When we were lucky enough to win a raffle prize of a Glenfiddich

whisky-tasting at the LPA Burns' Supper, little did we imagine that it would lead us to Southern Malawi clutching generous donations for a secondary school in one of the globe's poorest nations.

Our visit here was already booked. We planned to stay with a friend, Symon Winiko, in the university city of Zomba. We got to know Symon when he spent a year in Glasgow taking his Masters in Education at University of Strathclyde, where Richard also worked. Inspired by Symon, Richard's team raised some funds for Namphungo Community Day Secondary School in southern Malawi, where Symon grew up.

Community Day Secondary Schools are the poorest resourced category of state secondary education in Malawi.The Namphungo region is highly rural, with absolute poverty and subsistence living the norm. It is as you would imagine. Most children only receive a primary education, as it is free. Secondary education is not and so can be a challenge for these communities. Parents pay around 1500 Malawi Kwatcha a term to send each child there (that's about 6 pounds a term) a huge proportion of their subsistence living costs.

The £4,000 raised by Strathclyde University colleagues paid for a Library building and offices for the head and teachers at the School. Part of our visit was to see how the money had been spent and the impact it made.

The whisky-tasting event was given by Hyndland resident and whisky expert Jamie Milne, Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich. With only a week before our departure to Malawi, it offered a last chance to raise some more money for the school.

We knew that exercise books were precious, and pens were needed. The donations of Hyndland residents and others at the event gave us £700 to spend on school items in Malawi, contributing to the local economy at the same time.

Arriving in August - the warm Malawi winter - we visited the school for the official opening of the new building. We took 600 school books and 300 pens for the 271 students, along with some tartan cloth and postcards of Glasgow. We met the impressive head Mr. Tambala, were introduced to the chiefs of the region, whose consent is needed for any developments at the school. We also met the chair of the PTA, and were welcomed by the local MP Patricia Kaliate, a hugely charismatic woman, whose earsplitting voice was essential to ensure that her speech could be heard by the 500 men, women and children in attendance.

The books and pens cost £300. Mr. Tambala immediately gained the agreement of the chiefs that the remaining £400 cash should be spent on connecting electricity to the school. This could be done by September, the start of term.

This is a rare benefit for a Community Day Secondary School, and opens possibilities for students to study in school at night, and for a photocopier and computers to become conceivable.

There is no doubt that the generous donations from Hyndland residents have significantly raised the quality of secondary education open to young people in Namphungo. We've been both humbled and amazed at how such a relatively modest sum of money has gone such a long way and made such a huge impact.

The next steps for the school are to achieve donations to build a further classroom (about £10,000), alongside all the small steps - teaching and learning materials, volunteer teachers to supplement existing staff capacity, involving parents and the community - anything that will help the school.

If you'd like to offer your support with the guarantee that every penny spent goes straight to the school, we have a bank account into which people can make Standing Order payments. As little as £2 a month really does make a difference.

After four weeks in Malawi, we can also recommend Malawian gin: in fact our next fundraiser may be a gin-tasting!

Richard Brunner and Frances Cairney, Hyndland Road

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Hyndland Residents’ Association

Seventh Annual General Meeting

Russell House

81 Hyndland Road

Glasgow G12 12 9JE

Friday 20 May 2011

7.00 pm for 7.30 pm

Refreshments

Notice is hereby given that the seventh Annual General Meeting of Hyndland Residents’ Association will take place at Russell House, 81 Hyndland Road at 7.30pm on Friday 20^th May 2011 for the following purposes:

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of the 6^th Annual General Meeting held on 21^st May 2010
3. Chairman’s Report
4. To receive the Report and Accounts for year ended 31^st March 2011
5. To appoint the Officers:

•  
  • Chairman
  • Honorary Secretary
  • Membership Secretary
  • Honorary Treasurer

7.   To conduct any other competent business.

David Mullane, Chairman.

Office Bearer Vacancies

The Constitution requires that the Chairman must relinquish office after three years. Consequently the Chairman offers himself for election as Honorary Secretary, for which there is currently no office bearer. If no Chairman is elected, the Honorary Secretary can chair committee meetings. Nominations are invited for the office of Chairman, which require a proposer and seconder, and must, under the terms of the Constitution, be received in writing by the Committee by Friday 13^th May 2011. Send to HRA C/O Mullane, 1/1, 63 Lauderdale Gardens, Hyndland, Glasgow G12 9QU. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it – Please ensure that you renew your HRA membership if you wish to vote at the AGM.