I hope that you and everyone at George Watson's are keeping safe and well. I wanted to personally thank you and the school for all your fundraising efforts and activities this year.  It has been an extremely challenging year for us all, and we relied heavily on our loyal supporters to see us through the worst of it. The support we receive from schools is part of the backbone of our organisation, and we would not be able to do what we do without this commitment.  Going forward, I'd love to keep in touch more often and find out how we can better support the school, or get more involved. Hopefully we'll be able to welcome you back to Malawi next year too! The children are now back at school, having all returned by the end of October 2020, and are enjoying a return to their routine. Our lockdown in Malawi has been a success and we are still implementing strict safety measures - the children have made incredible progress with home learning.  To find out more about how we a...

Pupils from George Watson's College are busy rescuing discarded items and carefully bringing them back to life to raise money for Watson's Malawi Partnership.  They have already raised more than £500 from two drums, one now living out its days as a coffee table and the other a wine rack; a coat rack made from old engine parts and a steering wheel redesigned to tell the time. Coming up this month, some teak pens created from the Assembly Hall stage, a shelving unit made from some cable ducting and reclaimed oak and a child's occasional store kindly donated by a Watson's parent. If you'd like to take part in an auction or find out more about the DTE Upcycling Club, take a look at the   DTE Upcycling Club website .

Following the collapse of tourism, unemployed tourism workers are struggling to cope and turning to the mountain's dwindling woodland resources to survive.  The Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust has identified a number of projects that will employ people who have lost their livelihoods to help conserve Malawi's natural resources.  This includes setting up high altitude nurseries operated by hut watchmen.  Thanks to support for Watson's Malawi Partnership, we have been able to help them fund some new seedlings, scheduled for planting in the next couple of months. And all with the assistance of Francis, who will be well-known to anyone who has joined us for one of our annual Malawi visits. We hope to develop our partnership with The Mulanje Mountain Conservation as part of our ambition to offset all WMP-related travel emissions when we can next meet up. As soon as we possibly can.

Allow me to say a huge thank you for the donation you have sent to my school, especially during this hard time of Covid-19.  The schools are reopening this early September and this money is going to help me to purchase some protective equipment for the kids such as masks and soaps. It takes kindness, time and humility to think of us in Malawi and I don't take it for granted. May God bless. Much love, Thom

So far, more than £6000 has been donated from friends and family in Australia, the UK, and around the world for this very worthy cause.  This money has helped to provide playing and coaching equipment for the 'SCORES Queens' - a netball team in Lilongwe, Malawi.  Plans are now underway to support further teams in Lilongwe, Kuti and beyond.     Fundraising continues with the running of the Hackney Half Marathon in May 2021, and more events planned for later in the year. If you would like to know more, take a look at the  Netball for All site .

Thanks to the superb fundraising efforts of the 2019 student group, pictured here, we have been able to continue our support for all our friends in Malawi and help them survive the collapse in tourism brought about by the Covid pandemic.  Over the last few days, Arron & Paul have delivered donations to:    Tom & Petal at Zomba Forest Lodge - see update Charities Clinic  Thom's Colourful Classroom School Rita at Bolero Palms Trinitas Steka MCV Netties Mulanje Conservation Trust Francis, The Chef & Issac.  We also made donations via UK banks to 500Miles & Open Arms.    Everyone has been incredibly grateful for our continued support. 

Need a little Christmas cheer, Malawi style?  Then take a look at these two online gift-shops raising money for Malawi.  Face masks, bunting and beeded decorations from Steka's ETSY shop. And bags of all shapes and colours from Open Arms.  If you are interested in a little browse, click on the links below: STEKASkills gift shop Open Arms gift shop

  We were delighted to learn from Charlie at Open Arms that our solar powered back-up equipment has arrived and is in the process of being installed at Rosie's House and Mangochi Infant House. On the back of Covid-19 and the impact the disease is having on fundraising, Open Arms is having to move towards educating more children in day schools and fewer in boarding houses over the next few years.  In Rosie's House, the solar back-up will allow the charity to reenergise its computing programme - which together with maths and English - is so essential for readying students for employment in Malawi. The rest of the equipment will go to Mangochi Infant House to provide better night-time emergency lighting and run computer support during daytime power outages. Charlie was keen to pass on his thanks to the supporters of Watson's Malawi Partnership, assuring us that the equipment, pictured here with KK, Benson and the local electrician, will enrich lives in Malawi.  For more info...

We were so pleased to be able to catch up with Trinitas from Tina Pads.   It was a huge, beautiful surprise receiving your donation today. The money will be used to purchase fabric to provide pads for around 120 girls, possibly more if all goes well! These will be distributed to girls in the Mzimba District who rarely receive support like this as they are some 800km from Blantyre.  These pads will ensure the girls can continue at school for another two to three years, eliminating absenteeism and sustaining their hunger for education. They bring equality to boys and girls - so thank you very much. Unfortunately, it will take about a month to get the fabric sent in from China as we can't find good fabric in Malawi. It's important the material is durable.  With thanks Trinitas Mhango Kunashe And remember, if you ever wondered how these pads work, watch this video for an explanation from some of our students.

Thanks to Tom and Petal for sending over a highly informative update on Zomba Plateau and thanking us for our donation (delivered by Arran and Paul, pictured with Tom).  In it, they describe the challenge ahead for the fire-fighting teams, progress with the seedlings and provide a picture of the disruption to local business and their own conservation efforts brought about by the collapse in tourism. If you would like to support their virtual Run4Reforestation fundraiser, take a look at their  Just Giving website  for more information and don't forget to send over a photo of yourself. More details in their letter below: To all at George Watson's College and Watson's Malawi Partnership We would like to express a heartfelt thank you for the donation to our TREEZ conservation project. We received your donation from Aaron on Saturday. It is very much appreciated and incredibly well timed as we desperately need to buy more tools for our current fire prevention work.  Fire-...

Abigail is many things - including a survivor of human trafficking and an amazing member of our STEKAskills Dialogue team.   We had the privilege of meeting her at the Watson's Malawi Ceilidh at the end of last year when she joined a team from STEKA to talk to us about their experience. Abigail tells her own story in a film she's edited - which illustrates her own power and resilience as well as the way in which Steka's Dialogue approach builds real trust and relationships.  To find out more go to www.stekaskills.com .

Greetings from Malawi.  I hope this mail finds you well and that God is in control and keeping you well and safe. Here we are fine but with Covid-19, figures are escalating every day and life has become so difficult every day.   There are funerals everyday.  This is to say thank you for the oxygen concentrator. A lot of  heart-felt thanks to you and our friends. The same day the machine arrived, a mother came with a baby with severe pneumonia and we couldn't refer her immediately due to his condition. He was given antibiotics and commenced on oxygen. Two hours later, the baby started breathing well and we saved him. We also received the money you arranged for us to buy some PPE. The money and the machine came at the time of dire need. I thank you so much .We really depend upon you as friends in need.  A lot of regards and best wishes plus hugs from Malawi to you and George Watson Community.

Thank you very much indeed for the donation.  I know that the school has made similar donations to 500 miles in previous years and I believe that they have been made from funds raised by the 6 th form pupils (and their families) and teachers involved in the school’s annual visit to Malawi in October.  I suspected, and Sally Rae confirmed, that this year’s trip will not be able to take place, and so we are all the more grateful that George Watson’s College has been able to make this donation again this year, in all of the prevailing circumstances in Scotland and Malawi, and when it seems that most charitable giving is, quite understandably, focused closer to home. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. I gave you a summary of 500 miles and how we work when I wrote to you in April last year so I will not repeat myself, but I am happy to say that our operations in Malawi and, less so, Zambia are very much ongoing and that every penny of your gift is needed and will go to...

Tristan Weller calls on readers to switch the narrative on Africa and Covid and think instead of Africans as partners, rather than victims.  With the continent accounting for less than 1% of the world's deaths from Covid-19, despite making up 17% of its population, Africa is far from experiencing the exponential growth we are seeing in Europe and America. What is needed is greater cooperation over procurement and the recognition that Africa needs solutions tailored to its own way of life, not simply lifted from the Northern hemisphere.  To read the article in full, click on the link to Scotland's International Development Alliance .

Thanks to Thom from Colourful Classrooms for his update on the situation in Malawi: I know this sounds like an emergency. Things are not well due to pandemic. 82 cases have been found so far, with 4 deaths. School and many businesses are still closed and things are getting worse and worse. People are advised to stay home....and this is very difficult for many people to do without food as you might be aware that many people in Malawi depend on food to mouth/ piecework. I managed to distribute some pails, soaps and food packages to some of my children's parents for them to use in their homes as a way of beating the virus. As you know, most of our students come from poor families. I wish I could reach as many households as I could but the funds couldn't allow me to do so.  I was also wondering if we could install a solar pump on our borehole before the re-opening of schools so that when the kids are back, we could be using taps instead of using the same handle borehole, and...for ...

Earlier this month, one of WMP's committee members got in touch to see how our partners in Zomba are managing the Covid-19 outbreak. Thanks to Tom and Petal for their detailed and moving account of life in the mountains: Dear Sally It is indeed difficult, we are not going to lie! We have kept all our staff on full wages but it is taking its toll. After consulting with the staff, we have decided to re-open on a 50% capacity basis. I think they understand that without the business running, many others are suffering as we have no extra work, we are not buying as much produce (hardly any at all) etc. The trickle down effect from the loss of tourism is huge.  We are not expecting business to be booming any time soon. Most of our resident guests have left so we need to develop a new market for ourselves. The tourism sector in Malawi had lost 35,000 jobs as of April, I am not sure how many it is now. Many lodges have retrenched staff and re-employed on lower wages. Many have not re-employ...

Our thanks to Charlie for this update on how Open Arms is managing in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak:  Mid-March, we introduced a range of measures before taking a unilateral decision to lock-down all Open Arms sites in early April. We have a significant number of babies, children and staff who are HIV+ and for their collective protection, we felt lock-down, although we can ill-afford to do  it, was the safest policy. Our inverters installations have been delayed by the lock-down but we are planning to 're-boot' as soon as possible. Interestingly, staff and babies all seem... happier than usual - something for me to ponder as we drift back into 'normality' at some point. I hope that you are now strong... and hopefully still sane Best regards Charlie You can find out more about how Covid-19 is affecting the children staying at Open Arms by clicking on their website  here .

Our thanks to Charity for her update on how Achikondi Women's Clinic is managing during this time of crisis. Many congratulations on winning the Malawi Broadcasting Innovators Award: Life here is so difficult because of the situation the Corona virus has put us in.  As of now, it's like everything is at a standstill. We are trying as much as possible to follow the guidelines of social distancing, washing hands and so on. As you know, we depend on the community sharing costs but it is very difficult because business is not moving. Having said that we are still working hard and and I have been awarded the Malawi Broadcasting Innovators and Achievers Award. I am hoping against hopes that things will get better so that life may return to normal. I am really looking forward to you continue rendering help to us as we are really struggling. As for the newsletter, I am excited to take part in it.  We are also praying hard.  Best regards, Charity

Open Arms update us on its plans to install two solar/inverter power back-up systems in Mangochi Infant Home and Rosie's House following WMP's decision to approve funding at this week's steering group: Dear Committee of the Watson’s Malawi Partnership, We are delighted to receive confirmation of your approval of our long-term strategic proposal. As ever, thank you for your continued support in our work. We can confirm that, as per our plans for 2020, we will install two solar/inverter power back-up systems. One unit will be installed in Mangochi Infant Home and the other at Rosie’s House Computer Room. We will send you a full update on this activity within 6 months. As noted in our proposal, the power inverters will provide secure power supply for the Mangochi infant home, providing vital early years’ care for up to 40 vulnerable babies, as well as stimulation and learning as they develop into healthy toddlers, washing clothes and nappies, providing light...

The friends and family of Belinda Weller are working through the Watson's Malawi Partnership to extend netball to more women in Malawi.