Blog Malawi

One year in Malawi

27.07.2013

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Exactly one year ago, help2kids decided to open a new project in Malawi. It has been a time full of challenges but also compensations. The many volunteers who have joined our organization, from different countries, backgrounds, and with different expectations, know this wonderful country and help us to make little changes among the community in Lifuwu. Here is a short video to relive some of the nice memories, difficult moments, and many laughs, and to say thank you to all who has made this adventure possible.

help2kids_02Lifuwu village is currently on holiday. The students wrote their final exams and a big celebration took place on the last day of school at Kazembe to announce the results. Many of our favourite kids have advanced to the next Standard, and they received money, drinks, and exercise books for their great performance. Those who did not receive sufficient marks will need to repeat the class and study harder next year.  

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Kazembe Primary School will start the next academic year with a new school block, consisting of two new classrooms which will accommodate more than 70 students. Construction began at the beginning of July, and the work has gone by so fast. Everybody has been helping out with it, including a great team of bricklayers, our volunteers, and even the kids, who are happy to give a hand. A big thanks to the sponsoring board of http://www.fabulousfriends.org/  who made the donation for the school block! 

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Another great news concerns the new partnership betweenhelp2kids and Tiyanjane Aids Fighters Malawi, the CBO which runs the nursery school. Starting this month,help2kids will provide the school with the operating costs, learning and teaching materials, and a new school block. More info will come with the next post! The Nursery School is still open, although the attendance is much lower compared to the “hot” months, when our volunteers needed to manage 150 kids! The English lessons our volunteers offer to the local teachers of the nursery are going very well and some more youth from the village have even joined the classes.  

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The fundraising campaign for the clinic is now complete, where our former volunteers Lisa and Tim were able to raise all the money we needed to buy new items for the Health Centre in Lifuwu. A real bless for a small local clinic struggling every day with shortages of even the basic supplies; still, their commitment is very much commendable, and the outreach programme we help them with is just one of the exemplars of good performance in an unpredictable environment.  

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At the Friendly Gecko it is time for some renovations, and our volunteers are painting and decorating the rooms; the evenings are spent with pizza nights, dance performances,and pancakes nights (something else instead?!). During the weekends, exploring the surroundings is always lots of fun. In addition to the by then usual destination of Cape Maclear, our volunteers went for a safari at the Liwonde National Park, the most popular Park in Malawi, offering a wildlife of hippos, elephants, crocodiles as well as an exceptionally diverse birdlife.   

Thank you for following our blog from Malawi.

Have a nice weekend!

Francesca
help2kids Malawi Project Manager