Suncream Project

After doing a lot of research for a documentary this project has been set up to help albinos.  They have a terrible time in the harsh African sunlight as they have no pigment in their skin or eyes.  They are often short of sight or even blind and have terrible skin damage leading to open soares and even cancer.  On top of all these health hazards they also suffer from local stigma subjecting them to witchcraft and hostility.  The documentary is available for anyone to find out more facts and can be viewed in the information room at any time.

The reason this project has been set up is to assist in the small way we can by providing protective gear.  We are collecting suncream, hats, glasses, sunglasses, and long sleeved tops and trousers.  If you are on your way home and can donate any of these things.  Through the research I have done I have source good people some albinos or some with albino children around Malawi that these things are sent to and passed to the people in need.  Suncream is next to impossible to find in small villages and even then it is very expensive so if you have some you can drop it at reception where is will be passed on.

When I was last in Lilongwe I met up with a filmmaker who was very interested in the film I made.  We had meetings with an active member of the albino foundation who was really positive about the next step.  It seems like there is great potential for us to all work together in creating a much more professional short.  This would be great for the cause and an opportunity to really promote the idea of suncream in Africa.  Watch this space

Gulugufe nursery is now open and running successfully. We have been blessed by the visit of Gill Leaper who is an experienced primary school teacher that has had over 40 yrs of service including a headship. She stayed to do an intensive teacher training for the three weeks she was here. Eventually we hope to employ four teachers so there can be two in each room and to split the age groups up. The student fees will pay for two of these teachers and hopefully future funding will maintain the others. It is only 100 Mk per month and the doors are still open for enrolment. It will really help to have more numbers as it is a hard job to keep control and stimulate all the children without taking on a parrot system of other schools in the area that just have the children sat in lines throughout the day, repeating but not really understanding what is going on. The ideas of free play and learning with all this equipment is very new to our teachers so it is a step- by-step process. We have been blessed with many donations of toys and books that mean group work and lots of play can really benefit the children. These materials will always need adding to if anyone can source them.