CO-OPERATIVE TO SPONSOR MALAWI TEST SERIES

SUPERLEAGUE sponsor The Co-operative has agreed to back the Malawi test series.

The Co-op will be the headline sponsor of the three match test series between England and world number five Malawi, which takes place in Sheffield, Coventry and Wembley next week.

A spokeswoman for the company said: “We’ve already fostered strong Fairtrade links with Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, so it seems natural to be taking the naming rights for the forthcoming series.

Malawi’s netballers were one of the sensations of the 2007 Netball World Championships, wowing the crowds with their unique playing style and infectious sense of humour.

Coming from one of the poorest nations in the world, the netball squad, dubbed the “Malawi Queens”, are famous in their home country where they are role models for women and girls to whom they teach health education.


ENGLAND V MALAWI: Sheffield Hallam Arena on 14 April, the Coventry Skydome on 16 April and London’s Wembley Arena on 18 April.

Pupils take the lead and raise Malawi cash

PUPILS from St Joseph's RC Primary School in Saughton Road have raised £150 for a partner school in Malawi as part of their African Fortnight.

The school also organised a "pencil drive" to collect writing implements to send to Lullindo Full Primary School in Malawi.

The school was split into teams, with one coordinating fundraising and the other collecting pencils.

The pencil drive managed to gather more than 200 pencils for Malawian children, while a Lion King themed goodie bag was used to bring in the money.


The full article contains 95 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.

Pupils take the lead and raise Malawi cash

PUPILS from St Joseph's RC Primary School in Saughton Road have raised £150 for a partner school in Malawi as part of their African Fortnight.

The school also organised a "pencil drive" to collect writing implements to send to Lullindo Full Primary School in Malawi.

The school was split into teams, with one coordinating fundraising and the other collecting pencils.

The pencil drive managed to gather more than 200 pencils for Malawian children, while a Lion King themed goodie bag was used to bring in the money.


The full article contains 95 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.

Malawi jails former minister for corruption

A court in Malawi handed down a six-year prison sentence on Tuesday to a former minister over corruption charges dating back 14 years, officials said.

Former education minister Sam Mpasu stood accused of having received kickbacks for awarding a British company a deal to provide Malawi with millions of notebooks and pencils.

"It was clear that Mpasu cut corners to illegally award a contract to the British firm," said magistrate Chifundo Kachale.

"He [Mpasu] and others benefited from the irregular deal," Kachale told a packed courtroom in the administrative capital, Lilongwe.

The materials were meant for a free primary-school programme introduced in 1994 by the corrupt administration of former president Bakili Muluzi, which ended in 2004.

Court officials said that Mpasu, who once served as the country's parliamentary speaker and was an outspoken aide of Muluzi's, smiled and waved as he was led to a police vehicle by prison guards.

"I am suffering for bringing free primary-school education to Malawi," a court clerk said he heard him shouting.

Artwork shows slice of life in Malawi

WIDI Banda came to Geelong to visit friends but ended up creating a series of watercolour paintings for a fundraising exhibition.

The 21-year-old from Malawi has captured the flavour of daily life in his landlocked home country in the series of abstract pictures.

All proceeds from sales will be donated to the Mphatso Children's Foundation, created by Geelong West woman Robyn Casey.

Mr Banda is from the village of Kande, where Ms Casey works with the organisation.

She has dedicated more than three years to helping poor families, children and orphans in Malawi, including running a porridge program which feeds 900 children, student sponsorships, and a community garden program.

The exhibition will be held on Sunday, April 20, from 2-4pm at The Wave in Ocean Grove.