NEWS LETTER

UK Registered Charity No: 1084136

Dear Friends and Family Without the continuing support of the British & Foreign School Society, Key Air & Sea Ltd and, of course, our individual donors (some through the Charities Trust and Charities Aid Foundation) and other organisations, it is difficult to imagine what would happen to the many gifts that people in Britain so generously give us each year. Very many thanks to the Finance Ministry in Malawi and the Malawi High Commission in London for enabling the 2007 container to be cleared through customs without delay. The problem was in Mozambique. Key Air & Sea assured us the container would be in Beira on 9 June, but it arrived even earlier on 6 June. We were so excited because the plan was to complete distribution and everything within three months instead of five months as in previous years. For reasons we still fail to understand the container remained in Mozambique for over a month. Even the Malawi High Commission in Mozambique was not given good reason for the delay. This was particularly disappointing because Annie, Thasya, Ben and Jaden Elliott visited Malawi aiming to witness and help with distribution before their return date to London.

September 2007

15 July 2007 about 5am:Container arrives at Nyumba ya Mtende, just four

days after Annie and her family had to leave.

The lorry was so long (probably designed for 40’ containers) it was decided to offload outside the gate.A rubbish pit (since filled over) made it more difficult

for the nice/gentle driver to manoeuvre. The lorryfaces the main road from where it reversed into ours.

Mr Nhlema, the watchman, felt duty-bound to help before going home to “sleep?”

16 July: Community Library committee members sort out the books, etc, ready for distribution.

The items have to be packed into cartons and individually labelled with school names.

Even the SDV Malawi official (above left) joined in.The clearing agent’s representative is helping

Menadi Gondwe, both as volunteers.

Boxes go into the garage temporarily before movingto the resident container at Nyumba ya Mtende.

The bicycles seen inside to the right were donatedby Judy Hamilton. They are doing great work and

we wish we could get some more. The man with the box is Mwiza Gondwe, another volunteer. The one on the left is David (?) Nyasulu; he rode on the side of the

lorry from the Trade Centre giving directions.

Time to relax after the hard work. Newspapers are a rare sight in this part of the globe. Hopefully one day

the Library will have facilities to publish their own. The 2006 Newsletter featured a roofless (after heavy

wind blew it off) building where the Community Library committee keeps books, etc.

Now repaired, the building has always been borrowed from Enukweni Primary School, which uses it for

classes. Very often Library readers have to surrender it for that purpose.

This year we held meetings with chiefs and community leaders, also attended by Annie and Thasya. A decision was made to have a purpose-built Community Library. 43,000 bricks have already been made and the community would be grateful for any donations for the project. Building will start on Walije’s next trip to Malawi next year. Please send any contribution however small to Vinjeru, specifying that the money is for the Enukweni Community Library project. A purpose-built community library will mean all Vinjeru work taking place there instead of Nyumba ya Mtende, which is residential and there is a lot of inconvenience with people (and not all with good intent) constantly coming and going.

Mr Mbale, with some pupils. One girl carried on her head a huge sack full of Irish potatoes for Walije.

Some teachers and school committee members outside Enukweni zone invited themselves to Nyumba ya Mtende before we were ready to distribute. They came from many miles away and we thought it would be unfair to send them back empty handed, so to speak. We let them collect the items but with a warning that next time they would cycle all the way back with nothing. The Mobile Phone: Last year we discovered there was strong network at Kamanda but not a single person in the area had a phone, mobile or not. We promised to donate one. Shortly after Walije arrived in Malawi this year community leaders urged Mr Mwanza, the Head, to make an appointment to collect the phone. The whole community was excited at the prospect of having a phone. That they would have to travel the same distance to charge the phone seemed irrelevant to them. 18 July 2007: Below left Mr Mwanza receives the phone from Mr Hara, coordinator of Enukweni Community Library (ECL), Vinjeru’s partner organisation. Mr Mwanza came with fellow teachers, Mr Kumwenda and Mr Mbale, with some pupils. One girl carried on her head a huge sack full of Irish potatoes for Walije. Some teachers and school committee members outside Enukweni zone invited themselves to Nyumba ya Mtende before we were ready to distribute. They came from many miles away and we thought it would be unfair to send them back empty handed, so to speak. We let them collect the items but with a warning that next time they would cycle all the way back with nothing. The practice of coming uninvited forced us to do the same work several times. It was just as bad as coming later on after the official distribution day had passed, which did happen quite a few times. The teachers and committee members claimed that they got the message after the event. Teachers are advised to collect the goods accompanied by school committee members or other teachers and not individually. A teacher who for the second year running took no notice, and also came uninvited both times, was this year sent away with his bicycle carrier empty. This action penalises the children but it is important. Hopefully in future things will go much more

smoothly. 11 August 2007: official distribution day Reading. All the schools in Engucwini Zone, more than fifteen, will benefit. The Pencil Sharpeners: Mr Francisco Luhanga (Headteacher) and Mr Peter Banda, a teacher, (right of the PEA?) were pleased with the books, pens and pencils that they received for Kasongwe Junior Primary School. However, it appeared they were more excited to have two pencil sharpeners. Demonstrating and laughing, the teachers explained that normally when the pencils got blunt, the children used their teeth to remove the outer part and reveal the bit to write with. The school has over 200 pupils!!! Rukuru Teacher Development Centre (TDC) and Rukuru Community Day Secondary School: Apparently we were wrong to assume that a secondary school needed a computer more than a TDC. The Headteacher politely acknowledged receipt of the computer (letter below) without disclosing that he and the PEA for TDC an arguement about the typewriter, which the PEA promptly started using. Not once but twice, the Headteacher came to complain about retrieving the typewriter, cycling many miles across two rivers, one of them bridgeless. The first time we were away and the second time Walije was home and she immediately got on the phone to the PEA, without saying the teachers were by her side. From what Walije was saying the anxious teachers could tell the PEA agreed to swap. Smiles pervaded their face and the dual sigh of relief was unmistakable.

Some banana boxes labelled andready for transportation to schools.

Mrs Esther C Ng’oma, above left, Primary Education Advisor (PEA) was very happy to receive a duplicating

machine, which was donated bySt Michael & All Angels in Reading.

Pushbikes are very useful in Malawi. Miss Grace Honde, Head of Kanyawazi primary school, desperately needs one. She had to carry her books on her head, husband in tow. Sadly we forgot to take a photo!!!

The majority of the uninvited arrivals at the gate of Nyumba ya Mtende are children after “vidoli” (dolls). Below children from Holera Primary School (invited) are so excited to receive cuddly toys. The ‘vidoli’ included hundreds that were

specially knitted for Vinjeru by the ladies of St Michael & All Angels in Reading.

We try to concentrate on schools in rural areas where the need is greatest but frequently schools in urban areas approach us for help. The next letter is from such a school. The Librarian said his school was in desperate need of books and invited us to visit. Unfortunately there was no time; perhaps next year.

The famous cuddlies and then (below) out camethe pens and pencils, just in case somepeople forgot that school was all aboutthe three Rs and not playing with vidoli.

Two years ago we trusted a prominent person (he had a vehicle) to deliver a computer to Ekwendeni Community Day Secondary (CDSS). We received an acknowledgement letter. Last year Mr Mtete, Headteacher, complained that we did not give his school a computer the school asked for some years back. We told him about the letter we received from his school and published in the 2005 newsletter. Mr Mtete swore the letter could not have come from his school even though he was not the Head then. We believed him, investigated the matter, and ordered the person to deliver the computer forthwith. He did so and Mr Mtete is still very pleased with the computer’s performance. This year we gave Ekwendeni CDSS another computer. The letter that follows is genuine. We collected it from Mr Mtete’s office.

Beneficiaries this Year1. Mtheto Nursery School2. Kachinda Nursery School3. Kambwambwanta Nursery School4. Kayiwonanga Nursery School5. Kavula Nursery School6. Nchuka Nursery School7. Kanyawazi Primary School8. Holera Primary School 9. Katula Primary School10. Kamanda Primary School11. Katokoli Primary School12. St Kizito Primary School13. St Monica Primary School14. Embombeni Primary School 15. Chisangano Primary School16. Enthongeni Primary School17. Kapondelo Primary School18. Engcongolweni Primary School19. Kabanda Primary School20. Emanyaleni Primary School 21. Kamwe Primary School22. Rukuru Primary School23. Kasongwe Primary School24. Elunyeni Primary School

25. Songamino Primary School 26. Luhabani Primary School 27. Malokotera Primary School 28. Chigude Community Library 29. Chimbongondo Community Library 30. Enukweni Community Library 31. Kasuma Community Library 32. Rukuru Teacher Development Centre 33. Engucwini Teacher Development Centre 34. Nthalire Community Day Sec Sch 35. Chitimba Community Day Sec Sch 36. Rukuru Community Day Sec Sch 37. Madise Community Day Sec Sch 38. Engucwini Community Day Sec Sch 39. Thimalara Community Day Sec Sch 40. Jombo Community Day Sec Sch 41. Ekwendeni Community Day Sec Sch 42. St Denis Parish, Rumphi 43. Euthini Government Secondary School 44. University of Livingstonia 45. Malawi Polytechnic, Blantyre (through Wanangwa Mzumara, student)

Some donations were sent to appropriate institutions, such as community-based organisations. Medical books and journals went to Lilongwe Central Hospital. Dr Johnston Kumwenda will collect the remaining medical journals for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre where he works.

Sometimes people in the UK ask us about the AIDS situation in Malawi. This volunteer’s T-shirt displays a message urging parents to keep their promise to stop AIDS. There are many such messages everywhere but how effective they are we do not really know, judging by the number of funerals, even though some of these are not necessarily AIDS-related.We still URGENTLY NEED: Duplicating machines; Typewriters; DICTIONARIES, ATLASES Educational books with pictures Carpentry tools; Sewing machines; Computers, Printers + computer books and software; A four-wheel drive vehicle (or any kind) to help us visit

schools in remote areas; Money donations to have purpose-built accommodation for our partner organisation, (Enukweni Community Library) and for Vinjeru’s use Any unwanted, unlocked, and usable mobile phones for remote areas where communication is almost impossible. These could even save lives; Money, PLEASE, for collection and shipping the donations. We believe we ARE making a (small) difference and are extremely grateful for all your support. Please continue. Vinjeru Education in Malawi cannot survive without you. THANK YOU ENORMOUSLY Board of Trustees: Nick Winterton OBE (Chairman)Alan ElliottMary ChennellSally CollinsIan BateDavid Lansdale (USA) Walije Gondwe (Coordinator) Treasurer: Annie Elliott Contact: Walije GondweTel/Fax 00 44 20 7482 1842Email: donations@vinjerueducationmalawi.comWalije@vinjerueducationmalawi.com