|
MALAWI - AYR PRESBYTERY INITIATIVE
A team of seven people visited Malawi during late September/early October
2006 to represent Ayr Presbytery at the Twinning Ceremony which took place in
Bandawe in October. The team, listed alphabetically, comprised (Left to right);
 Dr
Gareth Powell, General Practioner
Rev Arthur Christie, Team Leader and Minister of Monkton and Prestwick North
Church
Mr. David Watson, Primary School Head Teacher
Mrs. Elizabeth [Liz] Geddes, Special Needs Advocate
Dr. David Geddes, retired Industrial Chemist
Mr. John Henderson, Presbytery Elder
Rev Rona Young, Minister of New Cumnock Parish Church.
In addition to representing Ayr Presbytery at the Twinning Ceremony the team had
another important remit, namely to carry out a detailed fact finding operation
regarding the conditions facing the people in the Bandawe area. During the time
they were in Malawi the team members, on behalf of the many people at home who
had so generously donated money to help the Malawian people.
- Resourced an embryonic dispensary on the Bandawe
Station in an area where about 10,000 people do not currently have access to
medicines—not even simple pain killers. To achieve this an existing building
had to be refurbished, a qualified nurse was employed and three school
leavers who had little, if any, prospect of finding work were employed and
trained to become health visitors.
- Provided sufficient financial help to a nursery school run by 5
volunteers to feed 140 children and the 5 volunteers for 6 months
- Provided financial help to an orphanage which is run on a voluntary
basis. It is worth noting that in the population of about 12 million people
there are between 1 to 2 million orphans.
- Initiated a study to establish the feasibility of refurbishing an
existing unused building for use as a Day Care Centre for orphans, elderly
people, etc with the possible provision of, for example a maize mill, an
energy efficient environmentally friendly safety cooker, etc
- Provided money to an Environmental Nursery Garden to fund the purchase
of a polypropylene protection net. An Environmental Nursery Garden
cultivates seedlings of indigenous Malawian trees which are in danger of
becoming extinct due to over cutting for cooking purposes
- provided basic materials, such as jotters which can be bought locally,
for some primary school.
- Gave money to each of the 12 congregations in the Bandawe area to assist
in the running of the churches.
On returning from Malawi the group met to develop guidelines for future
linkages. Arthur facilitated the meeting and each member of the group spoke on
those areas and problems to which they had been guided and where they thought
that they would have most impact. Following discussions the group reaffirmed
that the focus for twinning was “the development of sustainable relationships”,
centering on the Bandawe area, and that financial assistance was a secondary
consideration. The group considered that positive contributions could be made in
the following areas (in alphabetical order);
- CHURCH AND ASSOCIATED PARISH BUILDINGS
- COMMUNICATIONS
- EDUCATION
- HEALTH
- ORPHANS/”OLDER ORPHANS” CARE TRANSPORT.
|