Malawi Clinics

The Twinning Project would like to acknowledge the continuous support of our valued partners.

Grant Funding

In 2006, the Scottish Government awarded the Twinning Project a grant to develop a twin clinic network between Scottish General Practices and Malawian Clinics. Over three years, the grant is being used to scale up staff and patient education and support the implementation of modern information technology systems.

Technology

The team at Calico Jack assist the Twinning Project in developing online resources and training participants in blogging and smart software solutions. Calico Jack is based in Dundee, Tayside and has valuable experience in developing healthcare technologies and social networking.

Rick Moynihan from Calico Jack

Globe are contracted to install Internet connections and computer technology to the twinned clinics in Malawi. Avinash, Geoffrey and Saman work with the Twinning Team in Malawi to locate local signal points and link clinics and their communities to broadband Internet. There is a short video of the installation of Internet to Limbe clinic on the blogging page.

Installing Internet at Matawale Clinic in Zomba

Networks

• Scotland Malawi Partnership

The Scotland Malawi Partnership, a recognised charity, was created to build on the long-standing links between Scotland and Malawi.

The Partnership provides a network for those individuals and organisations in Scotland whose aim is to aid the reduction of poverty and the formation of sustainable social and economic development in Malawi. In line with the Malawi Government’s own priorities, the Partnership is particularly, but not exclusively, targeting the health and education sectors.

The Twinning of Malawian and Scottish Clinics Project is a registered member of the Scotland Malawi Partnership.

 

Suppliers

Brian Kelly and Libby Carey have arranged for the shipment of twenty high specification computers to the twinned clinics in Malawi. The computers were donated by Glasgow City Council and are due to arrive at their destination in Malawi by the middle of January 2008.

Some of the computers donated by the people of Glasgow

• Bangwe Craft Centre

Bangwe Craft Centre in Bangwe, Malawi, is making medical kit bags for the Twinning Project. These bags will then be distributed to all ten Scottish health centres in the project. The health centres can chose to put brand new medical equipment or supplies in the bags for sending back to twinned clinics in Malawi and, in return, the Malawi clinics can fill their kit bags with high quality Malawi products, such as Mzuzu coffee or Mulanje tea.

The factory looms and a happy worker

The Centre is part of Malawi Council for the Handicapped. Many of the 110 factory employees have special needs such as physical disabilities and visual, speech or hearing impairment. The Centre was established in 1975 and was opened by President Banda in 1976. It specialises in making uniforms, screen-printing, weaving textiles and tie-dye clothing. Valued customers are offered a guided tour of the premises in Bangwe. One of our Scottish project workers, Jemma Neville, had the privilege of spending a day with Managers, Clara Fatch and Yasmin Wells.

We hope that this business partnership will be a longterm success.

One of the weavers making our bags

Martin and his colleagues at Kings Buildings in Edinburgh have printed posters and publicity material for the Twinning Project.

Ailsa Scott from the Scottish Government helped provide Scottish merchandise such as flags, mouse mats and stationary for distribution to partners in Malawi during the November visit.

The Scottish flag at Chilomoni Clinic in Blantyre

Institutions

The Campus Director of the Zomba Campus, Lucy Chidothe, is joint signatory on the Twinning Project accounts in Malawi. Nursing students at the College undertake training placements at several of the twinned clinics and the College is able to offer the Project institutional support, guidance and advice on government healthcare structures in Malawi. The Malawi Communications Manager for the Project, Sylvester Chawala, is based at the College.

The College library in Zomba