Please see below for an update for all the Former Malawi Exchange OAs.

I do hope you all still have fond memories of your time in Malawi and you still have an interest in the programme. It is for this reason I thought it would be nice to send you an update on how the exchange programme has morphed into the Malawi Initiative as it is referred to today. It seems almost a lifetime ago, taking the first group there in 2007 when our aim was to help improve the teaching resources at Malosa Secondary School and teaching students IT skills.  Over time we have begun to increase the amount of support in financial terms to a wider number of local schools and other institutions. The resources have included medical equipment such as beds and IT equipment. As well as setting up solar and satellite links for schools we have provided over 250 computers for schools and other institutions in the Zomba area. We have now helped over 20 schools in Malawi and from 2017 onwards we have started to make a number of classroom blocks at several schools. This has vastly improved the student to classroom ratios in the area where at worst it was as high as 146 students to a classroom. We have also built a number of pre-schools to help the early years provision and helped supply suitable educational resources to help teachers, for example portable blackboards. 

In 2023 we funded the construction of a brand new secondary school at Msalabani. The opening of the new school was a proud moment for the Malawi Initiative and will go a small way to help improve the secondary education completion rate which is only 9% in Malawi. 

On the next exchange in 2025 we will be working on the development of a new secondary school. The new school will be in Likwenu which is close to Malosa and construction is now underway. 

You can see information about the previous Malawi Initiative exchanges, which may even feature pictures of yourselves and future projects at our webpage: https://malawi.ags.bucks.sch.uk  You can also keep updated about the Malawi Initiative by following our twitter/X feed:  https://twitter.com/AGSMalawiAction

If you feel that you would like to help the Malawi Initiative further there are various ways you can. Firstly we have a charity number (1089244) and a JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/agsmalosa  If you are planning a sporting challenge and need a charity to motivate yourself and others or your company would like to support a very worthy cause then please keep us in mind. We would also welcome sponsorship, which would allow us to put your company on our website and newsletter. Our previous sponsors have included Easyjet and Madonna. You may also have links to funding opportunities that the Malawi Initiative could apply. Or you have links that could provide some of the 1200kg of resources we take on each exchange which includes medical, sports and educational resources. (The requirements are listed on the Malawi Initiative website listed above) We would love if you are able to do any of these things especially in the knowledge that the Malawi Initiative is committed to the future with all exchange places already filled until 2029! 

I hope it is nice to hear that the exchange programme that you took part in still thrives and we would love to find that you can help in some small way in the future. 

Best wishes and Zikomo

Mike Corby

Malawi Initiative 

Head of Geography