week are given a meal and a basic pre-school education.
Another group in this parish who have our support is the School for the Blind. This is a small home for blind children who are prepared for education in the mainstream secondary schools. We give them our annual support to buy food and other domestic items. We have also helped with building repairs and the purchase of specialist equipment.
We also assist with the ongoing maintenance of the parish and primary school. We have so far sent £34,374 to Chiringa.
• £11,964 – has so far been given to the Playgroup.
• £9,750 – has been given to the parish and school.
• £4,910 – has been given to the School for the Blind.
• £7,750 – was sent during the famine years of 2005/6.
KACHEBERE
We assisted this parish from 2005 until 2010. We became involved during the Famine years and then financed the building of three school blocks for their primary school.
Apart from including them in the Container project, we are no longer in contact with this parish. Our giving in this time was £14,980
• £5,000 – during the Famine years.
• £9,980 – building three school blocks. This Project has now concluded
KARONGA
Our twinning with Karonga started in 2010 and continues. This parish is in the far north of Malawi on the shores of the great lake. There are two primary schools: one for girls and one for boys. This is a particularly poor part of the country and suffers from both earthquakes and floods. Their parish church was badly damaged by an earthquake in 2010.
We have so far given £14,100 to Karonga.
• £3,200 – Has been given for food, following floods which killed livestock and devastated food crops.
• £7,700 – Has been given to the parish
• £1,500 – Has been given to the two schools for electrification of the buildings.
• £1,650 – Has been given to establish their Micro Loans project.
NJALE
Our twinning with Njale started in 2010 and continues. The parish priest has so far requested help in three areas and £3,600 has so far been sent.
• £1500 – Has been sent for repairs and upgrading of the primary school.
• £1,600 – Has been given to establish their Micro Loans project.
• £500 – Was sent to carry out urgent repairs to the roof of the presbytery.
SPONSORSHIPS
This project started in 2002 and continues. Many students have been assisted by our parish families with school fees for secondary school and above. To date a total has been given of £67,090
MISCELLANEOUS
We have occasionally agreed to make gifts to other parishes and seminaries, not associated with our Twinning. We have given £11,760 to these causes.
PERSONAL GIFTS
Over the past eleven years, many of our parishioners have made personal gifts to individuals or parishes. These have totalled £13,760
CONTAINER PROJECT
A part of our funds has been spent on the five containers we have so far sent to Malawi. We also include parishes and other organisations which are not a part of our Twinning project. It is impossible to put a value on the items sent each year, but this is many times greater than the total amount we have used. Our spending has totalled £10,630 to rent space in the containers, plus miscellaneous purchases costing £2,013.00.
We have so far sent five container loads, containing a total of 769 large cartons. The total weight of goods sent is approximately 12083kg – almost 12 tons.
Our parishioners have raided their wardrobes, kitchens, garages and garden sheds to supply many everyday items which are just not available to our friends in Malawi.
We are grateful to the supporters listed below, who have supplied their goods and services which has made all this possible:
Annabelle & Graham from Tyler Holdings Ltd have allowed us free use of a warehouse for the past four years, giving us room to sort, pack & store all the items for our containers.
Liam & Cora at T & T Express Deliveries have supplied the transport to Birmingham and the use of their vehicles for collecting many of the donated items.
Pureprint, BKT, St Ives Westerham Press, Aqualisa Ltd and Siemens Water Technologies have between them donated all the tapes, shrink wraps and many of the packing cartons.
Adam from VR Print has donated 60 thousand sheets of paper. He has made up 215 notepads and donated many other items.
Dave and his team from Data Flight Services, Fareham, Hants, and St Gregory’s School have donated computers and other IT equipment.
Martin Jeffery is our sewing machine expert. He collects all our donated sewing machines; he cleans and services them, provides spare parts and operating manuals and then returns them. All at his own expense.
C & H Fabrics
Peter Hoare Interiors
Both these companies have donated over 150 ‘end of reel’ lengths of fabric and cloth. This will greatly benefit those involved with the sewing machines.
Please see the PROJECTS section for a photo trail of our activities.