My Passions: Charity is an educational lifeline for Malawi pupils

I was first invited to get involved after meeting some of the other trustees when my son started primary school, and I became interested in what they were already doing in Malawi. That was almost eight years ago now and in that time we have gone from strength to strength. What started with us helping other charities has now led to us beco-ming a charity in our own right.

The Monkey Bay fund is a Sheffield-based charity run by volunteers in the UK who do not even reclaim their expenses. We have financed a nursery and feeding station in Nsumbi Village, Monkey Bay, Malawi, where over 100 children a day are cared for and receive the vital pre-school education they need, in both Chichewa and English. They are also given a midday meal, which can be so important when food is in short supply in the village. The project was named ‘Madalitso’ by the community, which means ‘Blessings’.

We employ a team of eight local people who handle things on a day-to-day basis in Malawi for us. All the team in Malawi are from Nsumbi and Massasa villages, which is where our children are also from. One of the trustees travels over there regularly to ensure things are running smoothly and to take supplies. We are very proud that during June 2015, thanks to our supporters in the UK, we managed to deliver 1,943 meals and nursery sessions.

Currently, we are working on providing over 150 education packs containing bag, pencil case, stationery and exercise books. In order to attend school the children have to provide their own pen and copy book, along with paying a termly bill of 200MK (around 30p) for their water bill, which we help with.

We also support two of the local children who have specific special needs at a residential school and provide them with the equipment they need. Much of our spare time is spent fundraising, and as a group we probably attend five craft fairs per month, particularly through spring and summer and around Christmas. I thoroughly enjoy my work with the charity and am proud to see the difference even a small amount of money can make.

To get involved please visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/monkeybay. sockmonkeys or search Monkeybay Fund.