January/February 2002:
Gina began compiling a portfolio for the proposed project and obtained media coverage to start the fundraising. Her story was featured in the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk and covered by a local radio station 'Radio Broadland'. By early February the donations were flooding in.

Gina had also received a telephone call from Dominic Arend who had heard her story on the radio. Dominic was working as a Structural Engineer in Norwich and kindly offered to take time out and travel to Malawi with Gina. Dominic's knowledge of building work was a valuable asset and it was wonderful to have a skilled and experienced Engineer working on the project.

It was also necessary to set up a bank account, speak to airlines about flights back to Malawi and complete all the other necessary tasks in preparation for a return to the village.

By the end of February the total raised was over £5,000.

Gina decided it would be nice to keep all donors up to date with the projects progress. The following extracts are taken from Progress Reports written by Gina. These updates were sent to everybody who had kindly donated to the project.

March/April 2002:
"Four months into the project and things are going very well. I am extremely pleased to announce the total raised now stands at £8,000. This is an amazing amount of money, so thank you so much for supporting the project and making your valuable donation."

"I am planning to return to Malawi next month after all the final arrangements and details have been organised. I will be travelling to Malawi with a Structural Engineer, Dominic Arend. Dominic has kindly offered to leave his existing job and volunteer 4 months of his time to work on the project. It is wonderful to have an experienced Engineer onboard and I know his help and knowledge will be so valuable."

"There have been a few issues and problems with regard to the site of the school and how the school will function in the long term but I am addressing and resolving these issues with the help of organisations and friends in Malawi and England. I always knew little problems would crop up along the way but there is never anything we can't get round or solve!"

"With a total of £8,000, not only can we build a wonderful nursery, but I plan to repair and equip classrooms at St.Anthony's Primary School. This is where I taught last year and the school is located in the same village as the proposed nursery. I know all of this work will mean so much to the teachers, pupils and families of the village."

"I have been working hard in London trying to save money for my own personal expenses and I am now in a position to book my flight. When this has been organised and the final details confirmed, I will write again before leaving England."

May 2002:
"I am very excited as everything is now booked and Dominic and I leave England very shortly! We are flying to Lilongwe in Malawi on Saturday May 25th with British Airways. We then have an internal flight with Air Malawi from Lilongwe to Blantyre so should arrive at 2pm Malawian time on Sunday 26th. We have kindly been offered a place to stay with a friend so we will be living very near to the site of the nursery school which will be wonderful and really handy."

"I am also really delighted to announce the total raised now stands at over £10,000!! This is double what I originally set out to raise so I am extremely happy and I can't wait to start the project."

"I will keep in touch from Malawi and keep you informed with progress reports and news."

June 2002:
"Hello from Malawi! It is wonderful to be back in Africa and three weeks into the project there is already a lot of progress and news to update you on."

"The first issue we addressed after arriving here was where the nursery school would be built and how would it function in the long term. After meeting with the local primary school teachers and the Priest of the local church we have agreed on a site in the village very close to St.Anthony's Boys Primary School. The head teacher of St.Anthony's, Mr Muhota, has been so helpful and we have also received strong support from the organisation Africa Venture (this is the organisation I originally travelled to Africa with). Together we have decided to make the nursery school an extension to the existing primary school. I will shortly begin looking for local people to teach in the school but Mr Muhota will always keep a watchful eye on the nursery. For this reason I have changed the name to St. Anthony's Nursery School. The chosen site is already being prepared and cleared and we are now making the final decision on which local builder to use. Hopefully the foundations will soon be underway! Other tasks that we have successfully completed have included opening a Malawian bank account and transferring the funds from England, obtaining a drawing/floor plan of the proposed building from the local architects and receiving permission to build the nursery from the District Education Manager. It has also been essential to purchase a pick-up truck to transport building materials and equipment; we should be collecting this tomorrow!"

"So the first month has gone well and we have overcome any hurdles or obstacles that have presented themselves. We hope to complete the building work within two/three months and spend a further month painting and equipping the nursery."

July 2002:
"It is now week nine of the project and I am delighted to tell you that since the last update we have laid all the foundations and the walls are already at window height! The progress really has been remarkable, we have a very reliable and skilled team of builders who are doing a fantastic job and it really is beginning to look like a nursery school."

"There are 18 builders (10 bricklayers and 8 labourers) working on the project and 5 women. It is the women's job to carry the water from the borehole up to the site. We have been very lucky to find a wonderful foreman to co-ordinate the building work, his name is Elijah.

The team work from 7am to about 3pm and their normal working week is Monday through to Saturday. They are actually all camping out on site so we have a full team on site most days - it is thanks to the hard work of the builders that we have progressed with the nursery school so quickly."

"It is up to Dominic and I to ensure all the materials are on site when they are needed (we are frequently buying river sand, cement,quarry stone and of course bricks!) We are also in charge of organising all the other materials for the project; the windows, doors, paint, roofing sheets and timber. I also calculate the men and women's wages, which we pay on a Friday morning every fortnight."

"Apart from overseeing the building work I am beginning to co-ordinate purchasing all the furniture and interior equipment as well as learning aids, books and toys. I have also found a welder who should be able to construct a gate and railings for the nursery garden. So it is all coming together slowly. It is a very rewarding sight to see the building gradually progress week by week."

August/September 2002:
"The final two months of building have been very hectic and the whole team have worked really hard. The walls went up very quickly so it was time to employ a carpenter to start work on the roof. Elijah carefully chose a local carpenter whose name is Fenwick.

With the help of the team Fenwick constructed the roof trusses and securely attached them to the building, they were all in place in under a week. Once the roof trusses were finished Fenwick began work on nailing the IBR sheets (strong corrugated sheets) to the frame. It was wonderful to see the roof on and everything was really taking shape."

"Work inside the building continued and the men began to render the walls ready for whitewashing and then finally painting.
The team also finished the school floors, mixing cement with red oxide to give a dark red finish. The floors were then polished and looked really smart."

"The school garden was marked out and the foundations for a 5ft wall were dug in early September. By the end of the month the garden wall will be completed and work on the garden surface will begin. Jane and Colin Thorneycroft (the lovely family Dominic and I are now living with) have kindly donated their swing and slide for the children."

"I have also begun handing out application forms to become a teacher at the nursery, so far I have received over 40 applications! I am carefully narrowing down the selection to 16 possible candidates and will interview these 16 people later this month."

"On September 22nd Dominic has to leave Malawi as he is off to Australia for a year. It is very sad to see him go and I am so grateful for everything he has done. I would never have got through the last 4 months without all his help and support. I know we will both have very fond and fun memories of our time building St. Anthony's Nursery School."

October 2002:
"It is my great pleasure to inform you that St.Anthony's Nursery School is no longer a project in the making but it is now a reality; the first day of school took place last week and it was a truly fantastic day."

"We have been working extremely hard putting together the finishing touches so that we could open the school in early October. The team of builders worked 7 days a week and have completed the school to a very high standard. I am delighted with the final result. The carpenter, Fenwick, has also been working hard finishing doors, cupboards, notice boards and desks. Two painters have also just finished painting the school inside and out, as well as a welder who has made garden railings and gates."

"Interviews took place for the 4 teaching positions and as a result I eliminated half the candidates and chose 8 people to interview a second time. After further thought and deliberation I chose 4 very enthusiastic and capable nursery school teachers." (For details of the current teaching staff please view the page 'The finished school').

"On October 4th I held a registration morning where the local parents brought their children to register for a place at the school. There were quite a large number of people, too many for the 60 places but we insisted on seeing birth certificates or vaccination cards which confirmed the age of the child. We successfully filled the 60 places with only a few children on the waiting list."

"So after a week of teacher training and final preparations St.Anthony's Nursery School opened last Wednesday, 9th October. The first few days have gone really well and on Friday 11th October we had an official opening ceremony. It was a very memorable day and wonderful to see the children performing songs and nursery rhymes to the invited guests. It was truly fantastic to see my dream become a reality."

November 2002:
"The Malawian school term finishes on November 15th so the last month and the next 2 weeks have been an introduction and training period for the children and teachers respectively. There is still quite a lot to finalise and organise before I can leave and I am very keen to shadow the new teachers and ensure they are the best people for the job. I have been watching them closely over the last few weeks."

"It is difficult to summarise everything I have seen and experienced during my time at the nursery but I can honestly say I have loved every minute with the children and there is already noticeable progress and development. When they first saw me they really didn't know quite what to make of a white person, or as we say here a 'Muzungo'. Now when they see me there are smiles all round and they rush over to shake hands, to greet me and to pull the odd funny face! It makes me very proud to arrive at school every day and I do feel very attached to the 60 pupils. It is a wonderful sight to see the children learning and experiencing something new each day."