The AGM 2020 had to be conducted remotely. Thank you all for your patience with new ways of doing things.
We hope to see you in person again in 2021 but we may wish to retain some of the new ways if they are felt to help member-supporters to engage in the oversight of the organisation.
Download our Annual Review here if you have not received a copy.
Trustee elections 2020
We are delighted that all our current Trustees stood for re-election this year. You will find their profiles on the ‘meet the team‘ page on this site. We are really pleased to have three new Trustees joining the Board, having been elected at the AGM.
Catherine Jere
Kate is a Lecturer in Education and Development, at the University of East Anglia. Her research interests centre on exploring how institutional and social barriers to education in developing country contexts are challenged and disrupted.
She has a long connection with Malawi and with the Mamie Martin Fund. Her introduction to Malawi was as a volunteer teacher. Soon after this, in the late 90s, she was introduced to MMF and was given her first ever piece of commissioned research: a report on the situation in the then five MMF sponsored schools. Later she worked at the Education Department of Livingstonia Synod, with Maxwell Banda, and was given the responsibility of coordinating the MMF sponsorship programme, liaising with the schools’ head teachers and visiting the schools regularly. In her current position at UEA she still specialises in research and teaching on gender and education, with a focus on girls’ schooling, and has continued professional and family ties in Malawi, returning regularly, both to Zomba and the North.
Alan Laverock
Alan is a Chartered Accountant by profession and was a partner in a large Scottish practice for 22 years before semi-retiring. He has been involved with charities working in Malawi since 2008. Previously, he was involved in youth work and outdoor centres. He currently works part-time as finance officer for Scotland Malawi Partnership.
He is the founder and a trustee of the Bananabox Trust, which supports projects in Northern Malawi as well as organising containers of goods on behalf of other charities to be sent to Malawi; and is a trustee of Smileawi, a dental charity operating in Northern Malawi.
He divides his time between Dundee and Mzuzu, the capital of Northern Malawi.
Sandress James Nkhoma
Sandress is the holder of a Diploma and a Degree both from Domasi College of Education and has taught Geography, Bible Knowledge and Social Studies for 13 years. Firstly at Bandawe Girls Secondary School where he taught for 6 years, then to Mzimba at Mnjiri Community Day Secondary Schools for 7 years. He was then transferred to Jenda Community Day Secondary School where he currently works. He is married with three children and has seen how we have assisted Bandawe Girls and other schools, and he has the desire to see if the girls in rural schools can be assisted in the same manner.
Financial report
With grateful thanks to our out-going treasure, Lynsey Shepherd, we can share her financial report here – just click on ‘download’. The final accounts for the last financial year are not yet ready but will be sent out to all member-supporters as soon as possible and will also be posted on here.