August Edition

We've had a brilliant month here at Starfish HQ. We've received some excellent reports from our projects in Malawi (keep an eye out in September for these). We've also been busy preparing for our next two fundraisers so please do put the following dates in your diaries: 1. 19th October - Sponsored Walk at Bedgebury Pinetum 2. 22nd November - Annual Fundraising Dinner at The London Beach Hotel, Tenterden (official invite is coming soon) Some of you have asked if you can print our newsletter and the answer is YES! To make it easier for you, we have attached a PDF version of this newsletter at the bottom of the page. Here are just 3 stories we wanted to share with you this month...

Mission Direct in Malawi - school at Moyo.

The team from Mission Direct worked each morning of their recent trip to Malawi on the construction of the new primary school at Moyo. It has been hot work in the Malawi sun but they have done well. The foundations of the first classroom was ready for them when they arrived on site. With instruction from the Malawian builders, they have mixed cement, laid bricks and mortar and have enabled the classroom building to take shape.

One of the team leaders said” The team received a warm welcome from the chiefs and the people of Moyo. The children enjoyed playing on the sand pile we were using for cement to build them a school.” “The project is a real community affair with women on a rota to carry water in huge 20 litre drums to the building site for mixing cement, as well as each village making and contributing bricks to the project” “Working in a chain gang helped the team shift bricks for the local builders, even if they did find our approach amusing but we think they could see it was an effective method. Mr Foreman - Duncan, has been incredibly patient and demonstrated building techniques every morning before we started building”

We are so thankful to the team and look forward to a growing partnership with Mission Direct, so that another team can come out next year to build the teachers house and in future years more classrooms as the school grows. If you would like to be part of a team, please visit their webpage and make contact with them at https://missiondirect.org/country/malawi/ Please visit their Facebook page for more photos of the trip @MalawiMD

Above: Painting Moyo Nursery School. Thanks to Mission Direct funding, the nursery had been rendered and the floor relaid before the volunteers arrived. It has now been repainted inside and out. An educational mural on one wall shows the Malembo and Malawi alphabet letters and sound pictures. Whilst a fabulous colourful animal mural covers the wall in the other classroom and a welcoming external sign has been repainted.

Starfish Malawi wins Movement for Good Award We are delighted to have won a £1,000 Movement for Good award thanks to nominations from our supporters. Starfish Malawi was nominated to win a £1,000 boost as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical’ s Movement for Good awards, which is giving £1million to charities this summer. The funding of £1,000 that Starfish Malawi has been awarded will be used on our Glad Tidings Orphan Care project.

Christian Resources Exhibition - 15th to 17th October 2019

Come and visit the Starfish Malawi stand FC30 at the Christian Resources Exhibition this year …. FOR FREE!!! This year's exhibitors are able to provide their supporters with free entry, saving you £8, so you can enjoy a day out at the exhibition, visit our stand and then look around over 100 other stands, take in excellent seminars on a wide range of topics and enjoy the views over the countryside. There is free parking and easy access to the site. It's at:

Sandown Park, Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey. KT10 9AJ.

We would love to welcome you on our stand which, this year we are sharing with Mission Direct, as we have partnered with them in the school building project. To obtain you free ticket please use this unique link: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/CRE.aspx?TrackingCode=SM19 This ticket is valid on any and all of the three days of the exhibition. We look forward to seeing you there!