Friend and FdE member Sue Bird, associate director with special responsibility for the Centre, frequently spoke to me about the project she founded. This inspired me to go and see for myself.

I also visited the other Mbedza projects : education for orphans and a nursery, eco-friendly tree-planting, fuel-efficient and healthier stoves. Songani also houses a library where students can study, a sanitary project where young women make their own washable sanitary materials, provision of sports and games for the community and support groups for those who are HIV positive as well as sex workers. In addition, a youth group called ’Hope Ambassadors’ spreads the word to their peers about the dangers of HIV. I came back full of admiration and enthusiasm for the wonderful work the staff in Malawi are carrying out.

During that visit to the Songani Centre I noticed that there were a lot of people milling around the Centre or using it as a thoroughfare to transit from Songani village to the main road. Even more so on market day when the site was full of people from outside and local traders had set up market stalls next to the Centre which interfered with the drainage system. Obviously, this was neither a calming or private atmosphere for anybody being tested or counselled for HIV, nor safe for staff and children playing in the grounds. Fortunately, Association Femmes d’Europe came to the rescue and in 2023 financed the construction of a wall around the land the Centre owns.

Upon my return to Malawi in 2025 I was keen to see how the Centre had progressed. Frank Jumbe, deputy director Songani Centre, proudly showed me the wall and stressed how much difference it had made : Staff and visitors can move easily and safely around, young children are now able to play in the grounds and a reading room has been constructed for them which would not have been possible previously. The wall has been constructed so that it is solid (brick and metal bars) but people can still see the Centre from the outside and are encouraged to visit it to seek help if needed.

For further information on this marvellous charity, please click on this link : https://mbedza.org.

Carol Wright
UK Group