Latest Newsletter - Early 2017
Please find a copy of our latest Newsletter as a PDF download below.
Please find a copy of our latest Newsletter as a PDF download below.
| MEL newsletter - spring 2017.pdf |
Boreholes & Wells
This year has also seen us break new ground (in both senses of the phrase!). Working together with Micro Well to start two borehole and crop cultivation projects. In the last month Kasweswe village and Chitedze village have each gained a borehole with AfriDev pump. Micro Well funded the drilling (£2300 per borehole). MEL, through raffling a rare military watch belonging to my father, funded the two pumps (£460 each) and the concrete ‘aprons’ (+/-£100 each) that surround the pump.
This year has also seen us break new ground (in both senses of the phrase!). Working together with Micro Well to start two borehole and crop cultivation projects. In the last month Kasweswe village and Chitedze village have each gained a borehole with AfriDev pump. Micro Well funded the drilling (£2300 per borehole). MEL, through raffling a rare military watch belonging to my father, funded the two pumps (£460 each) and the concrete ‘aprons’ (+/-£100 each) that surround the pump.
The journey to water
To really understand the massive difference these pumps have made to the lives of people in these pilot villages, we need to live a day in the life of one of the village women: the working day is always long and hard, but this year’s meagre rainy season has meant that hand-dug wells, rivers have long dried up by June. She must therefore wake at about 3am to join the procession to the nearest muddy puddle or trickle in a stream.
After about an hour’s walk, she’ll reach the source where she’ll join a queue to fill buckets. The puddle empties quickly, so she may well have a wait of some hours until she has enough for the daily needs. She and her family will have the risk of disease from these muddy puddles. Streams and puddles are used by animals as well, plus the risk of meeting wild animals along the way. Then there’s the hour’s walk back to her village, with a day’s chores ahead of her. 10 villages are in a similar predicament with nothing capable of providing enough water for the villagers to drink.
Not surprisingly this drought has meant a shortage of food: the price of 50kgs of maize has rocketed from about £5 to £18 when available. Other food is also in short supply. Kasweswe and Chitedze villages now have safe and plentiful water. Freeing up the women’s time and energy. Also providing this water means that the communities can grow a second food crop immediately, not having to wait for the unpredictable arrival of the rains (perhaps early December). MEL has with the remainder of the watch raffle funds extended managed loans to these pilot villages so that they have the money to buy seeds and fertiliser.
Kasweswe and Chitedze villages were chosen as pilots for very special reasons. Juisa in Kasweswe village already grew a diverse range of vegetables - when he could find enough water! He has the knowledge and skills to pass on this diversity to other villages in time. Chitedze village has Royle, an educated ex-primary teacher who unites his community. He has already shown initiative and reliability in leading his fellow villagers. Donors also funded his participation in a beekeeping course so that his community can start this venture. He has skills and experience to exchange with the Kasweswe village and others.
Juisa’s villagers have cultivated a sizeable plot around their new pump, with about twelve different varieties of vegetables in the seedling stage. These can be seen is the picture (above and left) around the new pump in the background.
Ngala FP and Mtupe
Our summer schedule of building work is almost complete, with Ngala FP School setting a new trend of semi-detached teachers’ houses. This is partly funded by specific donors and the remainder coming from general MEL fundraising. Mtupe School has gained a new double classroom block: it’s in an area where rice cultivation has expanded recently, thereby increasing the school population and the need for more classrooms. These are just 2 of the 4 classes learning under trees before our arrival.
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Mtetezga
Our third building project this year was the completion of Mtetezga’s classroom block. This is in a particularly remote location, meaning Moffat has to travel one day just to reach the school. The community is a very strong one so all has gone well. You can see the old ‘classrooms’ alongside our new pair. Breezeblock windows to be completed shortly.
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Sponsor a student today Our sponsorships continue with your support but we are always looking for new people who would like to help sponsor someone’s education. Lettina Khonje, our blind 8-year-old, continues to thrive in Nkhotakota Special School, now even able to go and fetch water from the distant borehole in her village, such is her improved confidence. Mphatso and Jessie have just graduated from Nkhata Bay Secondary School. Both will do voluntary work until they can apply for college places. Jess’ sponsorship through Teacher Training College is guaranteed, but Mphatso needs funding to pursue the course he wants in Clinical Medicine, specialising in HIV/AIDs. If you can help, please get in touch! Maggret Mudyanaye (pictured) is revelling in her nursing course, thanks to generous sponsorship. Her gratitude is in every text she sends me! Other ‘sponsees’ are awaiting exam results to see if they merit further sponsorship. We have many deserving students. We’re also continuing to support albinos, with 14 on our ‘books’ now. Thanks, probably, to our ‘sensitisation campaign’ in the community, there have been none of the attacks you may have read about, in our area. Hospitals and clinics are unable to provide any of the more advanced treatment needed by albinos with skin lesions of various types, but by providing sun creams, hats, sunglasses, and protective clothing, if applicable, we’re seeing babies & young children with fewer worrying skin blemishes; just the education of parents is helping here. We’re able to do this because of continued donations, for which, many thanks. |
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