© 2012 AID AFRICA UK Registered Charity Number 1116336
Summer Report 2016
including February-
Maize
for 2016/17
Food Programme
ON SITE -
Gathering enough maize for the 2016/17 Food Programme was a major challenge.
We usually buy at harvest when abundance brings the price down, but then the big trucks started rolling in from Blantyre, buying up all the maize and transporting it out of the area.
Nationally, the harvest had been a disaster and the Government had stopped all exports of maize. Local grain, that might have fed our communities, was being transported out to other locations with more money.
So our team went out to scour the area, and
eventually found 28 tonnes (about 112,000
meals). The actual calculations of issue will be
finalised in December when we’ll have a clearer
picture of how the rains are affecting the next
maize crop.
The maize bought—560 x 50kg bags, will be dried, winnowed, weighed, and stored in our special anti-
Drying tons of maize
Storeroom expansion
We needed more space to store the maize in good condition, so we set about expanding our storeroom facilities. Sounds easy—just adding 3 walls to our existing storeroom, but the process involved closing our rabbit breeding programme, dismantling the hutches and moving them, and the livestock, into the community. Old staff toilets had to go too, so a new toilet block was built.
Foundations were then dug for the new storeroom, and the building progressed.
It was completed just before we left Malawi—a whole rejuvenated storeroom complex. The old storeroom was brought up to spec and the “weighing room”—which connects both the old and the new—was also sorted. Each room has been rat-
Old storeroom re-
“Weighing” Room
New Storeroom
The goats are doing well, most does are pregnant so the milk yield has plummeted, but they’re due to start producing kids—and milk—in June. However for the first few months, most of that will go to their own kids, especially the female ones, grounding them well for their future introduction to our milking herd—so we’ll still be challenged milk-
LATEST NEWS! 13 kids born, 8 females!
Pregnant & proud!
Moringa is still our prime crop, and the team are gradually extending planting at our Makhonja site, though the rains waterlogged the land for a while. However, they have been harvesting leaves, drying them in the 3 dehydrators and processing regularly, providing the nutritious food supplement to the vulnerable.
We’ve formed a “Moringa Team”, to go out into the community, training in moringa planting, growth, care, nutritional value & cooking.
Growing cassava for seed multiplication is ongoing, and veg is still being
grown and distributed to the needy. Growing areas on site were defined—
mostly moringa, forage and the tree nursery, which grows seedlings to
give away.
Over 3000 trees were germinated in the community this 1st year as part
of our Reforestation Programme.
We continue to train in conservation farming techniques via the “Farming
God’s Way” programme. The success of this is evident in the photo on
the right, showing Dickson -
local farmer, in front of his highly successful maize crop.
Our staff of 17 Malawians is continuing to develop in teamwork and responsibility. Sadly, our Project Leader became seriously ill, and having worked closely together for 9 years, his absence was hard. However, his training and encouragement of his more junior colleagues became clear, and they rose to the challenge. IT training was extended to include emails, to retain communication with the UK, backed up by our invaluable overseers who offered further support during their monthly visits to site.
In addition, 6 staff members have been undergoing motorbike training, and one will soon learn to drive the car—a rare skill in rural Malawi!
Goats
To all our amazing supporters who empower this work to go on impacting lives in the rural areas, and especially:-
Agriculture
Staff
Thank you …. ……
overview |
A "Carbon Footprint" |
HIV/AIDS-2011 |
FAQS |
Food Programme |
Elderlies Luncheons |
Phala Project |
Agriculture |
Moringa |
Reforestation |
Training |
Milk |
Goats |
Water |
Education Sponsorship |
Helps Projects |
Community Buildings |
Christmas |
Moringa-history |
Agri-training |
Milk history |
Goat history |
Boreholes |
Mtikhe CC |
Msikita Community Centre |
Bridges |
Monjo School tank |
housing |
Sanitation |
OHP-Malawi |
How you can help |
History |
Testimony - Lynda |
2017 |
2016 |
2015 |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2005-2006 |
Community-hunger-2017 |
Community-help-2017 |
Community-Food-2016a |
Community-building -2016a |
Community water-2016a |
OHP Site-2016a |
Community hunger-2016b |
Community water-2016b |
Community education - 2016b |
OHP Centre-2016b |
disaster-2015a |
Community-2015a |
OHPsite-2015a |
Community Building-2015b |
Community nutrition-2015b |
Reforestation-2015b |
Community-families-2015b |
OHP site-2015b |
Hunger-2014a |
Agri-2014a |
Livestock-2014a |
OHP site-2014a |
Next-2014a |
News-July 2014 |
Hunger2014b |
Water-2014b |
Livestock-2014b |
OHP site-2014b |
News-Jan 2015 |
Community projects-2013a |
OHP Centre-2013a |
Giving-2013a |
News-Sept 2013 |
Community activities-2013b |
Food Programmes-2013b |
Our sites-2013b |
News Jan 2014 |
Jesus film |
Hunger/agri-2012a |
Hunger/nutrition-2012b |
Goats-milk-2012A |
OHP site-2012a |
Community help-2012a |
Next steps-2012a |
Community projects-2012b |
OHP site development-2012b |
future plans-2012b |
Flooding-Jan 2013 |
Latest news-Feb 2013 |
Hunger-2011 |
Milk-2011 |
Site development-2011 |
Giving-2011 |
Food- 2010a |
Local-2010b |
On site news - 2010 |
Finally - 2010 |
Agriculture- 2010b |
Changing lives-2010b |
Local life-2009a |
Life in Malawi-2009b |
Agriculture-2009a |
Goats & Milk-2009a |
Chiringa site-2009a |
And finally ...2009a |
Pastors' Conf - 2009 |
Farming-2009b |
Water-2009b |
Site Development-2009b |
A helping hand-2009b |
Agriculture-2008a |
Hunger-2008b |
Milk & Play Centres-2008a |
Helping Hand -2008a |
Challenges |
Milk-2008b |
OHP Centre-2008b |
Chickens & water-2008b |
Apr-May 07 |
Oct/Nov 07 |
July 2005 |
Visitor's View-2006 |
Contact Us |
Donations |