April update and appreciation for Race Night returns
Dear friends and members of the Watson Malawi Partnership and the George Watson’s College community,
We were delighted to receive your recent donations following your virtual ‘Race Night’ in March 2021. You raised approximately £4,000, which is a fantastic sum in support of our vulnerable children and communities in Malawi, and we are grateful for your efforts and dedication.
I hope you’ll enjoy hearing some of our latest news from Malawi, as in spite of the difficult conditions we have operated within over the last year, a couple of our children have successfully been able to reintegrate with their communities and return home after thorough assessments, including Blessings and Yankho.
We also welcomed a new baby, Shadreck Benson I pictured above), who was born on the 4th April 2020 and who comes from Simon Village, T/A Nankumba, Mangochi District. His mother had passed away from high blood pressure on the 21st November 2020, and after his aunt was no longer able to care for him, he was referred to our Open Arms Mangochi Infant Home.
February and March are usually difficult months in the context of food security in Malawi. With Malawi’s agricultural economy largely reliant on the maize crop, which is harvested in late-March and April, the beginning of the year can often see a cyclical food shortage. This year, the pre-harvest season was especially difficult in light of Covid-19. The reduction in economic activity due to lockdown conditions meant that many Malawians who rely on income generated through daily work of casual self-employment did not have these opportunities. Many of the babies that are referred to Open Arms come from families in situations like these, and our outreach work is dedicated to supporting them. With funding, we were fortunate to be able to provide temporary nutritional support to the most food insecure 30% of households, in an attempt to assist until the harvest becomes available.
The pre-harvest season also brings the recognition that it has been a year since we first wrote about Covid-19 in Malawi. The first cases were confirmed in April and schools were shut, and there was a slow rise in infections and deaths until August, when the rates began to drop. Schools re-opened in September, and until Christmas, Malawi saw very few cases. A second wave, however, brought around 1,000 new infections and 30 daily deaths in early February. Schools were closed again, and the Government of Malawi issued strong reminders about the basic safety measures, such as hand-washing and mask-wearing. Numbers have since dropped. A number of factors have contributed to this decrease, though the impact was felt across the country, especially with no furlough scheme or income support.
The tourism and arts-based industries have particularly suffered. The Government of Malawi have responded by raising the minimum wage by over 40%, and they have more than doubled the income at which employees start to pay PAYE. In the UK, this is roughly equivalent to raising the minimum wage from £9 to £16 per hour, and raising the tax-free allowance for employees to £30,000. Vaccines have also arrived in Malawi, and health-workers, teachers and the elderly are amongst the first to be vaccinated.
We will continue to feel the repercussions of Covid-19 in Malawi for many years. We are deeply grateful for the support you have provided as we continue to navigate the challenges that have passed, and those to come. Hosting community-oriented events, such as the Race Nights, provide an invaluable source of support for our work and the children and communities who rely on us.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our work.
Warm regards,
Grace and the Open Arms Malawi
team
