What Greg had to say now he has returned from the trip

“It’s been over a week back and I still can’t find the words to describe how it felt being out there. Going out there I had no idea what to expect but knew that if I could at least help the community I would have achieved what I set out to do. Little did I know I would have to be up dancing, giving piggyback rides, playing football and all the other fun we had with the community. Even the work didn’t feel like work when the masons were being really helpful and playful with us. When we managed to get the scaffolding up on the first day was just a great boost to us that we carried on through the week to finish in record time. Seeing the smile on the families faces at the end made all the hard work worth it and how the whole community came together to help out in any way they could just kept pushing you to try harder. To me I still haven’t really come back to my reality yet and speaking to people who have gone before it doesn’t sound like you ever do and that’s fine by me as that trip, community and the people I shared this experience with will always be a part of me. I think we all had the same feeling when we got back of ‘Just get me on that plane and send me back again’ and that feeling will stay with me forever.”

Day 7 - Goodbyes ... from Simon Barton

The final day of our 2018 Malawi adventure and the final day of our three year project with Habitat for Humanity to deliver 24 homes to the poorest and most vulnerable orphaned children. Today we are hoping to visit 22 of the 24 homes either completed or partly constructed, including the 2 that the 2018 team have been working to complete and what will I’m sure be a very emotional farewell to the community who in only a week we feel completely attached to.

 

The first house we visited was home to Fyness Chimpeni and the four children she cared for. This home was built by the 2017 Touchstone team, Fyness is totally blind but a real character and was born in 1936. We were invited in to her house which was immaculately clean but without a single item of furniture, a similar theme in all the homes we visited.

 

We then visited the home of Emelida Mailosi who cares for her three grandchildren who are due to move into their home in August. What struck us when driving back through the village was although most of the homes where in a seriously dilapidated condition the area outside each of the houses, which is just sand and dust, had been swept clear of all leaves and debris and looked very neat and tidy, clearly taking pride in what very little these people had.

 

Next we visited another grandmother caring for her 4 grandchildren, ranging in age from 6 to 16, both parents the victims of the aids virus which is still a major problem in Malawi.

 

We then paid a visit to the community that we have been working with to see the 2 houses we have been working on with the corrugated roofs installed and to say our final farewells. After a couple of renditions of ‘bye bye, bye bye, but not for ever’ and more than a few tears it was time to continue our tour of the Touchstone houses. The bus was very quiet as we all tried to gather our thoughts and emotions.

 

The next couple of homes we visited both completed in 2017 and we met the first male guardian, who was caring for his sisters three children. He explained the massive difference having a home with a roof that didn’t leak had on them all. In the rainy season the would not be able to sleep as rain poured through the dilapidated roof thatching, they would have to find a spot in the house that was dry, often having to stand holding what little they had to keep it dry.

 

Each new family explained something different about how their new home has changed their lives, one of the most poetic explanations was Pililani Mwamdi who explained since moving in her dreams have changed!

 

Martha James, looking after 8 children, 5 of her own and three grandchildren, she was only 33! To put some context around this, her new home consists of 2 bedrooms and a living room, still extremely ‘cosy’. She explained that now she has a safe and secure home she can spend more time labouring on the farm and selling tomatoes which gives her a small income that she uses to feed the children.

 

The next 2 homes where particularly emotional for John, who helped build them on out first Touchstone visit in 2016, Regina Mtambalika, who despite being disabled with a club foot, looks after 3 children, has developed a small holding with some livestock and creating a very pretty garden and Esinta Banda and her 3 children who now has been able to create a business growing and selling potatoes, cabbages and tomatoes..

 

The final couple of houses visited both had sad and difficult tales to tell, neither carer was at the house. The first was with one of her children who had been taken ill and had been admitted to hospital;l the sense was that his condition was poor and her other 4 children were being cared for by a neighbour whilst she remained with the ill child. Tthe mother from the other house was away in Lilongwe selling fish that she had walked to Lake Malawi to buy, about 5 miles away, then bought some ice to pack the fish, caught a bus to Lilongwe and will stay there until she sells them all. She will then return home with whatever she has earned for a couple of days and then do it all again.

 

Life for the vast majority of the people here is one of day to day survival but most seem to do it with a smile on their face!

 

We will all leave Malawi with a mixture of emotions, extremely grateful for the opportunity to make a small difference, a more balanced perspective on life and with memories we will treasure for a lifetime.

 

Team Touchstone 2018 I’m very proud of you each and every one of you.

 

 

 

Day 6 from Robyn and Rebecca

Our last day today on site and it was great to see that both roofs were in the progress of going on the houses. When arriving on site we had time to play with the children, they particularly enjoyed the piggy back races and posing with our sunglasses on.

 

The village seemed busy with the women cooking for the post dedication ceremony. Many of the workers brought their families to see us on our final day. The families we are building for spoke of their pride in their new homes and how they were looking forward to taking care of their homes. John then spoke and thanked the community for welcoming us.

 

The ceremony commenced with dancing and then a welcome from the village chief. The dancing was lead by workers from the local nursery we had met earlier on in the week. The dancing and singing was incredible and put our Hokey Cokey to shame. We also sang if your happy and you know it with the children joining in on the fun. We were awarded with certificates to congratulate us on our build. The ceremony was concluded by the traditional dancers. 

 

It was then time for lunch which included goat, rice, beans, shredded cabbage, pumpkin leaves and sweet potato. We ate with the families for which we are building for and the food was thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was especially lovely to see the children going up for seconds. The children got to have juice or a fizzy drink which they enjoyed.

 

Before leaving we had the opportunity to have final photos in front of our houses, with some of the children joining us. 

 

Tomorrow we get to visit all of the 24 Touchstone houses including one last visit to our two houses which no doubt will be very emotional. 

 

 

Day 5 from Greg and James

As we've been much quicker than habitat expected we got to have a bit of an easier day today. We started off with a trip to the crocodile farm just up the road from us where we learnt about the crocodile trade. The farm manager had been working there for 21 years and told us they breed 6,000 crocodiles a year. Everything they produce is for commercial use and they have main exporters to Italy, Korea and Africa. They have a crocodile that is 55 years old which the life expectancy is 115 years.

After that it was time to drive to the site. On the way we saw a few kids hitting a round stone with a stick and some other school children wearing paper graduation hats, just another couple of luxuries we take for granted.

On site we finished off the floors for the first house and carpenters were putting the structural support for the roof on. During our lunch break the community football came out so we had a kick around with the kids who put us all to shame. When we got forced back to working on the house we finished off the floor on the second house while silent parrot filmed us working. We really just wanted to go back to playing football with the kids so once we'd finished the floor we ran back to the ongoing game the kids were having. Seeing the smiles on all their faces was something special for all of us who have been working so hard to help the community, so special that we had to be dragged away by the bus as we just weren't going to leave unless someone forced us.

While in the bus the kids started pointing and laughing, we were trying to work out what they were laughing at. We realised they were pointing at their reflection in the window because they'd never seen their own reflection before. It's amazing to think simple things like a mirror just isn't anywhere in the community.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at a local market where they had a wide variety of locally made crafts to take home as souvenirs. Everyone enjoyed going through and bartering with the owners to get what they wanted, then it was back on the bus back to the hotel.

Another amazing day coming to an end and it's just becoming harder and harder to think we'll soon be leaving this community behind but knowing we've made a difference to their lives. The memories of the whole community and everything we've seen will stay with us forever.

 

Visit to the local school

The Teams

Day 4 from Mason and Oli

The day began with a trip to Ankondwa school. We were introduced to the headteacher Lloyd Mumbar, who oversees 900 children with only 14 teachers. From there we visited three different classes grades 1,4 and 7. Each class greeted us with songs and shared their aspirations for the future. The answers included doctors, nurses and soldiers the most frequent of which however was a bank manager...

From then we were taken to the headmasters office where on the wall we found the school rules which included some more interesting than others.

After an emotional goodbye with the school children we made our way to the village to continue our build. By lunch we had almost finished the internal and external walls and took our break. Swiftly finishing our food we went to spend the remainder playing with the local children. A football match soon ensued and what started out as a civilised game between us swiftly turned to a free for all as word got out and more and more children joined in. The joy on their faces over the simplest game was extraordinary to see.

 

With lunch break over the remainder of the walls were completed (in record time) and we were told we would have a spare fifteen minutes to resume playing with the children. However over an hour passed of singing, dancing and silly games. With no one looking like they were going anywhere our Habitat leader Andrew dragged us away to bring to an end another day of work/fun.  

 

As each day passes and we grow more and more attached the community it seems difficult to imagine how it will feel leaving it all behind.

 

 

 

Day 3 from Caroline and Carol

Day 3 sees us visiting the pre-school age nursery that is nearing completion, funded by John Midgley’s  kind and generous efforts. Sadly this nursery was closed for over two years due to lack of funds. Now its able to offer children porridge for breakfast, giving them a nourishing start to the day which they may not manage to have at home.

We arrived to joyful singing children holding banners welcoming us. This was immensely touching and frankly overwhelming for all of us. We sat with the children and exchanged names with some help from the guys from Habitat. The nursery will hopefully be completed by the end of the month.

It was then back to work on site. It was amazing to arrive to see just how much we have achieved in such a short space of time. So up the scaffolding we went -observing full health and safety regs obviously! To say we were industrious doesn’t quite explain the speed at which both teams have managed to build. 

Although we have an hour for lunch we all choose to spend half of this time playing and interacting with the children. The universal language of football has reached even the most remote village in Salima. However the football the children currently use is made from plastic bags and a multitude of other materials bound together with string. Today we brought ecstatic smiles to their faces with the introduction of a brand new leather football. So many children and adults across the world take for granted the use of such an object but today the excitement and resounding pleasure this brought was truly wonderful to see. 

By the end of the day’s building, both teams had completed the external walls of each house and had moved on to the internal walls. A feat which has delighted us all.

Tonight we are all more weary than before, with aching limbs from all the lifting, bending and squatting - not all related to the build!!! 

So it’s goodnight from Team Malawi sitting at the bar with a well deserved chilled one!

 

Day 2 from Clair Barry

We are finally off the ground and laying bricks at height. The scaffolding was interesting (Tristram don't look at the pics) but Danni carried out a full risk assessment and we were good to go. 

 

There was a nice breeze today and we all felt a little more confident in our masonry skill and were quickly shouting "Matope" and "Chingwe Mamba" (more Mortar and bring the lines up). By the end of the day both teams had completed four walls with doors and windows and they were really looking like homes. Daima and her brother are helping us build the house so it is great to get to know the family better.

 

A harder part of the day was seeing the homes Enelesi and Daima are moving from. It was very difficult not to be emotional when you see the small house in which Daima and her 3 children live. We had chance to ask what will be the best part of their new home. The answer was that when it rains they will be dry whilst they sleep. Her current house has a grass roof and mud floor and the rain can often come down hard. Her new home has a concrete floor and tin roof so their possessions are protected from rain. 

 

Just when you think you cannot feel any sadder about the situation these lovely famillies are in the children of the village run up to you smiling ear to ear and your heart lifts. The kids want to sing, play football, dance and wave, I think they have all realised we are a bit of crazy bunch and they are not wrong. 

 

Being part of this experience has really been life-changing and I want to thank Touchstone and Habitat for letting me be part of it.

Day 1 from Danni Hall

From the minute we all congregated at Paddington station in the ‘compulsory’ Touchstone Tshirts (thanks for that Midgley) instincts kicked in this was going to be a great trip!

First stop - Heathrow airport bar! ‘Team bonding’

Second stop - Party flight to Johannesburg no films required the team provided the in flight entertainment Third stop - Layover hotel for one night, swimming pool/ bar/ casino and ending the night in the reggae nightclub with Mr systems spaghetti

 

At this point your probably thinking are they on a Touchstone jolly sponsored by Simon Barton’s company credit card....... until this morning we all thought the same!

 

And then today the penny dropped and the realisation came when we arrived in our village, the tears had begun before we had even stepped foot off the bus......

 

Although nervous at first - both us and the village we had bonded within the first hour.....

 

The first few hours were spent plastering myself and everyone else in cement and trying not to burst into tears! Once both off those areas were in check I began to enjoy myself and settle into village life (mainly getting distracted by the children and getting told to get back bricklaying)

 

By the end off the day the house was half built and I was dying for a beer but could have stayed all night!

 

After listening to Midgleys never ending stories for the last three nights, I didn’t believe it would be as moving and touching as it has been and it’s only day 1!

 

Clair Barry's Pre Trip Thoughts ....

I have worked in property for 22 years….I’m old. The best part of my job is sharing in the excitement when people are moving into their new homes, it is such a great moment to walk into your new property and I cannot wait to be involved in this fantastic project to build homes in Malawi.

 

I am looking forward to stepping away from my normal day to day, getting my hands dirty, making many new friends along the way and finding out more about my Touchstone colleagues who are sharing the same experience.

 

Jon was the first person to share with me his wonderful stories of Malawi and since then when I am in a Touchstone office and mention Malawi someone’s eyes will light up and they tell me about the fantastic time they spent there and the amazing life changing work Habitat for Humanity provide across the world.

 

I will be a little sad to leave my wonderful husband James and Manchester United loving dogs Fred the Red and Eric Cantona but James being a typical “Yorkshire Man” is hoping I will pick up some new skills and come back able to build an extension.

John’s thoughts as we leave for Malawi

It seems particularly relevant that the Touchstone team is leaving for Malawi today, a day which is also the start of National Volunteers Week. 

 

Touchstone has funded a 3 year programme to build 24 homes for orphan children in Malawi together with pit latrines and training around disease prevention. It’s all about providing decent homes, and the work has been achieved by working with Habitat for Humanity through their Global Village programme. Habitat’s aim is to end housing poverty and since 1976 they have created one million homes and served 10 million people in over 70 countries.

 

I had the fantastic opportunity to be part of the Touchstone build team in both 2016 and 2017 and I am particularly honoured this year, after retiring from Touchstone, to be leading the Touchstone team on behalf of Habitat. I am sure it will be another life changing experience for everyone involved. A huge thank you to the this year’s team who have financed their participation and given up their time. A huge thank you to the 2016 and 2017 teams for their wonderful achievements. A huge thank you to Habitat for making it happen. And a huge thank you to Nakondwa Community Based Organisation who have identified need and manage the process on the ground in the villages around Salami close to Lake Malawi.

 

As part of National Volunteers Week I have been asked why volunteering is so important. It’s simple. It has made me realise that in a world of 7.6 billion people a team of 12 can still make a huge difference. Margaret Mead said “Never doubt that a group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”. How true!

In the photograph below, Violet and the 5 children she cared for lived in the thatched mud hut on the foreground. It leaked, was insecure and unhealthy. Behind are their new washroom and latrine and the 2017 Touchstone team building their new 3 room home with a concrete floor, fired brick walls and galvanised metal roof. This is what volunteering is about. In a world where success is too often simply measured by financial success, Touchstone volunteers have found that it really lies in responding to need and providing security, safety and opportunity for others. I am sure this year’s team will find the same.

 

Carol Millett's pre-trip thoughts.....................

I have watched many humanitarian documentaries and always felt great admiration towards the aid workers but at the same time feeling slightly ashamed, as always watching from the safely of my home, comfort of my Habitat sofa with a cold glass of wine in my hand. The opportunity to actually play a part in helping to improve the lives of people that have far far less than myself is one that I could not turn down. I think this will take me out of my comfort zone in many ways but I relish the challenge and whole heartedly am looking forward to the experience.


I am taking a collection of photographs of my family, children, dog, cats that I hope will bring a smile to the faces of the families we will be meeting.


Bring on Malawi J

Caroline Vincent's pre-trip thoughts

I feel very fortunate living in the western world where we generally expect a safe place to sleep, and modern facilities and amenities are expected as a given right. We are privileged to live in such an abundant society with healthcare services and government resources available to most of us.

After questioning why I was putting myself forward for this trip rather than donating money to a UK cause I came to the conclusion that its easy to put money in a charity box or support mainstream fund-raising events but to have the opportunity to be able to physically help families will be more enriching than I can imagine and I’m probably unlikely to ever have the chance again. To know that we will be helping families who are probably already burdened by the hardships of the area they’re born into and are likely to have limited chances of changing their lives, yet they’ve taken on additional children who have been orphaned is a truly humbling prospect.

And finally, as an avid fan of all things property and hoping to embark on my own self-build project in the future, I’m really looking forward to getting my hands dirty and being part of the build process. Can’t wait to get going!

Cx

Danni Hall's pre-trip thoughts................

Frank and Honest from the start:

 

I have just brought an amazing new house/I have brought a new car/I go on plenty of holidays/I buy what I want/I eat great food/I am free to come and go as I please/I have a great social life/I have all the possession I want/I am able to buy clothes/shoes/handbags whenever I want/I enjoy my job/I have a great work life balance/I enjoy coming to work/I enjoy the gym/ I have no restrictions in my life/ I smile and laugh on a daily basis/ I am healthy 

I have an amazing support network around me/I have the best husband who provides me with the lifestyle I lead, who is my best friend and everything I would want and need in a partner/I have family/I have an amazing extended family/A brother in law I never thought I would have/A father in law that turned into the Father I never had growing up/Best friends that keep me sane on a daily basis/extended friends/ work colleagues

I have a great life apart from the cherry on the top

I have spent the last 5 years trying for children – with no success. I have gone through 8 rounds of IVF resulting in endless time/money/tears and arguments. I have spent the years wondering why me/being ashamed/self hate/seeing endless friends and family having everything I wished for…………

For me my trip to Malawi is to remind myself that even though life can sometimes not pan out the way you expect, I want to have a personal reality check to remind myself off all the good things I have and appreciate life again for what it is!

 

Danni

 

Greg Merrick's pre-trip thoughts...........................

 

Having only started with the company in September I never thought I would get chosen to go on this trip but knew if I didn’t at least put my name forward I would look back with regret for not at least trying. For me I’ve never done anything like this before but I’ve always wanted to make a difference in any way I can, I’m just lucky that I get to do it with a good group of people to enjoy the experience as well.

 

The most building or DIY I’ve done involved some IKEA furniture, a hammer and a lot of cursing so, sorry in advance team for dragging you down with my lack of knowledge J.

 

I’ve never felt this excited and nervous for anything before and I just can’t wait to get out there and see what this project has done so far for these tribes living out there.

Simon Barton's pre-trip thoughts.........

When the business went out to our colleagues three or so years ago asking for ideas and suggestions for charities or projects we could support, I don’t think any of us thought it would lead to something that would see thirty plus colleagues going to Malawi building houses for the most poor and vulnerable children and providing so much valuable support for the wider community.  The impact this has had on both the people who have received this support and our colleagues who have worked with these communities has been life changing. 

I have watched this partnership with Habitat for Humanity develop and each year thought ‘I want to be a part of this’, but each year either work or family commitments have got in the way. This year I was determined to put my name forward, even though it is slap bang in the middle of both my son’s A level and GCSE exams, in fact it was my family who really pushed me to commit to going and now we are only a couple of weeks away I am feeling excited and slightly nervous at the same time.

I am really looking forward to visiting some of the homes we have already built and meeting those families and we will also get the opportunity to visit the new nursery being built with the funds raised by John Midgley’s retirement challenge.

My DIY/building skills are legendary in that they are non-existence so hopefully we will get some good on the job training and the 2018 Malawi team can continue the fantastic work already completed by the 2016 and 2017 teams.

We will do regular blog updates, given the limited internet and WIFI access, so keep watching this space to see how we are getting on.

Meet the families we are building for this year

Family No 1

 

A 53-year old single Mother taking care of three children.  One being her own daughter, and two her grandchildren; her daughter’s children.  Her daughter separated from her partner six years ago

 

They currently reside in a very dilapidated house that leaks so much during rainy season. The house is thatched with grass and has poor ventilation and a substandard latrine. Sleeping during rainy season is a miserly because the family remain sleepless until the rains stop.


“We find it very difficult to sleep during rainy season because the house leaks almost everywhere.” she explains


She earns a living through piece works like farming in other people’s fields so that she can get paid and buy some basic needs for the children she is looking after.

Family No 2

A single Mother who divorced over two years ago and was left with five children to care for.  She finds it very tough to look after these children as they currently live in a house that has numerous problems.  The house leaks during the rainy season, has poor ventilation and is very small for them all to live in.   This is because the house is thatched with grass and it was built with green bricks. 

“I wish I could have a better house that leaks no more but it is difficult to have it due to my level of earnings” she explains

She earns a living through piece works, her earnings are not enough to take care of the entire family.

She uses a poor conditioned latrine that belongs to the surrounding relatives.

 

Support the Malawi 2018 team while they work hard in Malawi.................

The Malawi 2018 team have set up a fundraising page so you can support and motivate them while they work hard in Malawi building houses for the Orphans; https://give.everydayhero.com/uk/touchstone-1 

The team are getting ready............................

..............to fly out to Malawi to complete the third and final year of our project with Habitat for Humanity.  They will fly out on Friday 1st June 2018 and return on Tuesday 12th June 2018. 


Touchstone are funding the construction of 24, fully-subsidised decent and permanent homes for 96 orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC’s). Each family will also receive a ventilated and improved pit-latrine to improve sanitation and hygiene. Each house will meet Malawi Government housing quality standards in terms of ventilation, space, and other features. Target beneficiaries will be OVC’s from families that have lost one or both parents, and have no permanent place to live, and little or no income.


The project will also include;

• incorporate HIV prevention training for the 24 OVC beneficiary families;
• Provide 3 insecticide-treated mosquito-nets per family (on average) and also provide the 24 OVC families with malaria prevention training. Training will also cover better hygiene practices around the homes to eliminate mosquito breeding places, signs of malaria and when to seek medical help.
• Provide property-rights and wills and inheritance training to safeguard the lives of the OVC from property-grabbing. In many communities in Malawi, when the breadwinner dies, children are subjected to property-grabbing and are often left destitute. The training will be offered not only to the OVC care-givers, but also to traditional leaders (village headmen), child protection workers, CBO representatives and other influential people (gate-keepers) in the villages.

The project has provided an opportunity for Touchstone colleagues to visit Malawi and participate in the construction of the houses. This has enabled the team members to have an opportunity to interact with the homeowners and the wider community. Through the global village visit the Touchstone team get to see first-hand the need these vulnerable families have for shelter and the impact that this project has on the targeted families and wider community.


The team will be led by John Midgley who has attended both previous years as a Director of Touchstone but this year we see him wearing his Habitat for Humanity Team Leader hat. 


The team are really excited and can’t wait to get building