We were delighted to see two of the seven new solar geysers we bought for Open Arms up and operational during our community visit in March, with two more ready for installation in September. With half of all electricity used to heat water for baths, clothes washing, cleaning and feeding 80 children, we are hopeful that Open Arms should now see a dramatic reduction in energy costs. 

In April, we handed over a mobile thermal ablation device to a clinic in Achikondi. It will be used to treat women with cervical abnormalities immediately on detection in a bid to reduce deaths from cervical cancer, currently averaging 1600 every year in Malawi. This life-saving equipment, funded by WMP, was in response to an initiative introduced by Professor Heather Cubie.

Last year, our students donated 2000 seedlings to the Zomba plateau to help offset the carbon footprint caused by their visit. These trees have since been planted, nurtured and protected from poachers by Tom and Petal from the Zomba Forest lodge and can be seen starting to flourish in their care.

Six months after the girls from Bolero Palms and Watson's took on the taboo topic of menstrual cycles, discussing how best to use the reusable pads made by St Columba's Church, we've been back out to check they are working as planned.  Click here to take a look at our video to find out more about how these pads work . And the results of our research suggest they are a great success, keeping the girls at school during their cycle. We're now working on a system to dry the pads discreetly.