Friday 31 October 2014

Charity Christmas Sale and Coffee Morning


Joshua Trustee Sarah Charlton and I were delighted to be a part of the Charity Christmas Sale and Coffee Morning at St Mary Magdalen church in Tilehurst a few weeks ago. As well as Joshua, there were stalls from; Tearfund, Fairtrade, RNIB, RSPB, Cats Protection League, Mothers Union and the Children’s Society. Over £500 was exchanged between shoppers and stalls, and a great morning was had by all. 

Sarah and I were particularly addicted to the array of homemade biscuits and cakes which were on offer and it was a delight to meet so many of the people who have been supporting Joshua over the last year. This small but friendly church have now raised over £1,000 for Joshua, which will help some of the most impoverished children in Malawi have better lives.

Why not put the date in your diary now for next year’s event - October 17 2015! Of course, this may change nearer the time by a week or two.


Tuesday 28 October 2014

24th Oct - Early Walk

Before eating breakfast the team undertook a 5am trek to the lone tree visible at the peak of the mountain to catch a view of the sunrise. Not only did we time this perfectly, arriving minutes before the sun rose over the mountains we also managed to explore another Joshua feeding centre situated in thicker more lush vegetation. Despite our collective exhaustion following days of hard work, this not only energised us, but also set the tone for the entire day.

In comparison to other days the work load was less rigorous as the two manual jobs (brick laying and landscaping) wound to a close, as both progressed towards their completion.

With our work completed (foundation slab poured and 1000's of bricks moved and laid) on the teachers house we now pass on the baton to the local builders to complete the skilled elements of the build.

After 20 tonnes of earth moved by pure will power and strength the landscaping was completed ensuring guaranteeing the future of Masika junior primary school.

Within all of this work, many members of the team still managed to enjoy themselves playing with the local children. In particular Fay who spent an afternoon climbing classroom rules and Charlie who enjoyed an evening of collecting tennis balls from the river following a rowdy game of baseball.
As the team finishes its last day of work and looked towards our final day in Manyenje the feeling is overwhelming of gratitude for the villagers consummate kindness and willingness to join us, whether it be in work or play.

Blog entry by Mr. Dan wamphagu Rojas

'wamphagu' - strong man

Monday 27 October 2014

23rd Oct - Muli Bwanje!

After a restless night featuring Alex Rae's snoring and a rooster we all awoke for another day of project work in Manyenje. We split into three groups, one going to Marys Meals the second going to continue the teachers house and the third in the dust bowl.

At the teachers house the main task was brick laying, with the outside walls growing with increasing speed. The most progress however was made by the landscaping team. The main terrace was completed and the lower terrace was levelled out.

The Marys Meals team enjoyed the time spent with the local children and have made strong bonds with the kids.

Away from our main projects Rob and co. completed the improvements to the tippy taps and some of the landscaping team helped plant up a new tree nursery with the local children. They seeded 153 blue gum trees.

Blog entry by Jack





Thursday 23 October 2014

All Three LP Groups in Action

The day started at various times today, 6.30am for most, 5.30am for cooks and 4.45am for anyone awoken by Faye.

The day quickly gathered momentum; group 3 working in the feeding centre, group 2 landscaping and group 1 on the building site. Being in group 3 I can honestly say I've never met a more likeable group of kids in my life (despite the great escape attempt I halted as I prised a dangling child off the wall).

The experience for group 2 was very different in that their day was spent sweating in a dust bowl, as they shovelled and transported soil behind the new primary school to create terraces. 

Similar was the experience for group 1 as they also spent the entire day in the sun, laying bricks on the new foundations of the teachers house.

In the evening we celebrated Malawian Jo's birthday with balloons and banoffee pie!

Blog entry by Rob

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Jump to it!

Today we split into 3 groups. Group 1 worked in Mary's Meals feeding centre and Groups 2 and 3 helped with the building of the teachers house. The Group that worked in the feeding centre found it extremely enjoyable and are very grateful they were given the opportunity to experience such a new but incredibly important part of the community.

The other two groups began the first of the strenuous building  jobs. This involved mixing cement and laying the slab to create the foundation of the teachers house.

Later in the day the Inspector for public works visited the site to check it was up to strict malawian Government standards. The groups work passed with flying colours and received the official stamp of approval!

We taught the children 'jump on it' and it has since become the village dance in my opinion.

Blog entry by Alice

Monday 20 October 2014

Manyenje here we come!

Currently out in Malawi are a group of volunteers from Leighton Park School. Below is their second blog about their experience so far, enjoy!

http://joshuainmalawi.org.uk/volunteer/ 
Today we travelled to the village Manyanje with the young children chasing after the mini-bus as it pulled into the village. This was just the start of probably the best welcome any of us have ever had. 

As soon as we arrived we set up our mosquito nets and went out to play with the children as soon as we could. We blew bubbles for them and played with balloons and the ukulele - the excitement on their faces and their eagerness to gather round you to join in was a really special experience.

Later in the afternoon we had the welcoming ceremony which all the village attended, where we exchanged speeches and watched a traditional Malawian dance. After this was probably the best part of the day when we played football and netball with loads of people from the village and taught the younger children 'swing low' with Adrian. 


The welcome and playing time with the children has summed up why Malawi is the heart of Africa and is something none of us will ever forget. I think it has also made us feel extremely grateful to be here.

Group diary entry by Milli
Find out more about volunteering with Joshua.

Saturday 18 October 2014

Leighton Park school volunteers - Day 1 - The arrival

After less than 24 hours the Malawi team have already formed a strong bond of love.  As a team we made it through the day of travelling and some of us even managed to grab a shared nap (see insert).
As we left the airport building we were swamped by the heat and welcomed by our Inspire leaders. They soon made us feel welcome in Malawi and did well to put up with the tired explorers.
Photo of the day provided by Jo Payne

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Battling Mountains, Rain and Winds of 90mph for Joshua


http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=macontrack&isTeam=true

The weekend before last our crazy Three Peaks team of Andy, Toby, Jess, Joey, Jake, Tom, Chris, Ben and not forgetting the incredible driving Dave, took on the Three Peaks Challenge for Joshua, and boy what a challenge did they face!

Starting out at 6.30am on the Sunday morning they managed to tackle Ben Nevis with a full belly and pretty good weather all things considered. But despite this fabulous start, the British weather began to turn and when they reached the top of Scafell Pike the wind was starting to batter them here there and everywhere.
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=macontrack&isTeam=true 
Determined to continue no matter what they arrived at Snowdon in Wales after hours of driving through the rain and wind they waited two hours before they officially had to abandon the last summit due to 90mph winds, landslides and torrential rain.


We were glad to have them all safely back on terra firma and having had a week to recover we are delighted to share with you the news that the team have raised an incredible £1,602 to help get Mac, Joshua's trustee 4x4 back on track!

A huge thank you to the team, everyone who supported them and everyone who donated to support their crazy challenge - you are Joshua legends!

If you'd like to get involved in a Joshua Challenge check out our Events Page.