100 ABSTRACTS - NUMBER 67 - GUESS WHO AND WHERE?

Midsummer Day dawned grey and cold - but as we had to go out to our favourite opticians, Leightons, for Mr. HCB, we had to get going.  We had heard that neither Kate, the Manager nor Lauren, the receptionist, were going to be there, and just wondered if it was something we had said in our previous visit!  However, we were greeted and treated very well by all the staff who were there this morning and it's always a pleasure to go in there.

We decided to put three hours’ worth of parking on the car because we didn’t know how long the tests would take and then he had to choose some new glasses - and we did think that we might go and have a coffee afterwards at Jack’s - our first visit since last year.

All the tests went well and we were pleasantly surprised at how reasonable it was for one new pair of Titanium glasses and for a pair of new sunglasses - both of which Mr. HCB is hoping to make good use of when he starts going to cricket from the beginning of July.  The optometrist was very thorough as was Chris when he fitted the new glasses and did the necessary for new varifocals.  Wearing a mask and not being able to get close is quite difficult when having new glasses fitted and we both said that Chris deserved 10/10 for all that he accomplished.

We were in there for over an hour, but there was plenty of time left on the car, so we headed to Jack’s where we met Keiran, who said how pleased he was to see us - and we were pleased to see him too.

I had taken lots of different shots before we got to the opticians and in the actual shop, but I preferred this one of Mr. HCB - but after well abstracting and grunging the shot with my iColorama app, he said he preferred this one!  However, I have put the original in as an extra, but shhh don't tell him!  It was great to have a latté and we even treated ourselves to a toasted teacake - well you have to celebrate sometimes when you're let out!

This is Number 67 in my 100 Abstract Challenge to raise awareness of the Mamie Martin Fund, which helps girls who cannot afford to pay to obtain a good secondary school education in North Malawi.

ELANGENI SECONDARY SCHOOL is co-educational. It has 256 pupils with capacity for 250. More than half are boys with 111 girls. Currently, in 2021, the Mamie Martin Fund supports 24 girls there.

Elangeni is very difficult to access. It is close to the border between Northern and Central Districts, just inside the North and to get there it is necessary to drive to Nkhamenya.  In order to get to the actual school, the car needs to be left some distance away and you then need to hire a local taxi whose owner is prepared to take his car - and it’s nearly always with a male driver - up the rough road to the school.

The school buildings are mostly in very bad repair and the school was built on rented land. A new school has been started on nearby land which belongs to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), which owns the school. The newer accommodation is much better and there are already some classrooms and offices there. The classrooms were built by Classrooms for Malawi, another Scottish NGO.  It is hoped that a new girls’ hostels will be built within the next year as the current hostel is over-crowded and in very poor repair.

It’s amazing how well all the pupils do, given the state of the buildings and all the girls who have been supported by the Fund are very grateful for all the help they have received over the years.

“Just because no one else can heal 
     or do your inner work for you 
          doesn’t mean you can, 
               should or need to do it alone.”
Lisa Olivera

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MaureenIles