Joshua Trustee wins Times/Sternberg Prize for African aid work‏

Make sure you check out The Times today as we are delighted to announce that Joshua trustee David Pearson has won the Times/Sternberg Prize for African aid work.

The award recognises the dedication of those over the age of 70 in their work for good causes and their outstanding contributions to society. David has worked tirelessly for Joshua over the years and we are delighted that his efforts have been recognised by this prestigious award.

David designed and oversaw the construction of Joshua's Maize Mill, he has been involved in the construction of six feeding centres, two water harvesting tanks and the road bridge.

His current project is the footbridge at Mwandika and the £5,000 he has won with this award will go towards this. It's an incredible achievement, and we are so proud to have David as a part of the Joshua team - he shows us all the age is not barrier to determination.

The footbridge over the Milo River will save lives by ensuring that hundreds of children have a safe journey to and from school. To see a video of the site click here.

We can't think of a better winner for this prestigious award, Congratulations David!

Tiyamike Feeding Centre update

Tiyamike feeding centre - Built by the "Young Ones" on a Quest

Whist I was in Malawi I visited Tiyamike feeding centre, where Margreet, a nurse from Holland who lives and works in Malawi was running her weekly under-fives clinic. Every Friday Margreet runs a clinic at one of four Joshua feeding centres.

Margreet weighs every child who comes to the clinic and asks their mother if there are any problems at the moment. She record the children's weights and does this in order to identify common illnesses such as diarrhoea, malnutrition, worms and malaria. If she is concerned that they are suffering from any of the above or more serious illnesses, she refers people to the Joshua clinic, local hospital or she gives out basic medication herself.

Margreet with Hannah (Joshua volunteer)  at the clinic

By taking healthcare into the heart of these impoverished rural communities Joshua and Margreet are helping to ensure that some of the most vulnerable families have access to healthcare services. Without this front line service many illnesses would not be identified until much later, and the damage done by them would be much greater and in some cases life threatening.

Whilst at Tiyamike, Stevie, one of Joshua's field officers gave me a tour of the area. I learnt that up until 2012 this feeding centre had been little more than a grass hut. But thanks to the incredible hard work of a team of volunteers from Northern Ireland, called the Young Ones, this centre was built in 4 weeks - which is truly remarkable.

Sarah Muthere dreams of becoming a teacher

I also learnt that the group had been so touched by the lives of the people they met in Malawi that they are currently sponsoring 8 children through secondary education at the local school, Limbera. Primary education is free in Malawi, but secondary is not. As a result many of the poorest children are unable to continue their secondary education, which is vital for their future job prospects.

I visited Limberia School and met three of the students the group are sponsoring. Sarah Muthere is 18 years old and lives with her Grandmother. Her parents separated when she was 11 and since then her mother struggled to care for her and her younger sister. Her grandmother works on other peoples land (this is called piece work) in order to support them, but she struggles and when Sarah was offered a place at secondary school, she wasn't able to go because she couldn't afford the fees.

But thanks to the support of the "Young Ones" she is back in school.

"My grandmother was so happy when she found out I was going to be sponsored, our family struggles for money and this makes such a difference. I want to say thank you for sponsoring me. Education is important to me. It will help me achieve my dream of one day becoming a teacher."

Tiawanda Binauri wants to study humanities at University

I also meet 18 year old Tiawanda Binauri, his parents separated when he was just six years old. His father has completely abandoned the family and his mother struggles to earn a living selling tomatoes and ground nuts in the market. Tiawanda started at secondary school, but unfortunately his mother couldn't afford to pay the fees and he was thrown out. Thanks to support from the Young Ones he is back in school and is working hard. His family still struggle though, and during the "hungry season" he often eats just one meal a day.

But despite this adversity he is an optimistic and generous student, “Education is important to me because it helps me work towards my future plans, I can help myself and my parents, and hopefully other needy people like me." 

I also met Owen Banda. A charismatic young man, Owen comes from a family of three. His father is unemployed and his mother earns less than £12 a month fetching water and cooking on a local building site.

Owens parents are"so happy" he is sponsored

With their monthly earnings less than the cost of school fee's Owens parents were unable to support him at Secondary School. He was identified by the local Head Teacher who approached Joshua for sponsorship on his behalf. Thankfully the "Young Ones" support came at just the right time and Owen was able to continue his education.

Although life is hard from Owen and his family, he gets up every day a 5.30 to collect water from the well and after school he has to collect firewood, things are much better than they were before he was sponsored. His favourite subject is English and in the future he would like to be a mechanic. "Thank you for sponsoring me to do my secondary education, it is important and will help sustain us in the future."

Joshua is incredibly grateful for the support from this group, we only exist because of this support from individuals and groups and without it we simply wouldn't be able to help thousands of HIV/AIDS orphans, vulnerable children and their communities every year.  Thank you.

If you want to find out more about volunteering with Joshua click here. Or if you want to find out about sponsoring a student, e-mail Heather heather@joshuainmalawi.org.uk

Joyful return to school in Malawi

Thanks to the generous donation of over £500 from his Art for Africa exhibition, Ray Mitchell and his wife Sheila have enabled two vulnerable young children to go back to school in Malawi

Brian at home in his small room

17 year old Brian Muleso lives in the semi urban village of Baluti with his two elder brothers. Brian’s father died when he 13 years old and since then his mother has struggled to care for him and his 4 siblings. Two years ago Brian’s mother was under so much strain that became unable to care for him so he moved in with his elder brother who works as a cleaner in the city of Blantyre.

Brian was selected to go to the local Secondary school, but unfortunately his brother was unable to afford the school fee’s and he was chased out of school due to non-payment.

In Malawi at the moment we are in what is commonly known as the “hungry season.” This is a season from November until April during which household maize supplies run low. Families are waiting for the rains to come so that they can plant more maize which they will harvest next April/May.

On the day I met Brian, he hadn’t had any breakfast, and he said at this time of year they mostly ate just once a day, in the evening.  And some days not all.

Brian tries to help out by getting odd jobs on building sites like collecting water and mixing cement and sand. But Brian wants to be back in school and thanks to Ray and Sheila in January he will start in form 1 at St Kelmon Secondary School. He’s looking forward to going to school again, his favourite classes are English, Maths and Biology and thanks to their incredible support he can work towards his dream of one day becoming a doctor.

Dorika and her grandmother in their two room home

Dorika Kamanga is 16 years old, she lives with her grandmother and sister in Manase, an semi-urban slum on the outskirts of the city of Blantyre. She is also going to benefit from Ray and Sheila's support.

Dorika was abandoned by her father when she was just three years old and her mother struggled for years to look after her and her two siblings. Unfortunately things came to a head for the family last year and Dorika had to move in with her grandmother as her mother was no longer able to provide her with even basic necessities, such as clothing, food and shelter.

Dorika lives in a simple two room house, we were accosted by a drunken man from the local pub on the way in and it was at this point that I realised just how vulnerable she is.

But despite all this Dorika is determined, and smart. Her favourite subjects are English, Maths and Biology and she would love to one day be a nurse. And thanks to Ray and Sheila's support she can start working towards that dream in January.

If you would like to sponsor s vulnerable child through secondary school, please get in touch with Heather on heather@joshuainmalawi.org.uk or by calling 01273 275713.

An amazing gift this Christmas

Since 2012 Joshua has been fortunate to receive funding from the Holy Trinity Church in Wimbledon. The first grant we received was through the Marian Esling Legacy Fund. This fund was set up after the church was left a sum of money in the Will of Marian Esling and Joshua was a lucky recipient of one of their first grants. The grant was for £4,345 and sponsored 40 children through a year of secondary education at the Joshua Secondary School in Malawi.

This year we were fortunate to receive a grant of £2,000 from the Tithe group at the church. This enabled us to continuing supporting students at the Joshua Secondary School, where over 140 vulnerable children and orphans now receive an education for free. I met 20 students who are currently sponsored thanks to this support from the church and with their help made a video to show our appreciation (above).

Students in class at Joshua Secondary School

So you can imagine my delight when I opened my e-mails this morning and discovered that once again the church is giving its support to this project, with another donation of £4,345 from the last round of the Marian Esling Legacy Grants. This money will ensure that we can continue to support some of the most vulnerable students through their secondary education.

As a small organisation Joshua relies on the incredible generosity of its supporters and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole congregation of Holy Trinity Church for their support.

Without it we simply wouldn't be able to help those most in need. But with your support we have, we are and we will continue to do so for years to come.

Thank you,

Heather Rayment, Joshua UK

Inner Wheel lunch is huge success

Whilst I was in Malawi things were far from quiet back here in the UK. Led by Ann Clark of the Inner Wheel club of Wells, a charity lunch took place in aid of Joshua's and raised over £760.

The lunch was well attended by Inner Wheel members and their guests.  In addition, they were delighted to welcome Marjorie and David Pearson (and their friends Jan and Don Pain ) from Sherborne Inner Wheel Club / Rotary Club.  Marjorie and David have personal involvement with Joshua as they are Trustees of the UK charity and visit Malawi yearly to provide help and support . They gave a short presentation on the work of the charity after the lunch.

The event was enjoyed by all, and over £760 was raised for Joshua. Pictured David and Marjorie Pearson with Wells Inner Wheel President Rosaleen Gripper and Ann Clark head of Overseas.

This money will go towards a much needed footbridge in an area where flash flooding killed a young girl last year. Our huge thanks to Inner Wheel of Wells for holding this lunch in support for Joshua.

Click here to find out how your Inner Wheel or Rotary Club can get involved with Joshua

Fulfilling Dreams

It's been another couple of busy day and this will probably be my last blog from Malawi before I head home and upload the millions of photo's I have taken so that everyone can see as well as read about what I've been up to.

Yesterday I went out to meet some students Joshua is supporting at a school called Chilaweni. It's a Secondary School about half an hours drive from the centre of Blantyre and here I met three students who are being sponsored thanks to the support of Heathfield and Waldron Rotary Club

The three girls I met were Charity, Stella and Chifundo. Stella and Chifundo are both "double orphans" in Malawi this means that they have lost both parents, and in the majority of cases, this is because of HIV/AIDS. And the third girl, Charity lives with her Aunt, her mother died when she was just 6 years old and her father abandoned her.

Incredibly though these three young ladies we funny, charming, shy, and everything else you would expect young teenagers to be, despite the tragedies they have experienced in their lives.

They have been sat at home helping around the house, and when the sponsorship came through from Heathfield and Waldron they and their families were over the moon.

Charity said "Thank you very much, you have changed my life by giving me the opportunity to to go to secondary school."

Stella's Grandmother said "Thank you so much, I could not have afforded t pay her school fee's and now she can support herself in the future"

And Chifundo said "When I was told that I was coming back to school I was so happy because it means that I can fulfill my dreams. Thank you, please help others as you are helping me."

An inspiring group of young ladies, lets try and help even more in 2014.

What a week . . so far!

So today is Thursday, I think, I hope, and I must apologise for not having blogged sooner but it has been a crazy week!

On Saturday I visited Open Arms Malawi, an Orphanage which looks after children from 8 days old too two years, whose families are unable to do so. The Orphanage keep in contact with family members where possible and hope that after two years the child can go back home. Many of these children have lost one or both of their parents, so family members are often grandparents, uncles, and aunts, who just can't give them the care and attention they need.

It was rather a baptism of fire for me, having never fed a baby before I soon found myself in the feeding section tasked with ensuring that a beautiful young boy got his lunch before he was whipped away for a change and a wash. The rest of the time I played with the children outside. Even though they are in an Orphanage these children are actually quite lucky, they have toys, which most Malawian children do not, and the centres policy really highlights that every child must be treated with love. An ethos which I hope I added to a little.

Monday morning started with a staff meeting at Joshua HQ followed by typing up a lot of student profiles. I have now met over 40 students sponsored through Joshua UK and each students plight highlights why it is s important that we help these children get the education they so desperately need.

Today I met 4 students who are sponsored thanks to a donation from Heathfield and Waldron Rotary Club.

First I met Japson Boniface who is 17 years old and is in form 2 of Secondary School. Japson comes from a very poor family, his father does odd jobs and his mother looks after him and his seven siblings.

Japson gets up at 5am every morning to collect water from the local river, it's 20 minutes each way and he does this every day before embarking on his 1hr walk to school.

Japson's family were struggling to play his school fees and last year he was thrown out of school because he couldn't pay. He is the only child in his family at Secondary School and without the support of Heathfeild and Waldron Rotary Club, he wouldn't be getting an education either this year.

But thanks to their support he's in school working hard at his favourite subject of English, Maths and Biology towards his dream of one day becoming a doctor.

I asked Japson how his parents felt when they heard the news that he was going to be sponsored:

"My parents felt so great when they found out I was going to be sponsored - they are so thankful for this - it is a blessing from God."

And I asked him why getting an education is important to him

"I want to be able to help myself and my family, that is why getting an education is important to me. Education will enable me to do what I need to do in the future."

I couldn't have put it better myself. I promise to add more news over the coming days before I fly home on Monday. Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Joshua!

Day 3 in the field

A day late . . .

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but today was another amazing day. First stop was Tiyamike Feeding Centre, where Marguerite a nurse from Holland, who is based in Malawi , was running her monthly children's clinic at Joshua's feeding centre. Marguerite runs the children's health clinic every Friday at four of Joshua's feeding centres. And it's not just the children she see's  to, the occasional adult makes their way in too.

But first a bit of history of the the feeding centre-it was founded by local women in 2002 and has around 50 children in attendance every day. For the first ten years the feeding centre took place in a simple grass shelter, which was wet in the rain, and sometimes blew away. Thanks to volunteers from Quest Overseas and Joshua in 2012 a proper building was erected and its the perfect building for an informal clinic.

When we arrived there was already a long queue of mothers and children, they come to get the children weighed, and Marguerite uses this to determine how the child is developing - loss of weight or being very underweight can be a sign of worms, which Marguerite can easily treat with a simple course of antibiotics, then a month later when the child comes back she can see if they are now gaining weight. Weighing the children also helps us monitor that the feeding centre is doing what it should, and improving the welfare of some of Malawi's poorest families.

Marguerite also refers people to the hospital or local clinic if they need treatment for Malaria, or if she is unsure of the diagnosis. This project really brings vital healthcare out to those who need it, many people wouldn't make the day long journey to a clinic or hospital until it was too late - these rural clinics help to bridge the gap and save lives.

So a few of the cases we saw were, one young girl who had lost a lot of weight at last months clinic - Marguerite referred her to the clinic suspecting she had Malaria and it turns out she did, and dysentery. This month the girl is recovering well - she has put on 1.4kg - a sure sign of improving health.

Many of the children came in with skin rashes, this is due to poor hygiene and bathing in contaminated water. To try and combat the number of rashes Marguerite teaches classes in the afternoon on hygiene and healthy eating. Not in the way we think of healthy eating - it's more to do with ensuring that each child gets one meal a day which includes the five essential food groups.

Whilst I was there a mother came in limping with her young son. The son was fine, but the mother had suffered from a snake bite in February. She had been on her way back from the clinic to get Malaria treatment for her son when she was bitten by a snake. Lucky to be alive she spent two months in hospital and even after all this time her wound, which looked like a burn, was still healing.  Marguerite redressed the wound for her, and said that next month is it hadn't improved she would refer her for a skin graft.

After leaving Marguerite and her team we headed to Manjenje Feedig Centre, this is the most rural feeding centre I have been to so far and Joshua currently only gives them support of Lukini and Maize. The centre, which is on the top of a very big hill and which is reached by a single dirt track is run by the incredible Elizabeth, a Grandmother who has opened her house, her home and her land to the local children. They have no permanent structure for the centre, but the children huddle in a grass hut, which in the rain, which came whilst I was there, is completely useless.

I felt the true "warm heart" of Africa on the top of this remote hill, Elizabeth and her team of caregivers are doing all they can to improve the lives of the local orphans and vulnerable children by running this centre. They don't get paid anything, they don't even have bowls and spoons for the children to eat from, caregivers bring there's from home to share. But what they do have is a determination to improve the lives of these incredibly vulnerable children, and I hope Joshua will be able to assist them over the coming years.

My last stop for the day was a visit to Warm Hearts Arts, an organisation which improved the lives of orphans and local people by teaching them craft work, work which they then sell. Joshua has had a relationship with them for many years now and is proud to support this fabulous organisation. On our visit we met an incredible disabled woman who cannot use her arms and paints the most wonderful batique's with her mouth. We brought some and will be bringing them back with us for the Joshua Party on Sunday the 8th of December.

The end of another day drew to a close, and every day I feel more inspired by the work Joshua is doing here in Malawi - thank you to everyone at home for their support!

Day 2 in the field

Hello Joshua supporters everywhere, I have had a brilliant, but exhausting second day in the field - the team here are determined that I will sleep well so they are working me hard from dusk until dawn.

The day started with visits to three of Joshua's feeding centres, Tikondane, Mwandika and Manyenji. A warm welcome was received at all, although the more rural things got the more likely the children were to be stunned into silence by my presence, which for 1-5yr olds is impressive.

The first feeding centre, Tikondane was built earlier this year by volunteers from the UK with Quest Overseas and is in a urban area which is very poor. 230 children are registered at the centre, with roughly 85 coming each day. They have 4 Caregivers/teachers who run the centre and they have a lot of energy between them

The second feeding centre was Manwdika, which has 37 Children who attend everyday. The centre was also built by volunteers from Quest Overseas and is in a rural location, it took us 20 minutes to drive there along a dirt track, which I would get into trouble with the trades description act if I called a road. The centre is run by an energetic group of 10 caregivers, who work in pairs to keep the centre open. Joshua provides them with cooking equipment, and Lukuni Phali to feed the children everyday. With some families earning less than £10 a month, the centre provides a vital service to this rural community. The children delighted us with a song, which I joined in with poorly, much to their amusement.

From Manwdika we drove to Manyenji feeding centre, which Joshua built and is now run by Marys Meals. Here 102 children are fed and given a basic pre-school education. The centre is at the end of the line, so to speak, before we reach a river, which is impassable during the rainy season.

This is the river which Joshua would like to build a footbridge over. At present 300 students from five communities have to cross this river to get to their local primary school, during the rainy season the river is subject to flash flooding, and as Joshua's field officer in the area John explained, last year a girl died trying to cross the river on her way home from school. The rocks we jumped on to cross completely disappear and for days and weeks students can be stranded, unable to get to school. The river also stops people from getting to market, and accessing vital health facilities. Having seen the need I really hope that this is a project we can find funding for soon.

From there we drove back over the fantastic road bridge which was built thanks to Rotary support in the UK and Malawi. This bride is also saving lives, and ensures that 15 communities are no longer cut off during the rains.

We also saw two bore hole water pumps providing rural communities with clan water, and another feeding centre before meeting Mrs Agnes Msosa, who is a caregiver at a rural feeding centre. Agnes has been given 100 chickens through a project funded by Fisherman's Rest. She is caring for and feeding the chickens, which she will then sell. She hopes to buy 110 once she has sold the first batch and it is hoped that this small business model will be replicated throughout the communities Joshua supports.

In the afternoon I visit four students, two of who have been sponsored under a new grant from Heathfield and Waldron Rotary club, and two who are still looking for sponsors. This was perhaps the most incredible part of the day, it was harrowing to hear the students stories, and in some cases it was hard just to see the poverty they lived in.

One of the students I met was 17year old Lamek Maukhwala who lost both of his parents when he was 12. He lives with his grandmother and four siblings in the Baluti area. The only way to describe this area is like a semi urban slum. They have very little money for food, and many days they do not eat. But thanks to support from Heathfield and Waldron Rotary Lamek will be starting Form 1 of secondary school next term. He is very excited to be starting and expressed his thanks for this incredible opportunity.

I will share more of the students stories including pictures and films when I am back in the UK. In the meantime, thank you to everyone for reading this, and thank you even more for supporting Joshua. http://joshuainmalawi.org.uk/

Day 1 in the field

Today I began my trip to visit Joshua's projects in Malawi. This is the first time I have seen the projects and met the incredible team based here who are the energy behind everything and what a day!

It started at Joshua's offices in Blantyre, where I met Chimemwe, Jospeh, Patrick and Stevie. The Joe and I headed of in the capable hands of driver John to Milo feeding centre where we had an enthusiastic reception. The feeding centre caters for just over 40 children, aged from 1-5 it provides them with a safe place to go from 7.30 to 1pm Monday to Friday and they receive a hot  meal and a basic pre school education. Joshua runs lots of these centres throughout Malawi and they are the linchpin of our work with the very young and vulnerable.

Next stop was Mbinda Primary School, where we had some supplies to deliver for the students (Pencils and exercise books.) 140 students are in two classrooms and food is provided by Mary's Meals. The students and teachers were grateful for the donation, which was possible thanks to funds raised by the Maize Mill.

Next stop was the Pensulo Clinic and Maize Mill. With a lady in labour I didn't want to intrude to much so we moved on to the feeding centre and Maize Mill.

The Maize Mill has truly transformed the lives of locals, particularly women, who previously had to walk to Manyowe to mill their Maize. This is a long walk with no buses and could take a day, or longer if the mill wasn't working due to a power-cut.

There are two machines and three members of staff, the first machine removes the husks, which can then be sold as chicken feed, and the second grinds the Maize down. It was incredible to see the mill in action and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made this project possible.

I think that's enough for one day, I will send more updates when the internet allows me to do so.

£500 raised - thank you Ray

We would like to say a huge thank you to Ray Mitchell and his wife Sheila for organising the fabulous Art for Africa event in Shepshed in October. The exhibition raised a whopping £500+ for Joshua.

But don't worry of you missed out - all the Rays paintings are still available to view online here, and you can still buy the unsold paintings as well - the perfect Christmas present.

Thank you Herne Bay High

We were absolutely thrilled to receive this picture from students at Herne Bay High who have designed and made a patchwork hanging for the Joshua school. Laura Gowers, the teacher who led the project said that the students enjoyed researching us and making the patchwork. We are very grateful for this fantastic donation, all the hard work that has gone into the colourful design is very much appreciated.

Congratulations India

Thank you to India Merrony who ran the Robin Hood Half Marathon for Joshua at the end of September. India raised a whopping £485 by taking part in the run, something that she says people who know her, will find very out of character.

We are hugely grateful for her taking on this huge personal challenge and using it to raised invaluable funds for Joshua. India volunteered at the Joshua Clinic in 2011 and all the money she has raised will go towards supporting the clinics life changing work. If you'd like to donate to India's marathon fund you can do so here.

Laptop needed for 3rd year university student

Do you have an old laptop lurking under your bed? Joshua would love to hear from you if you do as we are in desperate need of a working laptop for two of the students we are sponsoring through university.

If you have a laptop that you'd be happy to donated please e-mail Heather heather@joshuainmalawi.org.uk

Art for Africa - Full exhibition

We are delighted to share the full exhibition of Art for Africa with you. If you are interested in any of the paintings, but are unable to attend the exhibition in person please feel free to contact Heather on heather@joshuainmalawi.org.uk to find out how you can purchase a painting.

Art for Africa - Charity Exhibition in Aid of Joshua Orphan and Community Care

Dates:  14 October until 28 October

Venue: Shepshed Library. Hall Croft, Shepshed, Leicestershire, LE12 9AN

In 2008 Ray Mitchell volunteered in Malawi with a group from RBS. Ray helped to build Joshua’s Maternity Clinic and during his time in Malawi was touched by many lives. Ray is a self-taught artist and we were delighted to receive and e-mail from his wife Sheila, about some paintings he had done since his visit.

Ray was inspired by everything he saw from the everyday lives of the people he met to the incredible wildlife he saw. Ray has created such a great array of work that he will be exhibiting his paintings from the 14th - 28th October at Shepsted Library in Leicestershire. A percentage of the profits from any sales will go towards supporting Joshua's work. Thank you Ray.

Congratulations Form Two

We've just heard from the team in Malawi that our form two students have excelled in this years Junior Certificate of Education with a pass rate of 76.3%, well above the national average. This is a great achievement for all concerned.

Joshua currently provides full sponsorship to 145 needy students from the local area whom would otherwise be denied an education. These students face extra challenges in achieving good exam results, many are orphans, others are the main carers in the family and some support themselves completely. This makes their achievements even more impressive.

One such student is Chikondi Azele (pictured.) Chikondi is the youngest in a family of 5. At the age of just 12 her father died, leaving her mother struggling provide for her and her siblings. Chikondi was identified by one of our field officers as being in great need of sponsorship. At the time, Chikondi was living with a family friend, as her mother was unable to care for her. With no money for school fees Chikondi would have been unable to continue secondary school without our support.

Chikondi started at the Joshua Secondary School last September and has proved herself to be an excellent student finishing 3rd in her year. Chikondi has excelled in both Chichewa and English Literature and Geography.

"I would like to thank you for sponsoring me to do my secondary education. Sponsorship has helped me to do my secondary education and now teachers are not sending me back home because of lock of school fees."

The great Malawian Knit Off

You've heard of the Great British Bake Off but here in Malawi the great Malawian Knit Off has taken two communities by storm.  Spearheaded by the fantastic UK volunteer Jean Pollard, two groups at Pensulo and Baluti have both shown themselves to be excellent knitters, and sold out of their fabulous creations at their first stall.

The idea for establishing two knitting groups came out when Jean spoke to Hester about how she was raising money for Joshua in the UK by selling her knitted pieces for us. Hester enthusiastically asked Jean if when she came to visit if she could establish two knitting groups and help local women generate their own source of income through this needle clicking scheme. Honoured to be asked Jean quickly gathered donations of needles, wool and buttons from her local community - packing an extra case last minute due to the incredible local support.

Jean's success and enthusiasm continued once in Malawi, she was amazed by how quickly both groups learnt from her and before she knew it they were making tops, hats and dresses in all shapes and sizes without patterns.

"At Joshua fund raising walk they had their first stall and everyone was very impressed by what they had made and the women were exhilarated as one by one all their knitting was praised and sold.

 

"There was no stopping them now as they were keen to learn more. More baby tops with hats to match were made and decorated with animal buttons bought in Blantyre. Shoulder bags, phone and spectacle cases were knitted and crochet.  The need to visit the wool shop in Limby became a regular occurrence as the wool I and Sylvia's friend Ruthy brought from England was used up. The knitting groups became a place where the women could come together as a group and chatting, laughing, dancing, and singing was the norm. The singing brought the young children to our groups and they became a real social gathering.

For me I forged truly lasting friendships and the joy these women and their beautiful children brought me are beyond words.

Saying goodbye was hard and I miss them all daily, so posters are up in my village and wool and needles are arriving weekly as I prepare to return with new patters and ideas. A recent email from informed me that the women had an order for leg warmers, and so that's what they made with decorative buttons attached again no pattern! There is obviously no stopping them now and their obvious talents continuing to grow."

We would like to take this opportunity to Thank Jean, and all those who have supported. And we look forward to her returning to Malawi again soon.