Our Women’s Fairtrade Certified Essential Oil Co-operative are working hard and making exciting progress – they are enjoying every minute of it!  Take a look at all of the pictures of our wonderful women from Ann Page’s (UK Co-ordinator) recent Malawi trip on Facebook at:-
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150485958368182.371805.108214858181&type=1

Build A School are incredibly proud to present our newly formed women’s Fairtrade certified organic essential oil co-operative at our Tickbird Visitor Centre site, Malawi. This co-operative will provide these women with much needed education, employment, income and empowerment. They will be producing the world’s first Fairtrade certified organic essential oil products such as soap. Amazing!
Our wonderful women are: Velentina Banda, Suzan Malunga, Nelesi Amidu, Vaileti Bowa, Emily Chiwaya, Unike Madzi, Sofeleti Msungamoyo, Ana Kambaika, Fanesi Gositi and Elube Nyumeni.

Attention everyone! Don’t forget to keep checking Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/BuildASchool and our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Buildaschool for exciting updates and photos of our amazing progress in Malawi, including the start- up of our Fairtrade certified essential oil women’s co-operative! We also now have a Twitter widget on our website for you to follow. Please get involved and feel free to make any suggestions or let us know your fundraising ideas!

The DialAFlight team (http://www.dialaflight.com/) had a wonderful time recently in Malawi when they went to check out the progress of our new double block classroom at Ngwenya Primary School which they have kindly funded. 
The team – Giles Golding, Dean Smith, Paul Markham, Kelly Francis and Nicola Payne had fun playing games with the children followed by cutting the ribbon and enjoying the dancing and music at the opening ceremony.  They also took the opportunity to visit our Mbelekete Primary School during their visit to Malawi. 
For more photos of their fantastic trip …

On 18th May 2011 the ring beam was completed ready for the roof timbers…
    
On 25th May 2011 the roof timbers were in place ready for the roof sheets…

We are making great progress with the construction of our new double block classroom at Ngwenya Primary School, funded by DialAFlight (The Lotus Group) http://www.dialaflight.com/ 
Join us on Facebook for more photos and news: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150156949938182.291815.108214858181&l=7e28e09bb5

Construction of our new double block classroom at Ngwenya Primary School, kindly funded by DialAFlight (The Lotus Group),  is well underway.  The foundations have been laid and the walls have been started.  See more photos of our progress on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150156949938182.291815.108214858181&l=7e28e09bb5

Is there a need to build schools?
There is a huge need for schools, with some governments leaving the construction to Non-Government Organisations such as Build A School.
What happens once you have built a school?
It is handed over to the local community and the government provide the teachers and learning materials.
What is ‘sustainable development’?
There is a recognised definition of sustainable development that arose out of the Bruntland Commission in the 1980s: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet …

What is development?

From birth to death – physical development
From poor to rich – economic development
From dictatorship to democracy – political development
From sexual abuse to sexual equality – social development
From fossil fuels to renewable energy – environmental development
A future for us AND our children – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Click here for the United Nations Millenium Development Goals
Introduction
There is little challenge to the recognition that foreign aid has not alleviated much of the poverty faced by the developing world, particularly in Africa. The fall of the USSR has seen capitalism sweep the world as …

A small video of the opening ceremony at one of the schools we’ve built.