| At Monday's lunchtime meeting the club welcomed guest speaker Richard Cogan – from the charity boNGO – and were given a very interesting insight in how the organisation is trying to raise educational standards for children in Malawi. The African country is one of the poorest in the world and a large proportion of its 21 million inhabitants cannot read or write, a status boNGO has been working on changing since 2007. The charity is concentrating on a rural part in the southeast, but hoping to spread in years to come. So far it supports five Childcare Centres and cares for all educational needs for children from 3 to 12 years, their food, teacher's allowances and training of teachers. The unique Happy Classroom Walls have been painted with each year's curriculums, an inspirational and economical investment at £800 per wall. The children find it easy to comprehend, it saves on books, and the walls only need to be repainted every 8-10 years. boNGO, an abbreviation for "based on Need-driven Grassroots Ownership", benefits from Richard's professional marketing skills and was brought about through a twist of fate. He had planned an Italian holiday, but his then girlfriend opted for Malawi! |   |
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