After two weeks in Malawi with the GWC 2024 school trip, Duncan was keen to return the minute school was over.  So here he is now, working for Rita at Bolera Palms Primary School on Lake Malawi and he has just enough time to share a few words about this experience so far! If you know someone who might be interested in a gap year in Malawi,  get in touch >> Returning to Malawi to live and work in a rural community seemed a natural next step after the school trip in 2024. Now, the pace is marked by the day-to-day rhythm of life rather than a series of highlights. It has been a privilege working at Bolera Palms School, teaching everything from maths and English to art and dance. Visiting nearby state funded schools has made clear just how standout Bolera Palms is by comparison, with its consistent teaching and opportunities clearly reflected in pupils’ confidence, literacy and enthusiasm for learning.  Outside school hours brings the opportunity to participate i...

When one of our students learned that John Swinney was in Malawi at the same time as our trip, they invited him along to our parents’ evening to swap stories. The First Minister had visited Malawi to mark the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s historic Cooperation Agreement with the country. And he was so bowled over by his own experience there, he did just that! Here he is at GWC, taking the time to talk to students and enjoy some of their photos. After praising the presenters and identifying with many of the positive impressions of Malawi that they had shared, the First Minister told the students: “I’ve experienced lots of things in my political life…but nothing has had the effect on me that my trip to Malawi did – nothing.” Mr Swinney said that he had been thinking hard about why that was, venturing: “…it’s possibly that despite the hardship…despite the acutely more difficult challenges that people in Malawi face, there is something still in that human spirit…the joy of interaction...

We very much enjoyed our tour of the new facilities which now include a sewing workshop and a beauty therapy and a hair salon supported by Charlie Miller. Mr Sanderson, pictured here, was quick to take advantage!

Tom's new school vegetable garden is such a success he's building a new wall to protect the produce.  He's also taking the opportunity to improve the playground and freshen up the walls at Colourful Classrooms Nursery School in Mangochi. Looks like everyone wants to help out!   Despite all the work going on around them, the children clearly love getting involved, learning and playing as they go!   See their progress for yourselves in this short  video clip!

In October 2024, the 10th Malawi trip set off on the 18,000 mile round trip to the ‘warm heart of Africa’.  Fern Graham, one of the students, captures some of the highlights of the trip for us.

  During our visit to Thom's Colourful Classrooms in October, we learned of Thom's plans to build his own solar powered irrigation system to grow food for the school children. There are now nearly 200 children of nursery school age who depend on Thom's school to eat so we were only too pleased to help him with the costs.  This week, we we were so pleased to learn Thom's plan is taking shape at pace! Thank you for your kind message I'm always grateful to hear from you 😊   We are all doing just fine And our school garden has just begun.We have planted some maize as we are in rain season.  Many thanks to GWC for the support 🙏 May God bless you all 🙌 .  We managed to purchase a tank and pump and installation is in process. We hope to make it ready by the end of the rain season.  I have just realized that a fence wire is also needed in order to protect our pipes from being vandalized and our plants from being damaged by cows, goats and chickens. And  ask...

In March, the Scotland Malawi Partnership hosted its annual Youth Festival, encouraging its youngers members to reflect on their relationship with Malawi and consider what Global Citizenship means to them. The SMP believes school partnerships can have a profoundly beneficial impact for young people in both countries, widening perspectives and developing life-long skills. Millie Crowe was with a number of our students who visited Malawi last year and took part in the Youth Festival. A highlight was talking Princess Anne through a poster they had designed to promote the power of partnership between our two nations, as she explains in her article for George Watson's College : The Scotland Malawi Partnership is an incredible initiative which raises awareness and encourages support to reduce poverty in Malawi. This year, I was fortunate enough to visit the country and engage with our partner schools which proved to be an enlightening and poignant experience. Our time at MCV Secondary Sc...

Every Easter, Sally takes a group of adults to Malawi to meet our partners and experience their work alleviating poverty among young people in the region.  This year, it was the turn of Veronica, Viv and Joan and nothing could prepare them for the brute devastation of tropical cyclone Freddy, one of the worst storms to hit the southern hemisphere.

  And in the blink of eye, it's all over! But for the 44 students - and nine members of staff who accompanied them - this trip marks the  start of a whole new love affair with Malawi and our partners there.

Earlier this month, Sally Rae joined the board of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, an organisation that aims to build connection and collaboration between these two long-affiliated nations.   Sally was recruited for her experience of working with young people sharing an interest in Malawi. She has organised every school trip since she conceived the idea, back in 2012, with Richard Travers. Since then, the Malawi school trip has doubled in size and become an annual fixture in the Watson's calendar.  If you'd like to know more about the work of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, click here: Our board | Scotland Malawi Partnership (scotland-malawipartnership.org)  

As part of the Junior School's focus on COP26 summit, Primary 6 children worked with Petal from Zomba TREEZ to understand more about climate crisis and its effect on Malawi in particular. 

As part of the Sustainability Series organised by George Watson's College, Tracy Morse shares her experience tackling public health in poorer countries. 

On Thursday, 4 November, some of our students  attended the Climate Cooperation event hosted by the Scotland Malawi Partnership and had the honour of meeting His Excellency President of Malawi Dr Lazarus Chakwera. 

Elaine Thow has been busy over lockdown making beautiful new dresses and shorts for the children at Thom's Colourful School and Open Arms Nursery. Now retired from George Watson's College primary school, Elaine has recycled some of the curtains and bedsheets you have donated into 140 sets of new school uniform and decorated them with ribbons and colourful pockets. Too often, a lack of clothing prevents children from attending school in Malawi so these clothes will be invaluable. Thank you Elaine!  We can't wait to take them out to Malawi, once restrictions allow.

Many thanks to Aaran and Paul for delivering essential personal protective equipment to our three partner schools in Mangochi: MCV, Bolera Palms and Thom's Colourful Classrooms.

With covid case numbers out of control and the vaccine a long way off, schools have closed once again.  The steering group is holding an extraordinary meeting to review available funding and see how we can extend our help on the back of updates like this one that we received from Thom's Classroom this week: I hope that this message finds you well.  It has been so confusing and hard to cope with the new cases of Covid-19 and alarming rise in deaths that have come with this  second wave of the pandemic in Malawi. Last week, two cabinet ministers succumbed to the disease which has so far claimed 285 lives as of last week only. Meanwhile, the schools are closed again and there are some crucial measures in place to follow. This is really hard times for my students especially  those who come from the poorest families... who cannot afford to buy some protective materials to protect themselves while they are at home.  If there is any way you help these little chil...

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

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.

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 .

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 ...