A recent highlight of the school trip is watching the final of the Belinda Weller annual netball tournament. This is the second year the tournament has run and now includes 16 teams, including the local Belinda Sisters and Kuala Queens. It is played, of course, on the concrete netball courts we helped to build and which have become a magnet for netball lovers across Malawi. Our goal now is to extend the reach of the tournament to as many teams as possible so that more women and girls can enjoy the benefits of netball.

Sarah graduated top of her class and now she's hoping to go to dentistry school. But if it wasn't for sport, she might not have been able to sit her secondary school exams.

  We are pleased to report that the original netball court, completed in 2022 in Kaliyeka, has been restored to full working order. Between the baking sunshine and constant use, the court had picked up a few chips and cracks but thanks to our dream team led by Aaron Nyandeni Jere and Barry Turnbull, the court is as good as new.

Following the success of the first netball court we built in Kaliyeka, we are so proud to announce we have completed a second at Ching'ombe Primary School. Our partners, Netball for All raised the funds to start the the work - a charity set up in memory of Belinda Weller, a netball enthusiast who loved Malawi almost as much as she loved the game! It was fitting then that her family were able to watch both courts in action on the fourth anniversary of Belinda's passing. 

Following the success of Netball for All's court at Kaliyeka Primary School, we are helping to fund a second court at Ching'ombe Primary School. Scarcely a year has passed since the Mayor of Lilongwe officially opened the netball court . It has since then enjoyed constant use - with school girls from the community and many of the national netball teams . Many girls have remained in school longer than they might simply so that they can continue to play for the school netball team. This is why we were delighted to support Netball for All's proposal to build a second court at Ching'ombe. And why Aaron , pictured above signing the build contract, has once again assumed the role of project manager to deliver this much needed community facility. Good luck, Aaron! You can follow the court's progress on Netball for All .

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.

  This week marks the start of the Belinda Weller tournament on the brand new, hard-surface netball court funded by Netball for All.

  What a start to the new year. After many months of hard work from the team on the ground and here in the UK, the new netball court is officially open and ready to go. And what a tribute it is to Belinda, the inspiration behind it all.

  We’ve had a busy few months during lockdown, working to ensure that our projects and support could continue despite the challenges presented by COVID-19.  The team has been meeting regularly – virtually of course! – and we have some exciting updates to share with you.

Captain Baz took us horse racing this week - and all from the comfort of our sofas.

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 .

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 .