The event - organised by the University and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow - will highlight David Livingstone's arrival on the shores of Lake Malawi on 17 September 1859. The explorer and medical missionary's work began a longstanding relationship between the two countries that has led to scores of academic, medical, engineering and science collaborations.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Former First Minister Jack McConnell will give a keynote address at the University tonight ( 17 September ) to mark the 150th anniversary of Scotland's links with Malawi.
The event - organised by the University and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow - will highlight David Livingstone's arrival on the shores of Lake Malawi on 17 September 1859. The explorer and medical missionary's work began a longstanding relationship between the two countries that has led to scores of academic, medical, engineering and science collaborations.
The relationship was formalised in November 2005, when the former First Minister signed a cooperation agreement with His Excellency President Bingu wa Mutharika, where the two countries promised to work together.
Mr McConnell said: "David Livingstone did not live to realise his dream that Africa should join "the family of nations", but generations of Scots shared his passion for justice and right.
"It was this shared history, this unfailing friendship between two small countries that convinced me as First Minister that Scotland and Malawi could move beyond the traditional donor-client model of development and develop a distinctive relationship. It is a relationship based on mutual solidarity and respect, not handouts and subservience.
"Generations of Scots have shown that we all have a responsibility - and the ability - to make a difference. Each one of us can contribute to Malawi's development. And by contributing to Malawi's development we are contributing to our understanding of how the world works."
Dr Peter West, Secretary to the University and Chairman of the Scotland-Malawi Partnership, said: "We are delighted to be hosting this celebration of Scotland's long-standing and important relationship with Malawi.
"As an alumnus of Anderson's College - which later became Strathclyde, David Livingstone began an important academic link which is very much alive today. The University's Malawi Millennium Project has played a key role in training the country's future teachers, nurses, scientists and engineers.
"The new partnership between Scotland and Malawi has grown directly out of this project and is helping support economic growth and building the skills and capacity of Malawi to help it grow and prosper.
"The work that is being carried by Malawians and Scots is making a significant contribution to the fight against poverty."
Speakers at the event will include Dr James Miller, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, on its work with Malawi, past, present and future, and Rev David Lunan, Former Moderator of the Church of Scotland, on the 150th anniversary celebrations in Malawi.
Dr Miller said: "Working to improve health and healthcare throughout the world is part of the College's mission. Our skills and expertise are within education and training. We are currently working with health professionals to develop their skills as part of our sustainable programme of development."
For more information about Scotland's links with Malawi, visit: http://www.scotland-malawipartnership.org/
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Malawi to the fore at Lockerbie Academy
THE AFRICAN Link Enterprise Group is a small committee consisting of a mixture of pupils who work to fund and promote awareness for Thawale Primary School in Malawi.
Thawale Primary has 1,200 pupils yet only nine teachers and faces daily problems that would not be encountered by a school in Scotland.
The group’s aim is to raise money to provide the pupils and teachers in Thawale with improved learning and teaching resources. The group is enthusiastic to promote the link to the community of Lockerbie and the surrounding areas. By doing this, it is hoped the partnership between Lockerbie and Malawi will continue to prosper strongly.
Lockerbie Academy has already begun to improve the education of Thawale Primary Pupils. After a fundraising event which took place in summer 2008, a large sum of money was raised and has been spent in providing £500 for stationary to be bought and sourced in Malawi, 100 books were also sent and a library is in the process of being furbished.
At the beginning of this year, 300 pen pal letters were sent to and from Malawi from both teachers and pupils.
After a successful year in 2008, an agreement was set up in which the link will try to advance teaching and learning in both schools.
For 2009/2010 the enterprise group has an ultimate aim to increase cultural awareness between Thawale and Lockerbie.
A coffee morning will be held on Saturday, November 21 to fundraise for Thawale Primary to ensure we can provide them with as many resources as possible.
The coffee morning, held at Lockerbie Town Hall between 10am-12 noon will include tea and coffee, a raffle and stalls such as the tombola, cake and candy and many games in which children can enjoy. The school hopes everyone can attend and support the link further.
Thawale Primary has 1,200 pupils yet only nine teachers and faces daily problems that would not be encountered by a school in Scotland.
The group’s aim is to raise money to provide the pupils and teachers in Thawale with improved learning and teaching resources. The group is enthusiastic to promote the link to the community of Lockerbie and the surrounding areas. By doing this, it is hoped the partnership between Lockerbie and Malawi will continue to prosper strongly.
Lockerbie Academy has already begun to improve the education of Thawale Primary Pupils. After a fundraising event which took place in summer 2008, a large sum of money was raised and has been spent in providing £500 for stationary to be bought and sourced in Malawi, 100 books were also sent and a library is in the process of being furbished.
At the beginning of this year, 300 pen pal letters were sent to and from Malawi from both teachers and pupils.
After a successful year in 2008, an agreement was set up in which the link will try to advance teaching and learning in both schools.
For 2009/2010 the enterprise group has an ultimate aim to increase cultural awareness between Thawale and Lockerbie.
A coffee morning will be held on Saturday, November 21 to fundraise for Thawale Primary to ensure we can provide them with as many resources as possible.
The coffee morning, held at Lockerbie Town Hall between 10am-12 noon will include tea and coffee, a raffle and stalls such as the tombola, cake and candy and many games in which children can enjoy. The school hopes everyone can attend and support the link further.
Compatible Technology International Project to Enhance Child Nutrition and Livelihoods...
Compatible Technology International Project to Enhance Child Nutrition and
Livelihoods of Rural Families in Malawi and Tanzania
McKnight Foundation Grant Awarded to Project
Malnutrition is widespread in Malawi
and Tanzania, particularly among children under five whose diet is deficient
in protein, oils and micronutrients. The need is urgent to develop and
harvest improved, nutritious foods using locally available crops such as
groundnuts (commonly called peanuts). Increased groundnut production can
significantly improve individual nutrition as well as economic security.
A McKnight Foundation grant recently awarded to Compatible Technology
International (CTI), Tanzania's Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and
the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
will address these needs. The organizations are combining their expertise for
a four-year $673,000 research and development grant project, which will focus
on enhancing child nutrition and the livelihoods of rural households in Malawi
and Tanzania.
"We feel very privileged to be chosen for this McKnight Foundation grant,"
said CTI's executive director, Roger Salway. "This project is essential to
addressing the issues and needs of families in Malawi and Tanzania and the
McKnight Foundation grant makes it all possible."
"This project is essentially about collaborating with these farm families
about the crops growing naturally in their environments," said CTI's vice
president of operations, Bert Rivers. "This collaboration is important, not
only to provide additional nutrition to their families, but to also provide
increased revenue for their households to improve their livelihood. We are
also being educated by the farmers about the realities of their living
conditions and farming systems."
Project Objectives Include:
-- Reduce losses of food during handling, processing and storage.
-- Improve the nutrition of rural households, particularly children.
-- Raise household revenues through sale and distribution of
groundnut-based food products for local markets.
-- Improve productivity, and reduce the intense daily labor typically
endured by women.
-- Empower farm families in ways that enable them to strengthen their
links
to markets and manage their farms as enterprises.
-- Strengthen local presence by transferring technical and manufacturing
expertise to African organizations.
Compatible Technology International (CTI), a St. Paul, Minnesota nonprofit,
was founded in 1981 by a group of food scientists, missionaries and research
engineers to address the post-harvest needs of the food chain. The team sought
ways in which their knowledge, expertise and human kindness might help the
poor in developing countries to resolve food problems and increase food supply
by using local resources. CTI's mission is to improve the lives of people in
developing countries by designing food and water technologies that are
sustainable and appropriate to local cultures, and by collaborating with
in-country organizations to identify needs and to achieve widespread use of
our technologies to relieve hunger and poverty. CTI has extended its work to
many parts of Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, India and Bangladesh,
where its post-harvest processing devices are used on a daily basis. For more
information about CTI, visit www.compatibletechnology.org
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
is a nonprofit, non-political organization that conducts innovative
agricultural research and capacity building for sustainable development with a
wide array of partners across the globe. ICRISAT focuses its research on the
semi-arid tropics and on five crops that are important in the diets of the
poor: sorghum, pearl millet, chickpeas, groundnuts and pigeon peas. With a
regional office for Eastern and Southern Africa based in Nairobi, ICRISAT
implements and supports numerous research and development programs aimed at
smallholder farmers throughout the region, including Tanzania and Malawi.
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Tanzania was established on July 1,
1984 by Parliamentary Act No. 6 of the same year. The University was created
from the former Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Science of the
University of Dar-es-Salaam. The Vision of SUA is to become a center of
excellence and a valued member of the global academic community in agriculture
and other related fields. The Mission of SUA is to promote development through
training, research, provision of services to the public and private sectors in
an environmentally friendly manner.
The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and
future generations through grantmaking, coalition-building, and encouragement
of strategic policy reform. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by
William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based foundation has assets of
approximately $1.6 billion and granted about $99 million in 2008.
Livelihoods of Rural Families in Malawi and Tanzania
McKnight Foundation Grant Awarded to Project
Malnutrition is widespread in Malawi
and Tanzania, particularly among children under five whose diet is deficient
in protein, oils and micronutrients. The need is urgent to develop and
harvest improved, nutritious foods using locally available crops such as
groundnuts (commonly called peanuts). Increased groundnut production can
significantly improve individual nutrition as well as economic security.
A McKnight Foundation grant recently awarded to Compatible Technology
International (CTI), Tanzania's Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and
the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
will address these needs. The organizations are combining their expertise for
a four-year $673,000 research and development grant project, which will focus
on enhancing child nutrition and the livelihoods of rural households in Malawi
and Tanzania.
"We feel very privileged to be chosen for this McKnight Foundation grant,"
said CTI's executive director, Roger Salway. "This project is essential to
addressing the issues and needs of families in Malawi and Tanzania and the
McKnight Foundation grant makes it all possible."
"This project is essentially about collaborating with these farm families
about the crops growing naturally in their environments," said CTI's vice
president of operations, Bert Rivers. "This collaboration is important, not
only to provide additional nutrition to their families, but to also provide
increased revenue for their households to improve their livelihood. We are
also being educated by the farmers about the realities of their living
conditions and farming systems."
Project Objectives Include:
-- Reduce losses of food during handling, processing and storage.
-- Improve the nutrition of rural households, particularly children.
-- Raise household revenues through sale and distribution of
groundnut-based food products for local markets.
-- Improve productivity, and reduce the intense daily labor typically
endured by women.
-- Empower farm families in ways that enable them to strengthen their
links
to markets and manage their farms as enterprises.
-- Strengthen local presence by transferring technical and manufacturing
expertise to African organizations.
Compatible Technology International (CTI), a St. Paul, Minnesota nonprofit,
was founded in 1981 by a group of food scientists, missionaries and research
engineers to address the post-harvest needs of the food chain. The team sought
ways in which their knowledge, expertise and human kindness might help the
poor in developing countries to resolve food problems and increase food supply
by using local resources. CTI's mission is to improve the lives of people in
developing countries by designing food and water technologies that are
sustainable and appropriate to local cultures, and by collaborating with
in-country organizations to identify needs and to achieve widespread use of
our technologies to relieve hunger and poverty. CTI has extended its work to
many parts of Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, India and Bangladesh,
where its post-harvest processing devices are used on a daily basis. For more
information about CTI, visit www.compatibletechnology.org
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
is a nonprofit, non-political organization that conducts innovative
agricultural research and capacity building for sustainable development with a
wide array of partners across the globe. ICRISAT focuses its research on the
semi-arid tropics and on five crops that are important in the diets of the
poor: sorghum, pearl millet, chickpeas, groundnuts and pigeon peas. With a
regional office for Eastern and Southern Africa based in Nairobi, ICRISAT
implements and supports numerous research and development programs aimed at
smallholder farmers throughout the region, including Tanzania and Malawi.
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Tanzania was established on July 1,
1984 by Parliamentary Act No. 6 of the same year. The University was created
from the former Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Science of the
University of Dar-es-Salaam. The Vision of SUA is to become a center of
excellence and a valued member of the global academic community in agriculture
and other related fields. The Mission of SUA is to promote development through
training, research, provision of services to the public and private sectors in
an environmentally friendly manner.
The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and
future generations through grantmaking, coalition-building, and encouragement
of strategic policy reform. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by
William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based foundation has assets of
approximately $1.6 billion and granted about $99 million in 2008.
American Charity Works to Uplift Lives in Rural Communities in Malawi
In Malawi, an American NGO, “Bola Moyo-Malawi,“ is working to improve the skills and training of the underprivileged. The organization, located in the southern district of Balaka, has created a center where both youths and adults learn different skills that will provide them with better life.
Projects Manager Desiree Cooper says Bola Moyo, which means “Better Life” in the national language, Chichewa, works to eliminate poverty and disease in rural areas in Africa.
The organization has programs designed to support children's caretakers, and enhance children's formal education. It uses the creative arts to broaden their minds and skills.
“We have academic programs that cater for subjects like mathematics, English and Chichewa,” says Cooper. “We also really focus on doing creative arts: some music, dance theater, pottery and drawing and other programming among youths, with emphasis on providing hope for the future,” she says.
The organization also runs adult literacy programs in which participants learn how to read and write. So far, three out of more than 60 students attending classes are men.
Agnes Mpeta is learning to read. The 66-year-old grandmother, who never went to school in her younger days, says her new skills have transformed her life.
“I enrolled because I wanted to learn to read bus signposts, so that I could know which bus to board when I travel. But now I am even able to read the Bible and write a letter. I have also learned to greet in English,” she says.
Cooper says the organization also provides business training and small loans to people, mostly women, so they can generate income for their families.
In addition to the skills training, Bola Moyo also supports child daycare centers with supplies and educational resources, including learning materials for adults about child health and nutrition.
It also assists orphans and other vulnerable children by helping them with school fees, uniforms, books, notebooks, pencils, etc.
Traditional leaders in the area are upbeat about Bola Moyo’s work with local people. More than 1,000 people have benefited from the programs since it was created four years ago.
Joseph Kambewa is the group village headman in Kandengwe. He is responsible for several villages in the area.
“The education initiative championed by the organization has really improved the lives of most of my subjects,” says the village leader. “Most of the elderly in my village are now able to read and write because of the adult literacy education offered by Bola Moyo,” he said. “In addition, children who are doing basic education in government schools are finding chances of learning other life skills at the organization’s youth center.”
Margaret Nandoli is the program manager for the organization. She says attendance has been the major challenge. For example, she says, only half of those registered attend classes. She attributed this to negative attitudes that she said most people in the area have towards education. But these attitudes are slowly changing, she said, because the organization now engages role models who teach the students the benefits of an education.
“Sometimes we invite some friends who have been to school before, like retired teachers or nurses, to talk with them. We also give them some examples like the lady in Mwanza [district] who wrote standard 8 examinations and passed. We have a picture of her on the newspaper cuttings and we tell them that you can reach up to this level if you go ahead with your education,” she said.
But the global financial meltdown was another challenge that affected operations of the organization whose projects are funded by donations of individuals.
“Last year [was] a very challenging time for public sector NGOs, especially Bola Moyo, since we don’t have a big financier like UNICEF,” said Projects Manager Cooper. “So, the financial crisis that hit worldwide has definitely impacted our financial solvency, but I think that has been a case in every charity, thankfully we are pulling through.”
Despite the challenges, she says the organization plans to expand to other districts, like Lilongwe and Thyolo. Funds permitting, the organization also plans to open its doors in Zambia.
Projects Manager Desiree Cooper says Bola Moyo, which means “Better Life” in the national language, Chichewa, works to eliminate poverty and disease in rural areas in Africa.
The organization has programs designed to support children's caretakers, and enhance children's formal education. It uses the creative arts to broaden their minds and skills.
“We have academic programs that cater for subjects like mathematics, English and Chichewa,” says Cooper. “We also really focus on doing creative arts: some music, dance theater, pottery and drawing and other programming among youths, with emphasis on providing hope for the future,” she says.
The organization also runs adult literacy programs in which participants learn how to read and write. So far, three out of more than 60 students attending classes are men.
Agnes Mpeta is learning to read. The 66-year-old grandmother, who never went to school in her younger days, says her new skills have transformed her life.
“I enrolled because I wanted to learn to read bus signposts, so that I could know which bus to board when I travel. But now I am even able to read the Bible and write a letter. I have also learned to greet in English,” she says.
Cooper says the organization also provides business training and small loans to people, mostly women, so they can generate income for their families.
In addition to the skills training, Bola Moyo also supports child daycare centers with supplies and educational resources, including learning materials for adults about child health and nutrition.
It also assists orphans and other vulnerable children by helping them with school fees, uniforms, books, notebooks, pencils, etc.
Traditional leaders in the area are upbeat about Bola Moyo’s work with local people. More than 1,000 people have benefited from the programs since it was created four years ago.
Joseph Kambewa is the group village headman in Kandengwe. He is responsible for several villages in the area.
“The education initiative championed by the organization has really improved the lives of most of my subjects,” says the village leader. “Most of the elderly in my village are now able to read and write because of the adult literacy education offered by Bola Moyo,” he said. “In addition, children who are doing basic education in government schools are finding chances of learning other life skills at the organization’s youth center.”
Margaret Nandoli is the program manager for the organization. She says attendance has been the major challenge. For example, she says, only half of those registered attend classes. She attributed this to negative attitudes that she said most people in the area have towards education. But these attitudes are slowly changing, she said, because the organization now engages role models who teach the students the benefits of an education.
“Sometimes we invite some friends who have been to school before, like retired teachers or nurses, to talk with them. We also give them some examples like the lady in Mwanza [district] who wrote standard 8 examinations and passed. We have a picture of her on the newspaper cuttings and we tell them that you can reach up to this level if you go ahead with your education,” she said.
But the global financial meltdown was another challenge that affected operations of the organization whose projects are funded by donations of individuals.
“Last year [was] a very challenging time for public sector NGOs, especially Bola Moyo, since we don’t have a big financier like UNICEF,” said Projects Manager Cooper. “So, the financial crisis that hit worldwide has definitely impacted our financial solvency, but I think that has been a case in every charity, thankfully we are pulling through.”
Despite the challenges, she says the organization plans to expand to other districts, like Lilongwe and Thyolo. Funds permitting, the organization also plans to open its doors in Zambia.
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