Scottish Catholic Observer

Scotland and Malawi share a long-standing relationship, which goes back more than 150 years to the time of Christian missionary Dr David Livingstone. In recent years, these links have been fortified by schools’ partnerships. This work led to the foundation of Classrooms for Malawi last year and the group recently sent 27 people to spend a fortnight working on the development of schools in the land-locked southeast African country.

Patricia Duffy, a teacher at St Anne’s Primary School in Glasgow, told the SCO that what began last May as a small group of people sharing a common interest has developed into a charity with the sole mission of improving the basic environment in which Malawian children are taught.

“Classrooms for Malawi started from people sharing a passion for Malawi and being passionate about improving the lives of people in the country through education,” Mrs Duffy said. “Those people initially involved had all been to Malawi previously and wanted to do more to help people there.”

The charity began to garner more interest. Following numerous fundraising events and meetings, plans were soon finalised for a group of 27 to fly out to Blantyre, Malawi, during the summer.  Laura Sinclair, a colleague of Mrs Duffy, was one of the members of the group visiting Malawi for the first time.

“I had heard about people going to Malawi from Patricia and I was very interested to learn more about the Classrooms for Malawi project,” she said. “I had never been to Malawi before but was strong in my belief that education is people’s best route out of poverty. It is important to help them help themselves.”

The 2013 Classrooms for Malawi team was made up of teachers, students, a nurse, an engineer and an accountant. Each person driven by the belief that they could help Malawians through education. The expertise on hand was invaluable for the charity’s team, which departed with the objective of building a three-classroom unit, and refurbishing three more at Misesa Primary School and re-roofing, re-flooring, replacing doors and windows in six classrooms at Namulenga Girls Primary School and Mang’omba Primary School. The Scottish volunteers were split in to three teams.

“The teams helped plaster, fill holes in walls, mix cement, lime walls, paint walls, doors and windows before decorating the classroom walls with material to support the curriculum,” Mrs Duffy said. “During the first week, this was done in blistering heat although the second week was more akin to Scottish weather. We laughed, we cried, we built relationships with the community… These relationships were built, first and foremost, with the children, as well as Fr Alfred, the parish priest who welcomed us into his house daily, the teachers and the village chiefs.”

The Classrooms for Malawi team could count amongst its number Fr Stephen Reilly, parish priest of St Bernadette’s Church, Motherwell, who, in addition to celebrating Mass with the group every morning, was more than willing to get ‘his hands dirty’ with the rest of the volunteers. Prior to his birth, Fr Reilly’s parents and his two older brothers lived in Malawi, and it had always been an ambition of the priest to visit the southeastern African country.

“It was a very positive experience and the people in Malawi were fantastic,” Fr Reilly said. “In particular, the builders were great to work with.”

Following his return home, Fr Reilly held a meeting with his parishioners with a view to establishing a partnership with the parish in Namulenga. Two youngsters from his parish, David Miller and Daniel Canning, are amongst the volunteers who have already signed up to take part in the 2014 Classrooms for Malawi project.

The following schools supported Classrooms for Malawi’s 2013 fundraising: St Mirin’s Primary, Glasgow, Cardinal Winning Secondary, Glasgow, St Anne’s Primary, Glasgow, Lourdes Primary, Glasgow, Hillpark Secondary, Glasgow, St Bernadette’s Primary, Motherwell, St Vincent’s Primary, Glasgow, Uddingston Grammar, South Lanarkshire, St Michael’s Primary, Dumbarton.

— Contact Classrooms for Malawi: E-mail [email protected]. Postal address: Classrooms for Malawi, 47 Kingsknowe Drive, Glasgow, G73 2AB

—[email protected]

—This story ran in full, with additional photographs, in the October 4 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.