Botswana has not lost its seeding in this year's COSAFA Cup, the organisers have clarified.
The COSAFA office has put to rest reports that Botswana's slump in soccer rankings has resulted in Malawi taking its place in the seedings for the annual regional competition.
This means that the Zebras remain seeded and will play in the quarterfinals and not the preliminary stages. On Monday, there were media reports in Botswana and Malawi that the Zebras lost their seeding and will now play in the preliminary stages of the COSAFA Cup against Namibia, Madagascar, Lesotho, Seychelles, Mauritius and Comoros. This was because Malawi are ahead of the Zebras in the latest FIFA rankings. But the organisers of the tournament reinstated the Zebras among the seeded sides based on the FIFA rankings at the time when the invitations were extended to participating countries.
COSAFA executive secretary, Ashford Mamelodi said a decision was reached on Monday night that the Zebras remain among the seeded countries as per the April rankings when the invitations were extended. "The organising committee revisited the issue but after some deliberations, it was agreed that we stick with the initial plan which had Botswana amongst the six seeded countries. Obviously, Malawi will not be impressed by the decision but at times, we have to take such decisions," said Mamelodi yesterday.
Information reaching Mmegi Sport indicates that some people argued that if the draw was made based on FIFA rankings, then Malawi's Flames have to be seeded ahead of the Zebras. According to the latest FIFA rankings, Botswana are ranked 33rd in Africa, while Malawi are 29th. But at the time when COSAFA sent out invitations, Malawi were 38th while Botswana were 32nd, hence the decision to seed the Zebras ahead of the Flames.
Botswana Football Association (BFA) chief executive officer, Tosh Kgotlele said that they are happy that COSAFA has reverted to their original plan. "When I heard that we would play in the preliminaries, I was shocked as to why they had to change their original plan.
There was no point of changing because at the time they were using April rankings.
But I am happy that they had to stick with the original plan which means we will leave for South Africa on July 24 (for the quarters)," he said. Kgotlele was worried that the reports of the changes will disturb the plans of the Zebras coach Stanley Tshosane. This is because after the statement was released that the Zebras will play in the preliminaries, the team was supposed to go into camp today.
Tshosane will now have a chance to look at some of the Under-23 players and determine whether they can compete at a higher level. It is expected that the coach will make several changes in the COSAFA team as he tries to prepare the Zebras for the remaining 2010 World Cup/African Nations Cup qualifiers. Zebras take on Madagascar in Antananarivo in September before finishing the qualifiers against Mozambique in Gaborone the following month. Zebras are placed second in Group Seven with five points from four games behind favourites Ivory Coast, who have eight points.
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
£1,000 raised for Malawi peers
Children from St Ronan's PS, Lisnaskea have raised £1,000 from a raffle to help an Enniskillen-based retired paediatrician, Dr John Phillips coordinate the fight against Burkitt's Lymphoma in Malawi.
The disease, which is fatal if left untreated, is found among young children and affects mainly the face and abdomen, disfiguring both. It then spreads all over the body, and is caused by malaria.
Dr Phillips, who visited the school to receive his cheque, showed the children 'before and after' slides and hard cope prints of lymphoma-affected children and, how with surgery and drugs, they can regain their normal looks.
He told the 'Herald' that the £1,000 represented six months' salary for one of the enrolled nurses in the hospital in Lilongwe where he once operated and which he is in daily direct contact.
"The fund-raising is going OK at the moment', he said, "It's quite good. My problems is getting things to happen over there, for instance transferring money. Is the incidence of Burkitt's Lymphoma on the decrease? - Long-term, one hopes so if they can control malaria but, at the moment, it's flourishing".
Pictured right is the Principal of St Ronan's, Teresa Murray showing pupils where Malawi is.
The disease, which is fatal if left untreated, is found among young children and affects mainly the face and abdomen, disfiguring both. It then spreads all over the body, and is caused by malaria.
Dr Phillips, who visited the school to receive his cheque, showed the children 'before and after' slides and hard cope prints of lymphoma-affected children and, how with surgery and drugs, they can regain their normal looks.
He told the 'Herald' that the £1,000 represented six months' salary for one of the enrolled nurses in the hospital in Lilongwe where he once operated and which he is in daily direct contact.
"The fund-raising is going OK at the moment', he said, "It's quite good. My problems is getting things to happen over there, for instance transferring money. Is the incidence of Burkitt's Lymphoma on the decrease? - Long-term, one hopes so if they can control malaria but, at the moment, it's flourishing".
Pictured right is the Principal of St Ronan's, Teresa Murray showing pupils where Malawi is.
In making change, they are changed themselves
Program matches skills of volunteers with needs in developing countries
Don Mercer has a rough idea of what he's in for when he arrives in Malawi in a couple of weeks. He knows he'll be working with farmer co-operatives to make their food processing systems more efficient.
Or maybe drying coffee beans.
Or maybe tea leaves.
Beyond that, he's not quite sure, but he's up for anything. As a volunteer with the fast-growing Leave for Change program, it's all part of the job.
"You have to be thinking on your feet all the time," the University of Guelph professor says.
Mercer is one of 100 people, up from just 25 last year, taking part in Leave for Change, a three-year-old program that began in Quebec and is now spreading across Canada thanks to funding from the Canadian International Development Agency.
Forty of the 100 spots this year are still available, says manager Agnès van't Bosch, who is travelling across Canada to promote Leave for Change.
Program volunteers give up two to four weeks of their vacation to work in developing countries across Africa and Asia. Their employers pay $5,000 of their travel costs.
A key aspect of the program is that volunteers take the abilities they use on the job in Canada and apply them abroad, van't Bosch says.
"It's a unique program," she says. "They use their own knowledge and skills."
In Mercer's case, that means taking his expertise in food processing and working with farmers in Malawi to make their systems more efficient so less food is wasted.
If he does end up working with tea or coffee, he says his work will make the products more competitive on the international market.
The program addresses more than market issues, however. Karyn Freedman, a philosophy professor and gender violence researcher at Guelph, leaves for Botswana in September to work with the activist group Women Against Rape.
"One of the things I can bring them is a sense of the universality of sexual violence," says Freedman.
In doing so, she says, she hopes to break the sense of isolation such groups often feel, and to help them fight the stigma attached to violence against women.
"The stigma and taboo around violence against women, particularly sexual violence, is the greatest impediment to doing something about it," says Freedman, herself a victim of rape. "I bring both a personal and a professional understanding to the issue."
Mercer has been emailing the people he'll be working with, but communications with Africa are often difficult. That's why he's taking to heart advice from Leave for Change organizers to be flexible. For now, he's not even sure where he'll be staying in Malawi.
"That will be one of the first big surprises when I arrive," he says in a phone interview from his university office in Kemptville.
Program veteran Michael Gregson, a salesperson with pharmaceutical company Abbott Canada, says many surprises await first-timer volunteers like Mercer.
For Gregson, the biggest surprise was how inspired he was by the HIV/AIDS group he worked with the past two summers in Malawi. The former teacher helped the group spread awareness about the disease, speaking to village community groups and school children.
"Even though HIV/AIDS is quite widespread, awareness is really quite low," he says.
About three-quarters of the activists he worked with have HIV/AIDS themselves, he says, and little money to live on. But despite their own desperate conditions, they are committed to their cause.
"They are helping others, and barely have enough for themselves," he says with awe.
Their determination to continue their work inspired him to do more on his return to Canada. In the past two years, he has held several fundraisers with other Leave for Change volunteers, raising more than $40,000 to send back to Malawi.
The money has not only funded the groups' awareness campaigns and medical clinics, but also set up a hatchery and a pig farm. The simple operations produce food for AIDS patients, while providing a source of revenue for the clinics.
Gregson's next goal is to raise money for an AIDS outpatient clinic at a Malawi hospital. His employer will match funds he raises.
"We thought the best thing we could do was help them help themselves," he says.
Van't Bosch says it is common for volunteers to return home feeling inspired to do more.
"They all come back saying they've learned at least as much, if not more, than they gave," she says.
Learning for Change works with agents on the ground in developing countries to determine what sort of expertise is needed. The program then puts out a call for experts on its website, uniterra.ca, and sorts through the list of volunteers to match skills with needs.
"It's a very field-driven program," she says, adding that volunteers need to respect traditional ways of doing things while abroad.
All volunteers get two days of training on what to expect and cultural sensitivity. The spots still available this year range from agriculture to website development, reflecting the diversity of needs in developing countries.
Freedman says the name of the program, Leave for Change, reflects the program's essential character.
"You leave to effect change, but in the process, you are changed."
Don Mercer has a rough idea of what he's in for when he arrives in Malawi in a couple of weeks. He knows he'll be working with farmer co-operatives to make their food processing systems more efficient.
Or maybe drying coffee beans.
Or maybe tea leaves.
Beyond that, he's not quite sure, but he's up for anything. As a volunteer with the fast-growing Leave for Change program, it's all part of the job.
"You have to be thinking on your feet all the time," the University of Guelph professor says.
Mercer is one of 100 people, up from just 25 last year, taking part in Leave for Change, a three-year-old program that began in Quebec and is now spreading across Canada thanks to funding from the Canadian International Development Agency.
Forty of the 100 spots this year are still available, says manager Agnès van't Bosch, who is travelling across Canada to promote Leave for Change.
Program volunteers give up two to four weeks of their vacation to work in developing countries across Africa and Asia. Their employers pay $5,000 of their travel costs.
A key aspect of the program is that volunteers take the abilities they use on the job in Canada and apply them abroad, van't Bosch says.
"It's a unique program," she says. "They use their own knowledge and skills."
In Mercer's case, that means taking his expertise in food processing and working with farmers in Malawi to make their systems more efficient so less food is wasted.
If he does end up working with tea or coffee, he says his work will make the products more competitive on the international market.
The program addresses more than market issues, however. Karyn Freedman, a philosophy professor and gender violence researcher at Guelph, leaves for Botswana in September to work with the activist group Women Against Rape.
"One of the things I can bring them is a sense of the universality of sexual violence," says Freedman.
In doing so, she says, she hopes to break the sense of isolation such groups often feel, and to help them fight the stigma attached to violence against women.
"The stigma and taboo around violence against women, particularly sexual violence, is the greatest impediment to doing something about it," says Freedman, herself a victim of rape. "I bring both a personal and a professional understanding to the issue."
Mercer has been emailing the people he'll be working with, but communications with Africa are often difficult. That's why he's taking to heart advice from Leave for Change organizers to be flexible. For now, he's not even sure where he'll be staying in Malawi.
"That will be one of the first big surprises when I arrive," he says in a phone interview from his university office in Kemptville.
Program veteran Michael Gregson, a salesperson with pharmaceutical company Abbott Canada, says many surprises await first-timer volunteers like Mercer.
For Gregson, the biggest surprise was how inspired he was by the HIV/AIDS group he worked with the past two summers in Malawi. The former teacher helped the group spread awareness about the disease, speaking to village community groups and school children.
"Even though HIV/AIDS is quite widespread, awareness is really quite low," he says.
About three-quarters of the activists he worked with have HIV/AIDS themselves, he says, and little money to live on. But despite their own desperate conditions, they are committed to their cause.
"They are helping others, and barely have enough for themselves," he says with awe.
Their determination to continue their work inspired him to do more on his return to Canada. In the past two years, he has held several fundraisers with other Leave for Change volunteers, raising more than $40,000 to send back to Malawi.
The money has not only funded the groups' awareness campaigns and medical clinics, but also set up a hatchery and a pig farm. The simple operations produce food for AIDS patients, while providing a source of revenue for the clinics.
Gregson's next goal is to raise money for an AIDS outpatient clinic at a Malawi hospital. His employer will match funds he raises.
"We thought the best thing we could do was help them help themselves," he says.
Van't Bosch says it is common for volunteers to return home feeling inspired to do more.
"They all come back saying they've learned at least as much, if not more, than they gave," she says.
Learning for Change works with agents on the ground in developing countries to determine what sort of expertise is needed. The program then puts out a call for experts on its website, uniterra.ca, and sorts through the list of volunteers to match skills with needs.
"It's a very field-driven program," she says, adding that volunteers need to respect traditional ways of doing things while abroad.
All volunteers get two days of training on what to expect and cultural sensitivity. The spots still available this year range from agriculture to website development, reflecting the diversity of needs in developing countries.
Freedman says the name of the program, Leave for Change, reflects the program's essential character.
"You leave to effect change, but in the process, you are changed."
WB approves 50 mln USD to improve poor livelihood in Malawi
LILONGWE, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank (WB) has approved 50 million U.S. dollars in credit to support the Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF).
The second phase of Malawi Third Social Action Fund (MASAF 3 APL II), which is expected to run from the end of 2008 to 2013, will use the money to improve the livelihood of poor people in Malawi.
MASAF 3 APL II emphasizes livelihood support and improving the delivery structure for local assemblies, within the framework of improved local governance at community, local authority and national levels.
Unlike the previous MASAF programs which were jointly implemented by local assemblies and MASAF Secretariat, MASAF 3 APLII will be carried out completely by local assemblies. MASAF Secretariat instead has been designated as a technical support unit within the Ministry of Finance responsible for definition of rules and procedures, monitoring compliance and national reporting.
"The value of this new implementation arrangement is that it will help strengthen the capacity of local assemblies to take charge of their development programs, in line with the process of decentralization," said Timothy Gilbo, Country Manager for Malawi.
Infrastructure-oriented MASAF 1 and MASAF 2 were implemented between 1995 and 2002 when the World Bank provided over 120 million dollars in loan to support the construction of schools, water points, bridges, clinics, among other public works projects.
The second phase of Malawi Third Social Action Fund (MASAF 3 APL II), which is expected to run from the end of 2008 to 2013, will use the money to improve the livelihood of poor people in Malawi.
MASAF 3 APL II emphasizes livelihood support and improving the delivery structure for local assemblies, within the framework of improved local governance at community, local authority and national levels.
Unlike the previous MASAF programs which were jointly implemented by local assemblies and MASAF Secretariat, MASAF 3 APLII will be carried out completely by local assemblies. MASAF Secretariat instead has been designated as a technical support unit within the Ministry of Finance responsible for definition of rules and procedures, monitoring compliance and national reporting.
"The value of this new implementation arrangement is that it will help strengthen the capacity of local assemblies to take charge of their development programs, in line with the process of decentralization," said Timothy Gilbo, Country Manager for Malawi.
Infrastructure-oriented MASAF 1 and MASAF 2 were implemented between 1995 and 2002 when the World Bank provided over 120 million dollars in loan to support the construction of schools, water points, bridges, clinics, among other public works projects.
US congressional delegation impressed with Malawi projects
Lilongwe, Malawi - Visiting US congressman David Price, in Malawi to inspect health projects sponsored by the University of North Carolina (UNC), US, has said he was impressed with the projects. Price, of North Carolina, led the six-member congressional delegation during the two-day visit.
During its visit to Dzama, a rural village outside the capital, Lilongwe, where UNC has assisted with water and education projects, Price said he was impressed w ith the university's interventions.
"I have known some of the people involved in this work for 20 years and I have heard about their work and how they are excited to be in Malawi, doing very rewarding work here," he said.
Congressman Mel Watt, also of North Carolina, said determination of priority areas that needed US assistance should come from Malawians themselves, noting that W ashington had worked with Lilongwe and a number of civil society organisations in health and other sectors.
"We think that the kind of assistance that's most needed is something that people of Malawi and the Government of Malawi need to communicate themselves to us," W att said, adding "we don't want to come here and make that decision ourselves; it's a decision that should be made in cooperation with the leaders of Malawi."
Watt said Malawi was already setting up such priorities through the Millennium challenge Account that the U.S. Congress approved.
"Preliminarily, they have gone through a process of setting of those priorities and they include increasing access to clean water in the country, the availabili t y of electricity and improving education in the country," he said.
On local politics, Price, who is also Chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, whose aim is to strengthen parliaments in emerging democracies, sai d he was aware of a political stalemate between President Bingu wa Mutharika and the opposition-dominated 193-member parliament.
He, however, noted that this was not unusual in a democracy.
"I think it's useful for members of the government leadership here to talk with people from other countries, including us, to see what the experience has been," said Price.
There is a political stalemate in Malawi, which has led to the country being run without a national budget two weeks into the new financial year.
Opposition parties want Speaker Chimango to expel MPs who broke ranks with opposition parties to join President Mutharika's newly-found Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Mutharika founded the DPP after ditching the then ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) on whose ticket he won the 2004 elections.
Mutharika claimed UDF leaders were corrupt and several MPs followed him to the DPP. UDF leader in the parliament, George Mtafu, said the opposition, who forms the majority, would not transact any business unless the MPs were expelled.
"The law is clear; once you quit your party and join another, you have crossed the floor and you must lose your seat," he said, adding "we are only following the law."
But Mutharika has challenged the opposition to wait for the next elections, sche duled for 19 May, 2009, to actualise this.
"They want to expel my MPs so that they bring down my government," he said during a public function Thursday. "I won't allow that."
The bad blood between the opposition and government has also seen several government bills torpedoed in parliament.
The US congressional delegation, that has since left Malawi, also included Lois Capps of California, Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Jim Cooper of Tennessee and Bra d Miller of North Carolina.
During its visit to Dzama, a rural village outside the capital, Lilongwe, where UNC has assisted with water and education projects, Price said he was impressed w ith the university's interventions.
"I have known some of the people involved in this work for 20 years and I have heard about their work and how they are excited to be in Malawi, doing very rewarding work here," he said.
Congressman Mel Watt, also of North Carolina, said determination of priority areas that needed US assistance should come from Malawians themselves, noting that W ashington had worked with Lilongwe and a number of civil society organisations in health and other sectors.
"We think that the kind of assistance that's most needed is something that people of Malawi and the Government of Malawi need to communicate themselves to us," W att said, adding "we don't want to come here and make that decision ourselves; it's a decision that should be made in cooperation with the leaders of Malawi."
Watt said Malawi was already setting up such priorities through the Millennium challenge Account that the U.S. Congress approved.
"Preliminarily, they have gone through a process of setting of those priorities and they include increasing access to clean water in the country, the availabili t y of electricity and improving education in the country," he said.
On local politics, Price, who is also Chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, whose aim is to strengthen parliaments in emerging democracies, sai d he was aware of a political stalemate between President Bingu wa Mutharika and the opposition-dominated 193-member parliament.
He, however, noted that this was not unusual in a democracy.
"I think it's useful for members of the government leadership here to talk with people from other countries, including us, to see what the experience has been," said Price.
There is a political stalemate in Malawi, which has led to the country being run without a national budget two weeks into the new financial year.
Opposition parties want Speaker Chimango to expel MPs who broke ranks with opposition parties to join President Mutharika's newly-found Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Mutharika founded the DPP after ditching the then ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) on whose ticket he won the 2004 elections.
Mutharika claimed UDF leaders were corrupt and several MPs followed him to the DPP. UDF leader in the parliament, George Mtafu, said the opposition, who forms the majority, would not transact any business unless the MPs were expelled.
"The law is clear; once you quit your party and join another, you have crossed the floor and you must lose your seat," he said, adding "we are only following the law."
But Mutharika has challenged the opposition to wait for the next elections, sche duled for 19 May, 2009, to actualise this.
"They want to expel my MPs so that they bring down my government," he said during a public function Thursday. "I won't allow that."
The bad blood between the opposition and government has also seen several government bills torpedoed in parliament.
The US congressional delegation, that has since left Malawi, also included Lois Capps of California, Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Jim Cooper of Tennessee and Bra d Miller of North Carolina.
Malawi adopts high-tech banking, leapfrogs many countries
When Kenya implemented automated banking systems and regulation in 2000, it looked like Malawi would be stuck with ancient technology.
Fast-forward 10 years: Malawi has leapfrogged most African countries and is second only to South Africa in implementation of smart cards backed by biometrics technology.
Card users are allowed to authorize their transactions by scanning their fingerprints, an alternative to less-secure verification by PIN (personal identification number) or signature, notes a United Nations Environment Programme study of sustainable banking in Africa.
The system offers a majority of Malawi's population the chance to access banking services, as smart cards offer a secure and portable repository for cash, says Tryson Kalanda, operations manager at the Bankers Association of Malawi.
"The system has reduced fraud and crime because of the fingerprint identification requirements," Kalanda said.
Moreover, the electronic check clearing system has reduced clearance time to two days.
"The electronic check clearing system uses image truncation clearing," explained Paul Mbugua, general manager of Fintech, one of Africa's leading banking-software vendors. "Within a minute the check is scanned at the teller, and the image is relayed to the head office and pushed to the online clearing house. Every three hours the image checks are pushed to respective banks, and clearing is twice daily."
Fintech worked with the banks in Malawi and installed the systems for electronic clearance. Nine out of 10 banks are using the system, Mbugua noted.
"The technology has improved efficiency in our banks, which has a bearing on economic growth," Kalanda said.
This is in comparison to Kenya's system, where physical checks are sent by courier; clearance time is four days, and businesspeople are forced to wait nearly a week before money is available.
Kenya is bogged down by regulatory requirements that stipulate that all checks must be archived, Mbugua said. Previously, checks had to be photocopied, but the Central Bank of Kenya has begun to accept electronic archives.
Fast-forward 10 years: Malawi has leapfrogged most African countries and is second only to South Africa in implementation of smart cards backed by biometrics technology.
Card users are allowed to authorize their transactions by scanning their fingerprints, an alternative to less-secure verification by PIN (personal identification number) or signature, notes a United Nations Environment Programme study of sustainable banking in Africa.
The system offers a majority of Malawi's population the chance to access banking services, as smart cards offer a secure and portable repository for cash, says Tryson Kalanda, operations manager at the Bankers Association of Malawi.
"The system has reduced fraud and crime because of the fingerprint identification requirements," Kalanda said.
Moreover, the electronic check clearing system has reduced clearance time to two days.
"The electronic check clearing system uses image truncation clearing," explained Paul Mbugua, general manager of Fintech, one of Africa's leading banking-software vendors. "Within a minute the check is scanned at the teller, and the image is relayed to the head office and pushed to the online clearing house. Every three hours the image checks are pushed to respective banks, and clearing is twice daily."
Fintech worked with the banks in Malawi and installed the systems for electronic clearance. Nine out of 10 banks are using the system, Mbugua noted.
"The technology has improved efficiency in our banks, which has a bearing on economic growth," Kalanda said.
This is in comparison to Kenya's system, where physical checks are sent by courier; clearance time is four days, and businesspeople are forced to wait nearly a week before money is available.
Kenya is bogged down by regulatory requirements that stipulate that all checks must be archived, Mbugua said. Previously, checks had to be photocopied, but the Central Bank of Kenya has begun to accept electronic archives.
Slotland.com concludes Malawi school funding
LONDON, England -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Now that the school and community center that it built in Malawi is fully self-sustaining, online casino Slotland.com is concluding its funding. To date, the online slot machine and video poker site has donated more than $100,000 to construct the much needed facilities and train teachers and staff. As the local Project Team moves on to assist other villages another online gambling leader, CasinoRanking.com, has stepped forward to donate at least $10,000 toward ongoing projects.
For more than two years, the popular online slot machine and video poker web site, Slotland.com, provided all funding required to construct buildings and train local teachers in the remote and impoverished village of Juma, Malawi. The goal of the African aid project has always been that it should be self-sustaining and since the Project Team built a maize mill to generate ongoing revenue, the centre has required minimal outside funding.
But the work of the Project Team isn't finished. The centre has become a teacher-training center for the region and continues to help other schools in the region get established and improve their teaching methods. The Team has also become involved in the construction of other self-sustaining community projects like a maize mill in Kantimbanye that now provides income for the school in Juma.
"We've learned that self-initiated projects are most likely to succeed," said the Project Team Leader, David Leflar. "Where there's a will, we will help them find a way!"
"The school that we've funded will have a long lasting benefit to the entire community. It provides opportunities and will help end the cycle of poverty in Malawi," said Martin Smith of Slotland. "We're very proud that one of our biggest affiliates, CasinoRanking.com, was impressed enough with the positive results of our project that they're making a very substantial donation of their own."
"The online casino business is a high profit industry," said Antoine Tardif of CasinoRanking.com. "We should consider ourselves lucky to have the opportunity to help others who are not as fortunate."
"I understand that the school is now completed," said Tardif, "But Malawi is still one of the poorest nations on earth. If the money can go towards building wells or finding clean water that would be great too. Obviously we can trust this dedicated Project Team to decide how to best spend the money."
The story of how the Project Team brought a whole village together to build the Umodzi-Mbame School is told on a fundraising website provided by Slotland: Help-malawi-children-charity.org. The site also explains how donations will be used by the African charity to assist neighbouring villages that have started similar projects on their own. Donations toward current and new projects can be made on the site through secure PayPal payment processing.
For more than two years, the popular online slot machine and video poker web site, Slotland.com, provided all funding required to construct buildings and train local teachers in the remote and impoverished village of Juma, Malawi. The goal of the African aid project has always been that it should be self-sustaining and since the Project Team built a maize mill to generate ongoing revenue, the centre has required minimal outside funding.
But the work of the Project Team isn't finished. The centre has become a teacher-training center for the region and continues to help other schools in the region get established and improve their teaching methods. The Team has also become involved in the construction of other self-sustaining community projects like a maize mill in Kantimbanye that now provides income for the school in Juma.
"We've learned that self-initiated projects are most likely to succeed," said the Project Team Leader, David Leflar. "Where there's a will, we will help them find a way!"
"The school that we've funded will have a long lasting benefit to the entire community. It provides opportunities and will help end the cycle of poverty in Malawi," said Martin Smith of Slotland. "We're very proud that one of our biggest affiliates, CasinoRanking.com, was impressed enough with the positive results of our project that they're making a very substantial donation of their own."
"The online casino business is a high profit industry," said Antoine Tardif of CasinoRanking.com. "We should consider ourselves lucky to have the opportunity to help others who are not as fortunate."
"I understand that the school is now completed," said Tardif, "But Malawi is still one of the poorest nations on earth. If the money can go towards building wells or finding clean water that would be great too. Obviously we can trust this dedicated Project Team to decide how to best spend the money."
The story of how the Project Team brought a whole village together to build the Umodzi-Mbame School is told on a fundraising website provided by Slotland: Help-malawi-children-charity.org. The site also explains how donations will be used by the African charity to assist neighbouring villages that have started similar projects on their own. Donations toward current and new projects can be made on the site through secure PayPal payment processing.
Malawi Anglicans to shun boycott of Lambeth conference
Blantyre (ENI). The Anglican church in Malawi says it will attend the forthcoming Lambeth Conference in England, despite many African church leaders saying they will shun it. The leader of the church in the central African nation said he does not believe in boycotts, rather contact and dialogue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
