Saturday 30 November 2013

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.

Thursday 28 November 2013

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!

Saturday 23 November 2013

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!

Thursday 21 November 2013

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/

Wednesday 20 November 2013

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.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

£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.

Wednesday 6 November 2013

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.

http://www.joshuainmalawi.org.uk/get-involved/getting-involved-events.html