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