Drumming up support to ensure church CD helps Malawi orphans

A GENEROUS sponsor is needed to help an East Kilbride church make sweet music in Africa.

The congregation and organisations attached to the West Kirk in the Village are planning to make a CD to mark the 60th anniversary of East Kilbride’s designation as a new town. And they will use the money they raise to help villagers in Malawi.

The plan is to raise up to £5000 to build a clinic in Kapnda Village, refurbish the local school and, excitingly, create a farm with cows, goats and chickens. Currently, about 480 orphans live in the village.

They are being looked after by the minister and villagers and it is hoped that the farm will make them self-sufficient for food and give them an income through selling their surplus to Kamuzu College of Nursing, who will buy it for its students.

The principal of the college has already pledged that she will give them a contract for this, and an additional benefit will be that her students will be carrying out work in the village and, hopefully, will be bringing health benefits to the orphans as well as the mums and babies living there.

Work on the CD, which includes a selection of Christmas carols sung by members of the West Kirk congregation, the Boys’ Brigade, Girls’ Brigade, Guides, Brownies, choir and other church organisations, is well underway.

It is hoped 500 copies will be available for sale, priced £10 each, in the autumn.

However, so that every penny raised by the sale of the CD can go to the African project, the church is hoping a sponsor — or sponsors — will help them with the cost of licensing, producing and printing the CD. This is expected to be, in total, about £1000.

Lorna Sankey, a spokeswoman for the congregation, said: “We think the project in Kapnda Village is a very worthwhile one.

“It will make a huge difference to the people living there.

“We hope there are companies or other organisations out there who will agree with us and will help us raise the cash to make it possible by sponsoring some or all of the CD production costs.

“Anyone who does will have their contribution acknowledged on the CD cover.”

Any company or organisation willing to help can contact Lorna on East Kilbride 571479.