Attending Events
Anyone wishing to attend an event should contact the Hon Secretary for further details using the contact form on the Contact page.
There is no charge to attend the events but we suggest that a donation of £10 (minimum) per head should be made to the Charitable Trust Fund to help fund our project activities in Malawi.
Blue Coat School (Happy Classroom Project)
2026 Project Malawi – Happy Classrooms
A grant of £1000 to support the creation of Happy Classrooms as part of a partnership project between Blue Coat School in Birmingham with Playdor Private School and Mlomba Primary School in Blantyre, in association with BoNGO Worldwide.
Claire Newman, Teacher at Blue Coat School and Project Malawi Lead said that through the Project Malawi programme and by using the FOMA grant, they will be able to transform the classrooms for Standards 1 and 5 at Mlomba School into bright, curriculum-linked learning spaces. By painting the walls it will help younger learners develop literacy and numeracy skills, while supporting older pupils’ subject learning. BCS fundraising will further support the school by providing desks for Standards 7 and 8, ensuring all age groups benefit from the partnership.
A video clip of the Happy Classroom!
FOMA AGM – September 2026
The AGM will be held on Saturday 19th September at 2.00pm online.
As part of proceedings, the Chairman will give an update on FOMA activities over the past year and present arrangements concerning the future of FOMA. The Grants Coordinator will then present a short summary of FOMA’s community grant programme.
All members are welcome. Please book a place at the meeting by emailing Hon Secretary secretary@foma.org.uk
FOMA Garden Party 2026
The FOMA annual garden party was held on 11 July 2026.
FOMA members gathered to enjoy a summer’s afternoon catching up with friends over tea & cakes. The FOMA pop-up fundraising shop offered handmade gifts, marmalade for Malawi and a selection of greeting cards with all proceeds going towards community projects in Malawi.
Ekwendeni Women Dawa Organisation (EWDO)
2025 Project Summary
A grant of £915 to support the renovation of a girls’ menstrual hygiene changing room at Elangeni Primary School in Mzimba District.
Hope Jackson and Mariam Manda from EWDO explained that a dedicated safe space for girls during menstruation will help reduce the stigma and absenteeism among students. The FOMA grant helped to refurbish an existing room by installing a secure door, shelves, water containers and educational signage. The room will be of use to over 100 girls and contribute to improved school retention
and gender equality.
The Mlambe Project
2025 Project Summary
A grant of £1000 to support the building of a new toilet block for female pupils at Nkwikwi Primary School, Balaka District.
Andrew May-Millar, Manager at The Mlambe Project explained that for over 10 years, the Mlambe Project have been involved in the construction of sustainably-built school infrastructure in Balaka District using stabilised soil blocks (SSBs) which have a far lower carbon cost than traditional fired bricks. In 2024 Nkwikwi School in Mpilisi Zone, had a new classroom block constructed but the toilet facilities remained poor. The FOMA grant helped support construction of the girls toilet while Mlambe will support the construction of the boys toilets.
The classrooms and toilets were formally handed over to the Headmistress and the students are now enjoying their improved facilities.
Alton Climate Action Network (ACAN)
2025 Project Summary
A grant of £1000 to support the purchase of a farm motorbike to enable members of the Gumbi Permaculture Community Training Centre team to visit homestead farmers in the rural villages of Nambuma.
Jenny Griffiths of ACAN explained the Permaculture Community Training Centre (PCTC) in Gumbi is a social enterprise project that aims to empower local communities with the knowledge and skills of permaculture to radically improve food supply through sustainable organic farming methods. It promotes food diversity rather than reliance on maize and following training at the centre, the PCTC team support homestead farmers through visits to villages. The motorbike will help with outreach visits to some of the furthest farmers that are up to 20km away.
The motorbike was purchased in early November and was put to use straight way making follow up visits to 30 new homestead farmers that recently completed their training.
James Gomani, volunteer Manager at PCTC in Gumbi, said ‘The PCTC team gratefully acknowledges FOMA’s £1000 donation to us. Purchasing a motorcycle is a significant victory for us since it allows the PCTC team to monitor the development of our efforts. The entire community applauds FOMA for its generosity.’
Anglican Diocese of Upper Shire (ADUS)
2025 Project Summary
A grant of £1000 to support the purchase of a solar powered water pump to be used to improve irrigation among the women’s farming groups in Mangochi.
Victor Mnelemba, Diocesan Projects Officer that currently the small scale farming approaches used by the women’s groups are limited by the availability of water, but a pump would help increase capacity in terms of yield and income, also then increasing the ability to better support their families. The grant will enable the group to purchase a solar powered pump ‘Pump Yanga’.
This project is underway – check back soon for an update!
African Youth Employment Initiatives (AYEI)
2025 Project Summary
A grant of £1000 to support the construction of an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre in Chiziya, Nkhata Bay.
Eric Banda, AYEI Director explained that the existing space used to care for the children is in a poor condition. It is small with no proper windows, grass-thatched roof and lacks any learning and play materials which compromise children’s learning and safety. A new building would help to serve 70 children under the age of five with a better, safer and more stimulating environment for early
learning.
This project is underway – check back soon for an update!
Mitsunge AIDs and Community Development Support Organisation (MACODESO)
2025 Project Summary
A grant of £1000 to support the construction of 4 new toilets at Mwaya Primary School, Nkhata Bay.
Michael Standford from MACODESO explained that due to recent heavy rains the current sanitation facilities have become structurally unsafe with severe cracks and unstable foundations posing a serious risk to the health and safety of over 1,000 learners at the school. The grant will enable new facilities to be a constructed which will help to improve sanitation and the overall learning environment.
This project is underway – check back soon for an update!
Wildlife Society of Malawi (WESM)
2025 Project Summary
A grant of £900 to support the purchase of equipment to set up tree nurseries among the communities of Michiru Mountain Nature Reserve, Blantyre.
Lindsey Macdonald of Blantyre WESM explained that in late 2023 Michiru Mountain Nature Reserve was overrun by organised gangs poaching trees to make charcoal. Since then, WESM Blantyre has been working with the police, TAs, the Department of Forestry and Centre for Environmental Policy & Advocacy, to help the neighbouring communities stop this poaching. Volunteer rangers patrol the area, local villages are helping regrowing Michiru’s lower slopes and bee-keeping has been introduced. Together, these activities are helping to families to support their incomes, their environment and recreate a safe space for visitors.
The FOMA grant has provided supporting to the local communities in growing and managing their own woodlots will help alleviate pressure on the protected forest and WESM Blantyre Branch has carried out training workshops for 15 schools and 5 community-based groups surrounding Michiru Nature Sanctuary.