2022 has been a year of celebration and reflection for us as we marked the 15th anniversary of the nurseries opening. A milestone we are immensely proud of.
The milestone has been the perfect opportunity for the trust to reflect and the overwhelming theme we keep returning to is loyalty. We are amazed by the loyalty of staff, donors, supporters, fundraisers, trustees and friends who have been faithful to NNT for all these years.
Volunteers in Malawi have been loyally serving the schools for 15 years, many regular givers have loyally made a monthly contribution since the very start, many of our staff have loyally cared for the children since our first opening and many people, from accountants to web builders, have loyally gifted their skills and time year on year.
We cannot say how grateful we are and how much your support has encouraged us.
It’s also certainly a milestone worth celebrating. Over 5,000 children have been given the chance to have a pre-school education and that deserves a party!
Celebrations started in Scotland in March with a family ceilidh in Edinburgh, continued later in the year in Malawi with parties at each nursery and we’ve just finished the year with a trustee visit to Malawi in November. The trust managed to produce 15th anniversary t-shirts to gift to the staff and committees in Malawi to mark the occasion.
Report from Paula and Stuart
Paula and Stuart and their children have just returned from Malawi and here’s their report from the trip:
It’s been four years since we have been able to visit so it was so wonderful to be back to the nurseries again. It was an extra special trip sharing the place we love with our children Maisie and Thomas. We visited each of the four nurseries several times and were delighted to find the children already learning well, even though the new classes are only one month into their first term.
Just like here in Scotland, there has been a loyal group of volunteers in Malawi who have been helping to keep the nurseries running well for all these years. On our latest visit, we had the privilege of meeting with each nursery committee who work with us to register children each year and ensure the smooth running of the nurseries.
We were delighted to find the staff all well and nurseries thriving. This year, we also welcomed a new teacher, Catherine, to the Nansato family. It was great to be able to meet her in person and see her working alongside Feston at Nkanda Nursery School.
The quality of teaching continues to amaze us. On our recent trip, we saw the children learning body parts and items of clothing.
It really was a joy to be back in Malawi, see lots of old friends and meet with the staff. It was great to visit their homes sit down over a meal and spend time getting the update on their families. Maisie and Thomas truly embraced Malawian culture eating with their hands!
Many of the staff have been able to put their children through secondary school or give them work opportunities and two of the staff’s children are currently at medical school, training to be a nurse and doctor. It really made us reflect upon how much of a positive impact a stable income has had on the NNT teachers and their families.
Unfortunately, stable incomes are not the norm in this area in Malawi, and this was clear during our visit. Malawi really is a country in crisis at the moment. The recent severe cyclones last year have resulted in a poor harvest, and people are beginning to feel the effects of this now.
We heard worries and concerns from many people that they did not think there would be enough crop to feed their family. The poor harvest, coupled with an unstable economy, really highlighted to us the need to continue to provide salaries to our staff at this challenging time and to provide a daily bowl of porridge to all the children at the nurseries.
The visit made a real difference to the staff and it was great that Scottish and Malawian members of the trust were able to be together again. Whatsapp is great but nothing beats sitting down together and chatting. Visiting Malawi is always a great reminder of the impact of the trust and the importance of education, play and porridge, so we once again want to thank you for your continued support – it really is making a huge difference.
Paula and Stuart
