|
|
Home > Recent News
Recent NewsVocational Centre Building ProjectAfter many months of delay due to the slow process of changing the land title to FOCHTA’s name, the application was finally approved recently. In mid-July, a survey of the plot was done. Sydney architect Sam Crawford has offered to make a trip to Malawi in early August to check on the site and to confer with a local architect and builders. It is expected that final design works will be completed before the end of October. If all goes to plan, construction can commence before the end of December, 2008. Apart from architects Sam Crawford, Ken Warr and engineer Jamie Shelton who are all participating in the project, FOCHTA would also like to thank Arup in providing its engineering support to this same project. Youth and Community LibraryOn April 24, a second library - the FOCHTA NANGOMBE RURAL LIBRARY - was opened with much fanfare and with over 200 students and guests attending. The library was made possible by generous donations from Michele and Ed Harris and their friends in Canberra. The 6 X 8 metre building was built using sun-dried blocks produced by our student beneficiaries. The blocks are environment-friendly as no firing in a kiln is required. This library is located in a remote corner of Thyolo District, so that students who live within a radius of 2-hour walking distance from it will be able to use the library. It will be stocked with school texts as well as with general reading material for all age groups. Children who might be unable to attend school will have the opportunity to enjoy and learn from books, while their siblings are away at school during the day. A third rural library is now planned, with a site allocated to FOCHTA already. This construction is made possible with donations from the staff union of the European Community in Strasbourg, from Dr & Mrs Ferrin in Singapore and from Erika Clusserath in Belgium. NGO status for FochtaFochta in Malawi has now officially graduated from a Community Based Organisation to a Non Government Organisation! Staff changesFor the new year 2008, Mr Reuben Lizi has been appointed Fochta's Executive Officer and Mr Charles Sokoso has been apointed the Programme Officer. Mr Sokoso was in past years a recipient of a Fochta school and tertiary studies bursary, and so brings to the position first hand experience of the problems young people face. Land acquiredWe have recently acquired two pieces of land just outside Luchenza, beside the main trunk road leading to Blantyre. The vocational training centre, administration block and library will be built on one piece. The second piece of land will be used to grow crops and vegetables and some livestock, with the intention of boosting food security for our students, who will be responsible for this project. Grandmothers groupsThe Stephen Lewis Foundation and Fochta support grandmothers who are often the only adult left alive to care for numerous grandchildren. Grandmothers groups provide support and skill sharing opportunities to these brave ladies. They are producing pottery, dresses and wooden hoes, and their newest and most exciting venture is honey production. Emergency relief fundThe fund was set up to help children who are experiencing extraordinary hardship. For example, Alambeje, who needs to use a wheelchair to move about, now attends a boarding school, rather than a day school. Isaac needed eye glasses and had no money for transport into Blantyre to the eye clinic, nor could he afford to purchase his glasses. These young people and others now have lighter burdens to shoulder. Reading programme initiated.Saturday mornings in Fochta's Luchenza office now host a programme to encourage reading for instruction and pleasure. Young people of all ages gather to enjoy books and other printed material. Serious shortage of text booksOur students are severely handicapped by a lack of text books in their schools. To try to alleviate this problem, multiple copies of texts for subjects studied in the secondary forms where purchased, and have been added to the Fochta library.
|
