Self-help and sustainability
The Project, set up to celebrate the Millennium, is founded on Malawi's historical links with Scotland and the University of Strathclyde through explorer and missionary David Livingstone who studied at Strathclyde in the 1830s.
The main aim of the Malawi Millennium Project (MMP) - based on self-help and sustainability - is to assist in educating the personnel necessary to train future generations of Malawian teachers, nurses, scientists, technicians and engineers to deal with some of the health and education problems in Malawi, one the poorest countries in the world. The Project is a collaborative venture between the University of Strathclyde and the University of Malawi, with which Strathclyde has had academic links going back to the early 1990s.
The Project initiated a campaign to formalise links between Scotland and Malawi which led to a Co-operation Agreement between the two countries in 2005. Signed by Scotland's First Minister and the President of Malawi, the Agreement allows increased collaboration in the areas of Civic Governance and Society, Sustainable Economic Development, Health and Education. The Agreement was signed when the President of Malawi at that time (His Excellency Ngwazi Prof. Bingu wa Mutharika) visited the Scottish Parliament to attend a major conference organised by the Scotland Malawi Partnership. The Scotland Malawi Partnership, of which the Malawi Millennium Project is a founding member, was set up in 2005 to provide a networking forum for individuals and organisations in Scotland with an interest in supporting Malawi.
As you read our web site you will see references to grants, in particular Scottish government grants, which are supporting some of our projects - this is one measure of our success. Grant funding does not form the foundation of the MMP, indeed MMP does not benefit from these grants. It is the donations that are made by individuals and small organisations, sometimes in kind, that enables us to provide seed funding to initiate and develop small projects that address specific needs but subsequently grow to the stage where they are viable and suitable for consideration for grant aid from the Scottish Government or other funding bodies. As an example consider the "making wonders" project which, with support from MMP, started working in two schools for the blind and grew, with further funding from SCIAF, the Beit trust and the Scottish Government, to supporting 32 schools. "making wonders" has spun off two additional autonomous projects: the repair of Perkins Braillers (Malawi Tomorrow - a Scottish charity) and the production of DAISY talking books (Force Foundation of the Netherlands). In the near future "making wonders" will look at ways to assist children with Albinism in Malawi, white skinned Children who suffer continually from sunburn and frequently die young of sun exposure related cancers. All of these projects related to "making wonders" can trace their origins to financial assistance derived from the MMP.
The Malawi Millennium Project has enjoyed widespread support within and outside the Strathclyde community locally and internationally. Many University staff, students and alumni donate time and effort to the Project by lending their expertise and organising fundraising events. Events ranging from the 'Move for Malawi' event in the University Sports Centre to balls and fashion shows in the University's Barony Hall.
The Project is proud of its record of careful financial management. Every penny counts and a network of contacts in Malawi allow the Project to target the money directly to those in need.