Fenny is one of the children involved with the Grace Orphan Project and is the first of the children who kindly agreed to do an interview with us last month.
Tags: Africa & Overseas, film, poverty, ya
Having been up all night mostly cursing our DVD copying facilities I decided to take the day off today which gave me chance to finish off the report we promised to provide the Grace Orphan & Disabled Care Group in Malawi following our recent visit out to them.
While out there we did a series of film interviews with some of the children which we’ll try & get online soon. These along with some of the group development training and general activity days helped us to get a much deeper understanding of both the children and the group than we gained last year.
The group itself is now meeting on its own land which has been fenced off. This is a huge step forward from last year when the group were meeting under a tree next to somebodys house! They still have a long way to go though and much like the name of their Manager they need to travel step by step’ (Ernest Pondeponde is the Manager - ponde ponde means step by step!), (the neighbouring town is called Pondebwino - step carefully!).
Just like any community group in the UK the group has a committee, and much like (more…)
Tags: Africa & Overseas, poverty, ya
The blurb about this films says “Across India 192 million children between 6-14 years of age across 1.1 million are not going to school. This film for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Universilisation of Elementary Education) is a kind of promotion of going to school. The film “catches the moment when children all across India from Kashmir to Kerala wake up in the morning and run to go to school” “
I just thought it was a cool film!
While on the subject of education I would like to make a quick defence of UK schools. I was reading yesterday about (more…)
Tags: Education & Skills, poverty
I mentioned in my previous blog that towards the end of our time in Malawi we were approached by Kondwani Banda who gave us an update on the work he’s been doing to develop the ‘YoMo All Stars’ football team.
Kondwani works as a non teaching member of staff at the International School in Zomba. He befriended us during our first stay in Malawi
when we did some work with children at the International School and from nearby local schools. Since then he’s also assisted us in sourcing a woodcarver for ‘YoMo keyrings’ and more recently some YoMo African Artwork which we use towards fundraising for the work we support out there.
Back in January Kondwani approached us to ask if we would donate a football to enable him to set up a football team. After we returned to the UK he sent us a letter to tell us about the team he had set up called the ‘YoMo Stars’……. “So to the first time, that ball has given me the power to establish the team known as YoMo stars”.
I returned to Malawi on my own in March and asked Kondwani how (more…)
Tags: activities, poverty, res
On Saturday some of us return to Malawi - this time we’ll be spending three weeks in Zomba - returning on New Years Eve.
So its time to take my first Malaria Tablet and it’s time to get our kit packed. Heres a list of the various stuff we’ll be taking with us…..
First Aid Kits: We have two of these. One with clean syringes and several sets of latex gloves + an Aspivenin kit (a thing that sucks outbites & stings - its only been used once and that was for some unknown thing that took a liking to my foot!). This is the ’serious’ kit that hopefully doesn’t get used.
The second kit is more ‘normal’ albeit with some additions. The normal stuff includes (more…)
Tags: Africa & Overseas, events, poverty, ya
We are traveling back out to Malawi in 1 week…………I’d firstly like to say- where did 2007 go?! Surely it’s not been a whole year since we were last there?
I’m obviously excited about going out again, also a bit overwhelmed because it’s all been a bit last minute, and as happened at quite a busy time which I think is the case for all of us. I think it will be particularly exciting as we are going out at Christmas, which will provide an extra experience in itself. Christmas is the most intriguing thing for me at the moment, because I’m wondering how or if the families and children we will be working with celebrate Christmas. It almost sounds ignorant in the way I’m saying it, but I genuinely don’t know what to expect so I’m very interested to find out! What excites me further (more…)
Tags: events, poverty, volunteering
At 4:15am earlier last week we finally finished the film from our last visit to Malawi (in December & January). Originally we’d planned to have this done by Easter!! But a year of complete madness meant that never happened but finally its in a viewable format.
We showed it at the Practical Ideas for Participation event on Thursday evening - if you didn’t attend or fancy seeing it again here it is. (more…)
Tags: adults, Africa & Overseas, film, poverty, ya
Heres a few pics from the cycle across Wales. We cycled roughly 150 miles taking a windy route from Chester to Anglesey. Along the way we stayed at campsites in Hendre (near Mold), Towyn, Penmaenmawr, Bangor and finally Red Wharf Bay.
The money we raise will be used to support the work YoMo are doing overseas - currently (more…)
Tags: activities, campaign, environment, events, poverty
Mike Amos-Simpson is the author of several resources designed to support young peoples personal development through participation in community activities.
Previously he designed and managed a national youth programme providing practical training to inspire young people living in areas of deprivation to organise community projects and activities.
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