News Update: Malawi January/February 2010

Just before Christmas in 2008, we faced a double-whammy challenge when we were asked to make up a government shortfall in rural Malawi and fund the feeding…for 3 months… of over 400 children at our newly- built Australian Primary School at Nogwe. The global financial crisis (GFC) also struck us hard leaving us short of funds to complete the building of our Australian Secondary School at Nogwe (or The Australian Progressive Academy, as the locals style it!). Happily, an Australian ambassador in Africa donated the money we needed to feed the children and the Australian government’s overseas development agency, AusAID, helped us complete the secondary school construction.

Just before Christmas…2009, we received another double blow that also came right out of the blue!

Following on its recent laudable efforts that lifted examination level results, and in its bid to lift the educational levels of its schoolteachers, and to improve the infrastructure at private secondary schools throughout the nation, the Malawi government authorities embarked on an inspection tour of 1,122 private secondary schools in the run up to Christmas 2009.

The shock result was that 862 secondary schools…over seventy percent… were closed down and 260 had to be re-registered.

Our Australian Secondary School at Nogwe, which had only been opened on April 27, 2009, was also inspected and its managers presented with a lengthy list of demands ranging from the need to build a science block, additional toilets, a back-up water storage system, another six onsite houses for teachers, and to purchase a students transport vehicle, more classroom equipment and hundreds of new text books. The desirability of a wall around an area of the school was also mentioned.

We’ve now built a 2 classroomed science block and funded its equipment needs.;

We also supplied two top class microscopes and a telescope for the science block. A portable DVD player was also added to its resources along with 70 hours of David Attenborough’s acclaimed DVDs, Life on Earth and other titles.

Right on World Water Day, we had a drilling crew onsite at the Australian Progressive Academy to install its own water bore, freeing it from the constraints of a piped supply that had become unreliable, guaranteeing both quality and quantity!

In addition to the recent construction of a kitchen….

The ‘Academy’ now boasts its own fully stocked tuckshop…which also has a guardroom attached!

A proud addition has been the recent construction and equipping of our onsite girls hostel accommodation now accommodating to 50 girls, to ensure their ongoing education which had been threatened by absenteeism and, in some cases, homelessness.

We’ve also bought the Academy a smart 16-seater mini-bus that’ll be used to take students and staff out and about apart from ferrying goods and extra furniture to the school.

Two miles down the road at the Australian Primary School (also built by the Australian AIDS Fund Inc), some of its 600 pupils rushed out to welcome our gift of a petrol generator which will soon illuminate the whole campus in the absence of an electricity supply. The whole school is being wired up!

Extra classrooms are also being built, and teacher housing ,along with other needs such as classroom desks.

The 600 children of the Australian Primary School at Nogwe recently returned to school following their First Term break in February 2010 and sent us this full pictorial report.(Click here to view)

Our Australian Secondary School at Kambona was closed as part of the national survey of private secondary schools. Here the demand was for an onsite water bore to replace a piped system, and the engagement of 3 more senior teachers. We were fortunate here that that the drillers discovered an abundance of good, clean water and this installation has ensured the school’s re-registration.

We have also received an extensive annual report from that partner, covering our many initiatives in the Msema/Kambona area. To read its edited highlights CLICK HERE

The Australian AIDS Fund has also been engaged in adding to the infrastructure of the Australian Primary School at Nogwe, badly in need of extra classrooms, desks and housing. These additions will make a significant improvement to this growing community.

Mobile: 0422 767 441 Email: shonastark@shonadesign.com   Thanks to the fundraising initiative of Australian supporters like Shona Stark and her friends….. who produced a fast-selling Cookbook for the Christmas market, our shrinking financial reserves received an urgently needed boost. World AIDS Day 2010 Calendar United We Stand a Chance   Another active supporter, Antonette Gaffney in Canberra, also rallied support to design and market an AIDS-focussed 2010 calendar which carried some superb photography.   In Uganda, we’ve funded the construction of these two small side-by-side shops…the rental from which will pay for the support of HIV infected teenagers who’ve also lost their parents to AIDS. We also supplied a DVD player and DVD’s to the local support centre.