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Kenyawi Kids is a Scottish registered charity (SC039598) and supporting five projects in Malawi where 100% of donations + gift aid go to the projects, either to the one with greatest need upon miscellaneous donations or to a specific project, specified by a donor.

Chembe Projects currently have 3 key aspects: Chembe Water, Chembe Child, Chembe Hunger Relief- which are all closely related.

Chembe Water provides UV filtered, clean drinking water to the 16,000 (at last count!) villagers in Chembe Village, in the Cape Maclear area. There are 42 taps at stations throughout the village which are turned on in the morning and evening to provide water. Maintenance on them varies but to give you an idea, a general bi-annual maintenance (cement, pipe repairs, taps, paint) costs £100, a new pump every year or so costs £150-200 and UV lamps which someone needs to carry over form the UK cost £350, but only need replaced every couple of years. From time to time, the large plastic storage tanks used need replaced from heat damage at around £400-500 per tank (x3) so all in the annual cost is approximately £1800 including any contingency for emergency repairs.

Chembe Child is a community feeding programme established over 5 years ago that operates just along from the clinic on the top road into the village. We have around 20 of the neediest children in the village who attend the local primary school, are supported through uniform donations and are all fostered locally in the village. There is no ‘orphanage’ as such in the village as there are such large extended families but the burden upon grand parents to feed their orphaned grandchildren was becoming too much so the feeding centre was the best solution to support everyone. We have a woman who cares for the children by preparing their lunch daily after school and offering help with homework and nurturing the children through games and other activities- if there on a week day you will enjoy a good kick around with a ball with the kids or simply watching their awesome dancing-our kids know how to have fun! The feeding centre is currently just about covered by Gecko Lounge (lodge) profits which is £10 a week to run plus staff salary of around £20-30 a month. Kenyawi Kids contribute clothing donations to the children, dental care equipment and shoes whenever anyone is travelling from the UK. We also cover annual maintenance of the building which is about £400.

Chembe Hunger Drive was established eight years ago or so in response to the dire hunger crisis that started to become more evident in the village. Poor sandy soil means that maize often fails as gardens are much further back from the lake. Various NGOs have tried irrigation and I hope one day they succeed but until then, each year Kenyawi Kids scrapes together around £2500 to buy enough maize to start a village co-op drive. Market prices rise incredibly quickly during hunger season nationwide and maize sellers make ridiculous profits from other peoples poverty so we decided to end that in the village. The neediest families who simply cannot afford to buy maize are given enough to see them through for the whole season until the crop comes (Mike our project manager identifies these families carefully each year) and the rest of the village are offered maize at 70% of the market price. This works well as profits are then all completely ploughed back into buying more maize later at the inflated price and it sells at the 70% price, therefore allowing people to afford more maize, for longer, keeping bellies full and hospital beds clear in the small village clinic.

That’s them in a nutshell!