August 2008 Newsletter...
Hello again from Malawi!
We are nearly there! Things are looking up in Chisala village and the structures are looking great.
Our labour is working hard to try and finish the school before our inauguration ceremony on Friday 3rd October and we are thrilled to announce that the British High Commissioner will be coming as our Guest of Honour.
We have started the blocks now and are just awaiting some more bricks to get stuck in.
The houses are near completion as they are in the process of being painted, and we are expecting our teachers to move in the next week.
National Education Day
National Education Day was on the 23rd August this year and Happy and Tanya were invited along to attend.
This was the time that all schools in the area got to display their best songs and dances and it was Chisala's debut.
Everyone commented on how smart they were and only had words of praise for the pupils and headmaster who worked hard for the occasion.
The team were very proud to see the school integrated into the community and we hope to see many more events like this in the future.
Library And Playground
Our volunteer, Howard Brewer, has now finally started the library project that has been in the pipeline for a couple of months. A builder by trade, he’s been upgrading the playground and the kids cannot stop playing on it. As you can see by the picture, it’s one of the smartest in Malawi and even has a slide. The concept has caused many stunned faces amongst the community!
The library will be made out of soil and cement bricks (SSB), which are mixed and compressed in a machine to make a solid block and left to cure in the sun for a few weeks. This technique is becoming popular in Malawi as it does not involve burning and so saves many trees as a result. The team are testing it out for future projects to see if it’s cost efficient and effective, as well as environmentally friendly, but we are confident that it will create a solid and beautiful structure that can be repeated elsewhere.
Tiles are also being looked at for the roofing as they make the building cooler and less noisy, but they are expensive. We will keep you posted on this.
If anyone is willing to donate to the library project then please do get in touch with Tanya at the email address below.
The School
We are happy to report that the school will be accepting students from standards 5 to 7 from January next year. We have asked the Government for more teachers and for the official acceptance of the school as a Full Primary rather than a Junior Primary (Standards 1-4). Standard 8 will come out of the younger years as the Government prefers to do this as it’s less disruptive for students coming over from other schools.
Football And Netball Tournament
Chisala had its first annual Football and Netball tournament on Saturday 30th August and it was a huge success. Organising eight football teams and five netball teams is not an easy task, especially when the system is a new one to most people.
Although there was confusion and some hiccups, the day went remarkably smoothly. Here are the results:
Football
1st - Chicago
2nd - Ntchezi
3rd - Bafana
4th - Copa
5th - Mang'ongo
6th - Unkown
7th - Kalulu
8th - Simba
Netball
1st - Copa
2nd - Simba
3rd - Mang'ongo
4th - Bafana
5th - Kalulu
Every team who participated got a ball and pump and a cash prize, which meant that emotions were running high. The netball teams also got a uniform set (bibs and skirts) made by our local tailor and the project sponsored this.
We had some other sponsors from Mzuzu that donated some money and there were some great prizes on offer, including phones, sim cards, caps and bags.
For the community, this was a big deal and everyone learned something from the day. The national newspaper, The Nation, came along to review it and wrote two articles about the project and the tournament. You can check it out on our website at www.buildmalawi.org.
Desks
We are still making desks on-site and they are looking great. We always need more funds for this purpose as labour and materials are expensive, even though we are getting a very good deal for them. The total so far is 60 and we are trying to make 120 in total in four phases.
Nkhwazi Eco-Lodges
An exciting bit of news is that Tanya has decided to stay in Malawi to pursue her own business there with her partner, Francois Hudson. They have bought as lodge on Lake Malawi and will also pursue more development projects across Malawi next year.
This is an exciting development for them and of course, for all you visitors out there who want to come along for a relaxing holiday!
The website www.necolodges.com will be up very soon!
Contact
To contact Tanya in Malawi, please email buildmalawi@hotmail.co.uk.
Individual emails for our UK team feature on the Contact page at www.buildmalawi.org.
Phone in Malawi
+265 (0)8 152 020
+265 (0)9 600 734
We keep our website regularly updated with news, pictures and videos that are linked to Youtube. Please do keep checking these out as they provide rare insights to life out here in our remote village.
Tanya also writes blogs on her adventures out in Malawi at www.myspace.com/buildmalawi and one has just been put up, so feel free to have a read.
As always, thank you all for your continued support and feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone who may be interested in our endeavours out in Malawi.
Best Wishes,
The Build Malawi Project Team
