Author: Nick Webber Trust

This Christmas help a Malawian school girl reach her potential by giving her a reusable menstrual kit. We know we have done it before, but we really can’t overstate how popular this simple gift is with the young women – or the impact they are having.

Headteachers of schools whose female students got them last year, tell us how much attendance (and grades) have improved. And the young women who have received them tell us they are life-changing – “we are all once again taking part in sports”, “my grades are up because I’m no longer missing school”, and “I feel so much more confident now”. Help us provide this gift to even more young women.

Your gift of £12 will buy a female school student 5 reusable sanitary pads, 4 bars of soap, a tub to wash them in, a sealable bag to store them in, and 3 pairs of underwear.

You can donate via www.justgiving.com/campaign/christmas-period or directly into our bank account with the reference ‘Christmas’.

Download a gift certificate to put under the tree below.

Life in Malawi is currently even tougher than usual, with rampant inflation, the impact of climate change on farming conditions among other things, and most people really struggling to achieve anything remotely like what you and I would call a reasonable standard of living. Yet, you are making a difference. The former ‘street children’ whose schooling you support continue to make better than average progress; the secondary schoolgirls who receive your menstrual health kits express their delight as they know the difference the kits will make to school attendance, and therefore achievement. The hostels you have built ensure a safe environment for girls to continue their education. The “safe house” refuge recently completed for the survivors of domestic abuse has been assured of a future by the Clooney Foundation undertaking the funding of its running costs.

More is needed of course, but what we are doing is making a real difference. Thank you for your support.

When Pauline returned from her recent visit to Malawi, her intention was to share with you some of the enthusiastic feedback we received from secondary school students who had been given our reusable menstrual health kits. The headteacher at a school we visited last October reported that there is now a much-improved attendance rate, and the previously withdrawn and shy students were excited to add their comments: “the pads are soft and comfortable”, “I’m no longer scared I might stain my clothes”, “we are all once again taking part in sports”, “my grades are up because I’m no longer missing school”, and “I feel so much more confident now”. There can be no doubt that this simple gift is transforming the lives of the students who receive them. Last month, we distributed another 200 kits, to every female student in a rural secondary school largely built by Nick Webber Trust in previous years.
 
But now we are sharing more urgent news. Although barely covered in our domestic media, Cyclone Freddy, the strongest cyclone to ever hit the southern hemisphere, is wreaking havoc in southern and eastern Malawi. So far none of our own projects are affected, but we thought you, our wonderful supporters, would still want to help. We’ve been contacted by one of our Malawian Board of Advisers to help with a scheme to provide menstrual health kits to women and girls affected by the loss of their homes and belongings in the cyclone’s path. They will be distributed through a personal contact in the Malawi Red Cross. Because of the urgency, we have transferred £500 to make a start, and we hope to raise more now.
 
We do not usually ask for funds in this way. But if you can contribute to giving these survivors at least a modicum of decency, when they have lost so much else, please send whatever you can. (Each kit costs approximately £10 depending on the rate of exchange at the time.) You can donate through our JustGiving page, or direct to our bank account (Sort Code 089299, Account number 65156711 – please give it the reference ‘Cyclone’), or by sending a cheque to Nick Webber Trust, 1, Apple Tree Walk, Clymping, West Sussex, BN17 5QN.
 

You may remember that two Christmases ago we invited you to buy assorted building materials for your friends as Christmas presents. You responded with your usual amazing generosity, and we were able to begin the construction of a refuge for the Women Lawyers’ Association to advise and support survivors of domestic abuse. We are delighted to be able to tell you that the large, four-bedroom house has now been completed on a secure site on the outskirts of the capital city, and beds, mattresses and pillows have been purchased from donations at a friend’s recent funeral.  On her visit later this month Pauline will be taking the large quantity of pillowcases and towels, once again donated by you, our incredibly generous supporters!  

This year we are again giving you the opportunity to give a young woman in Malawi a period pack. The reaction from last years recipients has been extremely enthusiastic, they are making a real difference to the lives of young women, and with your help we could reach even more.

For most girls and young women in Malawi, managing their periods is difficult as very few have any sanitary products or pants. Most simply cant go to school during their period which means that they miss up to a quarter of their education after they hit puberty.

Your gift of £12 will enable us to provide each female school student 5 reusable sanitary pads, 4 bars of soap, a tub to wash them in, a sealable bag to store them in, and 3 pairs of underwear.

You can donate via www.justgiving.com/campaign/periodpacks or directly into our bank account with the reference ‘Christmas’.

If you have bought a period pack as a Christmas present you can download a gift certificate to put under the tree.