Issue No 1 ~ January 2003

This is the first issue of the Nchima Trust newsletter. Our aim is to keep you, our valued donors, up to date with what Nchima Trust is trying to achieve.

What does Nchima Trust do?

The Nchima Trust prides itself on having a very minimum of administration costs. This means if your donation is in money you can rest assured it all gets to projects within Malawi. Every year one of the main aims of the Trust is to collect, fill, transport and distribute the contents of a container. Items collected throughout the year are sent to Malawi every December to await distribution by Ann Scarborough when she makes her annual visit every January.

Within Malawi itself we concentrate on Education at both Secondary and Tertiary level; Medicine including nursing; and various other small projects. This can be setting up on-going training projects, Village self help projects and Micro-credit schemes. Whilst we do try to keep within our main guidelines we give careful consideration to any request for help.

The Container to Malawi

This was packed December 17th 2002 by Ann Scarborough and her band of helpers. The response to requests for items to be sent to Malawi has been fantastic. This year, thanks to one very generous donor, we were able to pack and send a forty foot container instead of the usual twenty foot. Just a few of the items include crutches; medical drugs and equipment; clothing; toys; in fact just about everything except the proverbial kitchen sink. Ann was determined no fresh air should be sent to Malawi and I understand when finished not one more item could be squeezed in. The container is already in Beira ready for onward shipment to Malawi. We are already collecting for next year's container our first donation: 50 complete football strips to be distributed to schools kindly donated by Southampton football club.

Ann Scarborough and Rosalind Richards visit to Malawi

Every year about this time Ann visits Malawi. Her main aim to empty the container she has worked so hard to fill the previous year. She leaves for Malawi towards the end of January and will be away two months. Rosalind, the Trust's Chairman, is going to Malawi for two weeks in February to join Ann.

They have a mammoth task ahead of them. Once Rosalind has joined Ann they hope to go to the north of Malawi and visit Nchima Trust projects up there. Ann will concentrate more on the Southern end of Malawi.

On-Going Projects

We are currently sponsoring three students at the University of Malawi: two at Zomba, the main centre for the University. Both are taking a degree in Education and one studying Agriculture at Bunda College. We have four medical students at the College of Medicine in Blantyre. Two clinical officers at Malamulo College and one nurse in training at The Holy Family Nursing School.

Still on the education side, we support students at Lunzu Craft Center, The Polytechnic and Nasawa Technical School. In addition, we have about fifty Secondary School age children whose school fees we pay. All are orphaned and have no means of any educational support other than Nchima Trust. By and large all the Tertiary level students are students who have had some connection with the Trust during their secondary education.

We pay for two nurses, an Aids counsellor and a cleaner for the Children's Ward at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blantyre.

For many years now we have supported the Samaritans in Blantyre by providing funds for them to pay teachers' wages at their drop-in centre for Street Children. Likewise, we send money to the Lower Shire to pay wages for five bush teachers who between them never have less than six hundred pupils.

We fund and run a small dispensary in Thyolo. Treatment is free to all patients.

Finally, we have the Granny runs. Six times a year, a different area is picked around Thyolo and with the help of the local District Social Welfare Officer the Trust helpers in Malawi go out to the villages and give blankets, maize flour, soap, candles and matches to old people. The things given each time differ slightly but always there is a blanket as the main donation. This, we feel, is very worthwhile as often the old people are forgotten.

Gift Aid Scheme

Nchima Trust participates in the Gift Aid Scheme. This means that for every pound donated we can claim back from the Inland Revenue 28 pence so a donation of £100.00 is worth £128.00 to the Trust. Gift Aid forms are available from Josie Quinn [see Contact Us page for details] or any of the Board Members. Providing you are a UK tax payer and the cheque is made out to The Nchima Trust we can take advantage of the scheme.

I do hope this newsletter has given you some idea of what we do. Often our donors ask that their donation be put to a specific use or need: this we are happy to do and will keep you informed as to where your donation went. Once again, a big thank you from everyone at Nchima Trust.

Josie Quinn (Nchima Trust Secretary)