Every year the MACS Project Officer visits Malawi usually with a couple of other Trustees to meet with Grafiud Tione (MACS representative in Malawi) and visit all of the projects that have been funded in the past year. This means that we can be very confident that any funding given to MACS is spent on approved projects that any building projects meet MACS standards.
This year’s trip took place in June 2026 and was the handover of the Project Officer role from Eileen Eggington to Felicity Shoesmith. They were also supported by Jonathan Cheal.
Trustee visits give an opportunity to meet with key people in both the Diocese of Lake Malawi and Upper Shire and on this trip we spent time with Bishop Daniel Kalonga (Diocese of Lake Malawi), Bishop William (Diocese of Upper Shire) and Canon Macdonald Njala Banda (Anglican Council in Malawi (ACM)) and many others connected to our work in Malawi. This gives an opportunity to hear about their challenges and priorities which help to inform projects funded by MACS.
We heard about the poor state of public secondary school education, a recent government decision that all secondary education should be free has increased pressure on secondary education with the schools no longer allowed to raise funds from families for development, and insufficient funds being provided by the government for extra classroom blocks, resources and teachers.
The need for funds to renovate priests’ and teachers’ houses.
Challenges of buying essential health equipment and looking after the infrastructure.
A need to generate income and, using the model of their highly successful private Bishop Mtekateka Secondary School in Nkhotakota, in both Diocese we heard how new private church schools would not only provide first class education, but also generate new funds to support the school infrastructure, fund bursaries and financially assist the diocese.
The main aim of the trip is to check on projects funded by MACS and this year we visited:
- St Barnabas Church, Chankhungu where we had received a request to restore the church roof.
- Kabhatiya, Ntchisi to see a potential site for a private secondary school.
- St Anne’s Hospital Nkhotakota -to over see 2 projects funded by MACS – a solar water scheme and perimeter wall to provide security and reduce flood damage.
- Kapiri Health Centre to consider its development potential.
- Kirk Range Golomoti parish Afridev water pump.
- Nkopola Parish to see the proposed site of the Bishop Donald Arden private secondary school.
- Malindi Mission to visit St Martin’s Health Centre where MACS has funded air-conditioning units in the operating theatre, laboratory and pharmacy, a blood bank fridge and work on the roof for the Paediatric ward and Outpatients department. We have also funded a neonatal resuscitaire and one new hospital bed.
- St Martin’s Primary School to sign off a double classroom block and office
- St Michaels to met with some of our bursary pupils and check on a solar water project
- Nkope Mission to check on a lake defence project
- M’manga CDSS classroom block & office
- Magomero Primary School Classroom block & office
- Magomero Memorial Chapel
- Malosa Secondary School & bursary students
- We met with Fr Sandress Mganga, who had benefited from an Africycle when he graduated from Leonard Kumungu Theological College
- Chilema to check on repairs to the John Leake Nursery, bursary students on the Homecraft course and a new water tank.
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