Welcome from the Chair
Professor Heather Cubie MBE, FRSE.
2021-2022 has proved to be another year where digital connectivity has been to the fore. While we miss the human touch of face-to-face meetings, there is no doubt that ingenuity and continuing hard work from our small and dedicated staff team have provided significant opportunities for digital engagement, enabling many Malawians to join with us in discussion. This includes the impressive series of governance webinars based on the book ‘Beyond Impunity: New Directions for Governance in Malawi’, which were led by Malawians and balanced by Scottish contributions.
The Annual Report for 2021-2022 is once more in digital format, embedded on the website, enabling you to dip into the text or delve more deeply into the detail by clicking on the many links contained within it.
I have just returned from a two-week visit to Malawi, a welcome return after 3 years of absence. What a delight and privilege it has been to see first-hand the amazing work of our Malawian colleagues, who have coped with the challenges of Covid, a falling economy and climatic changes with high and immediate impact in many areas. Could it be that they have been empowered by our physical absence but supported through digital access? Perhaps the hybrid systems to which we are becoming accustomed might represent true, equal and respectful partnership, in line with SMP’s long-established Partnership Principles?
In my final year as Chair of the Board of Trustees, I have continued to enjoy meeting with the team, mainly digitally but occasionally face-to-face. I personally look forward to more frequent in-person meetings, not only for staff and Trustees, but for our broad membership in the year ahead, while maintaining the benefits of hybrid working.
Professor Heather Cubie MBE, FRSE.
A message from H.E. Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi
“At our last interaction, I accepted the designation of Honorary Co-Patron of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, and so in that capacity, I wish to thank the Scottish Government for always honouring the fact that the bond between our two countries extends wider than the framework of partnership between our governments.
I find great encouragement in the Scottish Government’s efforts to go beyond supporting direct projects operating in Malawi, by also continuing to support and fund the Scotland Malawi Partnership in Scotland and the Malawi Scotland Partnership in Malawi. This support ensures that the civic links between our countries goes from strength to strength.
In turn, the SMP is able to continue its work of supporting all the different links between our countries, which includes ensuring that all efforts are coordinated and, crucially, that Scotland’s efforts in Malawi are always led by Malawi’s priorities, not its own. This is why the Scotland-Malawi Partnership Principles, which underpin all the work we do together, not only have my full endorsement, but are also worthy of emulation in bilateral relations between nations in the Global North and nations in the Global South.”
H.E. Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi, addressing the SMP AGM 9th October 2021.
Oxygen Appeal success: listening, coordinating, partnering
Earlier this year, we were thrilled to receive extremely positive reports from Malawi on the impact of the SMP’s Oxygen Appeal: an appeal underpinned by listening to the priorities of Malawian clinicians, coordinating various different efforts, and developing new strategic partnerships. Following this approach, the SMP raised £45,000 and used this to fix over £1m of essential medical equipment.
In early 2021, as access to clinical oxygen became the top priority in Malawi's fight against Covid-19, the obvious response would have been to mobilise resources to purchase oxygen concentrators and ship them to Malawi. However, taking time to really listen to healthcare practitioners in Malawi, it became clear that there was a significant quantity of existing hardware already in Malawi which was not currently working but could be fixed relatively cheaply.
There was embarrassment within Malawi at the amount of non-functioning medical equipment and the lack of capacity to maintain and fix key items. Trusted, long-standing relationships allowed this to be discussed respectfully; for Malawi to outline the challenge and decide the solution. Too often donors miss this step, rushing to move quickly and assuming they have the solution. The consequence of this, over many years, has been vast quantities of non-functioning equipment building up, littering Malawi’s hospitals.
Following this Malawi-led approach, the SMP’s Oxygen Supply Expert Coordination Group, chaired most capably by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Alberto Gregori, invested appeal funds to support a local Malawian NGO ‘Open O2’, which coordinated Malawian volunteer engineers to travel across Malawi fixing and maintaining oxygen concentrators and identifying essential equipment and supplies that were lacking. At the request of these Malawian engineers, the SMP also purchased 500kg of zeolite (essential for fixing oxygen concentrators in Malawi), 100 Oxygen Saturation Monitors (essential for the treatment of those with Covid-19), and 52 Bullnose regulator valves and 52 flowmeters (to allow usage of oxygen cylinders at district and central hospitals).
More than 300 organisations and individuals (including HRH The Princess Royal, a former Prime Minister and a former First Minister) donated to the appeal, with a total of over £45,000 raised.
With this £45,000, through ‘Open O2’, the SMP supported over £1 million of oxygen concentrators to be fixed, with systems established for their sustainable future maintenance.
In May 2022, Alberto Gregori was in Malawi treating 600+ patients and performing 87 operations. He reported that he toured the hospitals and clinics across the north of Malawi and found that every oxygen concentrator he came across was functioning (something never before achieved), with clear evidence of systematic asset management and maintenance, thanks to this appeal.
In August 2022, the Global Health Informatics Institute in Malawi wrote to the SMP, saying: “With your support, a total of 649 oxygen concentrators were returned to service, doubling the number of functional oxygen concentrators in Malawi. No value can be placed on the impact that this has had on the availability of medical oxygen in Malawi.”
All credit for this success must go to the inspiring leaders on the ground in Malawi who have managed this response so effectively, and also to Alberto Gregori for his strong commitment to listening to, and being led by, those in Malawi.
Read more about the Scotland-Malawi Oxygen Supply Co-ordination Group here.
Youth & Schools
- 98% of those attending Youth & Schools Forums said they had helped strengthen their link with Malawi
- 95% of SMP members believe the SMP has supported continued visible and meaningful youth engagement and youth leadership in the bilateral relationship
"In these challenging times, it is a comfort to know that the expertise which the SMP provides, allows for the development of our schools partnership. We have benefitted from the networking opportunities which the SMP facilitate to find other methods of maintaining our partnership work with our friends in Malawi." Ian Mitchell, Beath High School .
"Up to date information, a reading of the pulse in Malawi, if you will. SMP is vital now as all countries come out of the pandemic. Malawi needs visitors to help continue to build and the SMP sharing others’ experience is vital to make this happen" Michael O’Regan, Watson’s Malawi Partnership.
“Genuinely has been a massive part of my life. Move from school (loads of opportunities) to after was a real contrast (no opportunities at all!), so the SMP Youth Committee really filled that void. Really wanted to find a strong link, and this was it. the amount of freedom we were given really helped. We weren’t given a list of options, not like we were being used as a random panel. Getting feedback from ‘up top’ shows they actually listened and understood.”
“I have had a really great time on the youth committee. I have felt very respected and encouraged by the SMP staff and the other youth committee members. I feel like I have been exposed to opportunities I otherwise might not have been and have learned a lot.”
“Great opportunity to get involved at a younger level in the workings of an organisation such as this and opportunity to work closely with other like-minded young people as well.”
“Really enjoyed my time in the youth committee - been able to meet other young people who share similar beliefs and thoughts as my own and work with them one exciting projects.”
“Being on this committee has led me to some of the best opportunities I have ever had. Being able to engage with other people with similar views and interests is an incredible thing to be able to do. When I was in school, no one ever really understood my interest and that made me feel quite insecure but being part of this committee has changed that a lot. It has helped me gain a lot of confidence and I am thankful to the SMP for that. I am also glad I have had the opportunity to grow and develop my social media skills and these skills have now been crucial to me both in my uni degree and with another project.”
In March 2022, the SMP published an updated edition of its Schools Partnership Practical Guide, for which Hon. Agnes Nyalonje, Malawi’s Minister of Education provided the Foreword. In this the Minister wrote:
“Having previously lived and worked in Edinburgh with my family, I have long been involved in the bilateral relationship and actively engaged in both MaSP and the SMP. I know from this experience that these are values-driven networks: their work is about celebrating, supporting and developing civic partnerships which are underpinned by mutual respect, human solidarity and dignified partnership. Although Scotland is a donor to Malawi, it views Malawi primarily as a friend and a partner. This approach, and these values, are clear throughout this updated Guide…. It is clear how committed the SMP and MaSP are to further developing the relationship between Malawi and Scotland by challenging negative stereotypes and actively addressing power imbalances where they appear….
“I am keen to thank not only MaSP and the SMP but also the Scottish Government as, without their core funding of both networks, none of this work would have been possible. The intergovernmental links between our two nations are important and highly valued but they are just one component of the diverse and varied bilateral relationship. Our contemporary governmental and parliamentary links sit on a rich history of civic cooperation between churches, universities, colleges, hospitals, communities and, of course, schools and youth groups. With over 200 civic-led educational partnerships between our two nations, this is perhaps the lifeblood of our nation-to-nation friendship. MaSP and SMP play a crucial role in supporting all these wider links.
“The SMP and MaSP are two sides of the same coin: each is set up to coordinate, represent and support the bilateral relationship in their own nation; each brings their own cultural knowledge and understanding; and each holds the other to account. This is an innovative and inspiring model which I hope continues to grow and develop for many years to come.”
Launching the new Partnership Guide at the SMP’s Youth and Schools Forum, 31st March 2022, Hon. Nyalonje said:
“I would like to start by congratulating the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) and the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP) teams for being proactive and responsive in updating the Youth and Schools Partnership Guide. ...This work demonstrates the high level of commitment that the SMP and the MaSP have towards ensuring that nothing stops the youth and schools from serving as the centres for productive cultural exchange, ethical human development, and strengthening of historical ties between our two countries. This level of collaboration between the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) network in Scotland, and the Malawi Scotland Partnership network (MaSP) in Malawi is commendable for being both productive and progressive, in that it has seen many of our youth and schools benefit through exchange events over the past 150 years.”
In our #COP26Voices campaign we challenged 26 young climate leaders in Malawi and Scotland to make 1-minute videos of themselves sharing their climate priorities: what climate change impacts they are already seeing and what do they wanted to come out of COP26.
We released 26 of these youth videos in the run up to COP26 to help amplify the voice of young Malawians. #COP26Voices | Scotland Malawi Partnership (scotland-malawipartnership.org)
During the visit of President Chakwera, the First Lady and Ministers of the Governments of Malawi and Scotland on November 4th, we live-linked to the COP26 Youth Hub in Lilongwe.
As part of the President’s visit, we had an inspiring ‘youth take over’, with young Scots and young Malawians taking the stage to direct proceedings. We were able to listen directly to young Malawian Climate Leaders in Malawi on their priorities and then everyone in the event was able to share their views digitally through their phones. Click here to read the really inspiring messages we received live at the event from attendees against three questions:
- What would you like to see from COP26 – that reflects the priorities of Malawi?
- How would you like the SMP to work towards climate justice?
- What message would you like to send to the young Climate Leaders Hub in Lilongwe?
Partnership & Collaboration
Together with our sister organisation, the Malawi Scotland Partnership, we believe that our Partnership Principles are as important today as when they were created ten years ago. These eleven principles came from listening to over 200 Scottish and 200 Malawian organisations. They have underpinned the relationship between our two nations for over a decade and we continue to hold ourselves and our members accountable to them.
P- Planning and implementing together
A-Appropriateness
R-Respect, trust and mutual understanding
T-Transparency and accountability
N-No-one left behind
E-Effectiveness
R-Reciprocity
S-Sustainability
H-Do no Harm
I-Interconnectivity
P-Parity (equality)
We couldn’t put it any better than H.E. President Chakwera did when addressing the UK Parliament’s Malawi All-Party Parliamentary Group on July 27th 2021:
“We are very happy to have friends like Scotland…It is important that the relationships we have established over the years continue to flourish, not just through the diplomats and officials that represent governments but through the interaction of people-to-people links. This is what we are emphasising: when we come to talk about our relationship with the Scottish people – it is always the people-to-people, nation-to-nation, community-to-community.”
The SMP is committed to continually strengthening its safeguarding systems. During this period, led by our highly experienced Safeguarding Committee, we completely updated our safeguarding and volunteering policies, and strength-tested these in a table-top scenario exercise kindly delivered by Police Scotland. Feedback from Police Scotland and other experts in this area concluded that the SMP had excellent policies and relatively low safeguarding risks. We also developed a refresher Safeguarding training course undertaken jointly with MaSP, delivered by expert Safeguarding Consultant, Philippa Ramsden.
Emerging from Covid and keen to reflect on what we could learn and do better as an organisation, the SMP initiated a listening process – consulting Members, staff, volunteers and Board members, of both the SMP and MaSP.
There was strong encouragement to maintain highly collaborative and close working practices with mutual support and co-designed and co-hosted events which we have been pursuing since the arrival of Covid. Equally, there was consensus around the value of us continuing to be responsive to the distinctive needs of our respective memberships, as well as to maintain our autonomy and mutual accountability. The SMP worked particularly closely with MaSP throughout COP26 activities, as shared below.
Climate Cooperation: Malawi’s COP26 Homecoming
For the two years running up to Scotland hosting the global climate change conference, COP26, the SMP engaged its members in Scotland and listened to stakeholders in Malawi, to develop its ‘Malawi at COP26’ Strategy, which aimed to help amplify Malawi’s voice at the talks.
During COP26, Malawi was Chairing both the UN Least Developed Countries (LDC) block and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and therefore had a key role representing the global south.
Speaking at the 2020 SMP AGM, the President of Malawi (who is also the ex officio SMP Hon. Co-Patron) had called for the Scotland-Malawi relationship to be held up as a “model to the world” at COP26, such that the bilateral relationship could “ignite a movement of climate change activists”. Then speaking at the 2021 AGM, the President ended his speech saying: “Seeing some of you at COP26 will therefore be a great honour for me, because if this conference was happening in another country, it would be a mere conference. But since it is happening in Scotland, it will be a homecoming.”
In the run-up to COP26, the SMP partnered with ‘Take One Action’ film festival to help enable the inspiring new Malawian feature-length documentary, ‘The Ants and the Grasshopper’ to be shown on-demand online and in cinemas in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. The film by Raj Patel and Zak Piper, in English and Tumbuka (subtitled), explores gender issues, as well as the real, human impact of climate change in Malawi.
On November 4th 2021, SMP Members, including Malawians resident in Scotland, joined a special high-level, in-person SMP reception in Edinburgh City Chambers with H.E the President of Malawi, Dr Lazarus Chakwera, celebrating Scotland-Malawi climate cooperation during COP26.
The reception live-linked to a parallel event in Malawi, the Scottish Government-funded Malawi Climate Leaders COP26 Hub in Lilongwe, run by the Malawi Scotland Partnership. The hub brought together 200 Young Climate Leaders from across Malawi. We heard live from the Young Climate Leaders and those in Edinburgh were able to speak one-to-one with the young people in Malawi through live links.
We introduced 26 representatives of climate-related Scotland-Malawi links to the President, the Lord Provost and the three Ministers in person, telling them about their work to fight the climate crisis.
Guests and speakers included (Click on hyperlinks to watch individual speeches):
- His Excellency Dr Lazarus Chakwera, the President of Malawi (and SMP Hon Co-Patron)
- Her Excellency, Monica Chakwera, First Lady of Malawi
- Councillor Frank Ross, Rt. Hon. Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh (and SMP Hon Co-President)
- Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture
- Jenny Gilruth MSP, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development
- Hon. Eisenhower Mkaka, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
- Hon. Nancy Tembo, Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources
- Hon. Agnes NyaLonje, Minister of Education
- David Hope-Jones, The Scotland Malawi Partnership
As part of the event, we had an inspiring ‘youth take over’, with young Scots and young Malawians taking the stage to direct proceedings.
During COP26, the SMP was invited to share its experience with the New York Times’ COP26 Climate Hub. As part of their ‘Educate on Climate’ day, David Hope-Jones joined a panel discussion, in which he talked about the many inspiring school partnerships between Malawi and Scotland, and the need for an approach to international cooperation underpinned by partnership and not charity. The panel discussion took place in the famous “Think Tank” of the New York Times Climate Hub, where Al Gore, Greta Thunberg, Emma Watson, Matt Damon and Malala Yousafza all spoke that week. Surrounded by 200 trees (and with real butterflies!) the discussion event explored what role youth partnerships between the global north and south can play in fighting the climate crisis. In addition to the in-person audience, the event had around 1,200 watching online from countries across the world.
Also during COP26, with the Deputy Lord Provost of Edinburgh and the Association of Malawians in Scotland, the SMP was delighted to host a special afternoon tea in the Edinburgh City Chambers on November 2nd, primarily for the women in the Malawi diaspora to meet the First Lady of Malawi and learn about the First Lady’s charitable foundation: ‘Shaping the Future Foundation’.
The First Lady spoke of her own personal story growing up in poverty in a Malawian village, and the importance of supporting young girls’ education. Depute Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Joan Griffiths, spoke of the City of Edinburgh’s support for the bilateral relationship and Chair of the Association of Malawians in Scotland, Joyce Juma-Phiri, about the Association’s work and the vital role of the diaspora in the bilateral relationship. The SMP is proud to work closely with the Association of Malawians in Scotland and to have funded this event in appreciation of the essential role of the Malawian diaspora community.
We were also thrilled to co-host a special event at the David Livingstone Birthplace Centre, Blantyre (Scotland), during COP26 for the First Lady to meet SMP members working on projects with Malawi supporting the girl child, hear of their work and share information about her charitable foundation and to tour the David Livingstone Birthplace.
Raising Awareness
In 2021 – 2022 the SMP worked hard across its social media platforms to amplify members’ work and that of the Scottish Government (SG), in particular around the SG’s new International Development Principles. Particular credit must go to our Communications lead, Jade Stein, for her excellent work!
During this year we had some impressive communications successes, including:
- Over 1 million Twitter impressions
- 385 articles in the local and national press in Scotland about the bilateral relationship, 92% of which were positive in tone: that’s an average of more than one Malawi news story every day! (full details here)
- 98% of SMP Members consulted said they believe the SMP helped maintain awareness & understanding amongst key stakeholders of governmental and civil society work with Malawi
- 1,655 people received our weekly online newsletter - opened over 19,000 times
- 100,000 page views of the SMP website with over 41,000 new visitors
- Over 400,000 Facebook impressions
- Over 1,200 Instagram followers
- 30,00 LinkedIn impressions
- 58 new Videos produced with over 79,000 views (All available at here)
We challenged two hugely inspiring women, Hazel and Chimzy (their own Scotland-Malawi partnership, in microcosm!) to explore the bilateral relationship through dozens of chats with Malawian and Scottish representatives, from primary school teachers to the President. With over, 1,700 downloads and 5-star reviews, the 11 episodes of their ‘People-to-People’podcast were a fresh take on multiple facets of the bilateral relationship, giving space for key, sensitive topics to be discussed from fresh perspectives.
Between May and July 2021, the SMP encouraged its members and supporters to vote for Professor Samson Kambalu’s statue, ‘Antelope’, to be exhibited on the Fourth Plinth of Trafalgar Square. We were successful and Samson’s statue was selected to be installed in Trafalgar Square for two years from September 2022.
Prof Kambalu’s bronze statue represents the pan-Africanist John Chilembwe (1871-1915), a key figure in the resistance to colonialism in Nyasaland (now Malawi). Beside him, on a smaller scale, stands the European missionary John Chorley.
John Chilembwe is depicted wearing a hat: a potent symbol given, during colonial rule, Malawians were expected to remove their headwear when passing, or in the presence of, a European; as well as stopping and standing to one side. This courtesy was seldom acknowledged or returned by a European, hence the justified outrage.
Trafalgar Square (like many parts of Scotland) has numerous statues and memorials celebrating British colonial power. We strongly support ‘Antelope’ as an occupant of the fourth plinth: a powerful commemoration of anti-colonial resistance.
Prof Kambalu has had his own ‘Scotland-Malawi partnership’ for over 20 years now (!), having met his wife Susan Kambalu (a Scot) in Malawi while she was working at Kachere Books with (SMP member) Scottish Churches World Exchange.
During this reporting period, with support from commercial sponsor Orbis Expeditions, the SMP also brokered the loan of the maquette ‘Ghost Antelope’ to the Scottish Parliament, where it will be on public display from August ’22 to the end of October.
Read more here.
Governance strengthening
As part of our ‘Years of Governance Strengthening’ campaign, between October 2021 and May 2022, the SMP and MaSP co-hosted eight high-profile, digital webinars exploring governance strengthening in Malawi, which were hailed a great success by Members.
The SMP had sponsored a new 400+ page, peer-reviewed book on governance in Malawi ‘Beyond Impunity: New Directions for Governance in Malawi’, edited by Rev Prof Kenneth R. Ross, Associate Prof Prof Asiyati Lorraine Chiweza and Prof Wapulumuka O. Mulwafu. Written by 25 leading academics in Malawi, it is arguably the most comprehensive, insightful and up to date publication on this topic.
Chaired by Assoc Prof Chiweza, each of the SMP’s webinars featured one or more leading Malawian academics and governance experts, presenting their chapter(s) in this publication. Several webinars included a response from a leading figure in Scotland with expertise in this area (including two former First Ministers) and time for open debate and discussion.
Our Events
In 2021/22 the SMP hosted 33 events attended by 1,837 people and a further 18 SMP co-hosted/partnered events attended by over 2,360 people, with a total overall attendance of 4,150+.
Of the total 51 events: 42 (82%) were entirely digital, 9 (18%) were entirely in-person and 5 (10%) were hybrid (in-person with digital attendees/contributors). Particular credit goes to Member Admin Officer, Craig Docking, who managed the tech so capably across our digital events.
Digital events have allowed far greater levels of Malawian involvement in all our engagements and we have been able to hear from a far greater diversity of Malawian speakers and contributors.
We continue to prioritise the issue of digital inclusivity and recognise that there are many, especially in Malawi, who are not able to engage because of connectivity and bandwidth challenges. Malawi has some of the most expensive internet access rates of any country in the world. Where possible and appropriate we offer support for those in Malawi to be able to participate who cannot afford connectivity. The MaSP Communication and Resource Centres in Mzuzu, Blantyre and Lilongwe are freely available for anyone in Malawi with a link to Scotland to use.
Of attendees who stated their gender, 45% identified as female and 55% as male. 44% of attendees identified as British/Scottish, 45% as Malawian, 7% as ‘other’, and 4% preferred not to say.
Over 500 participants gave event feedback:
- 91% described the SMP event they attended as "excellent" or "very good"
- 98% said that their link with Malawi had been supported/strengthened as a result of attending
Professor Wilson Mandala, Executive Dean of Academy of Medical Sciences, Malawi University of Science and Technology said of the SMP Health Forum:
“It provided updates on the extent of the pandemic in Malawi, what was being done about it, what was urgently needed and who to approach for assistance. It also served as an essential platform for sharing scientific information about the virus, the prevailing variants and their infection characteristics and for networking. Finally, through the platform a case was made for Malawi to access COVID-19 vaccines in a timely manner.”
The SMP has continued to be actively involved with the Malawi-UK Business Group Executive, organising, hosting and chairing a major agri-business networking event in July 2021. The half-day digital event brought together 200+ business leaders from both nations to explore increased collaborations and new partnerships. It involved Malawi’s Minister of Trade, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, British High Commissioner, Greenbelt Authority CEO, Cannabis Regulatory Chair, MITC Chair, African Export-Imports Bank Director, and the CDC Director of Investments in Agriculture. The Nyasatimes reported: “The event was exceptionally moderated by the Scotland Malawi Partnership … making it one of the very best digitally hosted events.”
Participant, Wanangwa Msowoya of Mzuzu Catholic Development Commission of Malawi said of the event:
“It clarified the role of investors and also what the government is doing in achieving agenda 2063. Managed to touch base with a potential donor. They are willing to roll-out investment in Malawi”
As part of the Executive Team, the SMP is involved in efforts to convert the Malawi-UK Business Group into a full Chamber of Commerce.
Full details of all the above events can be found at: www.scotland-malawipartnership.org/news-events/past-events/
Designed, led and delivered by Enock Bamusi and Sarah Niven, the SMP hosted seven really well-received beginner Chichewa classes which included cultural introductions for those visiting Malawi for the first time.
“Will be recommending the lessons to others and keen to attend an intermediate course!” (Chichewa class student).
Diversity and inclusivity
Over the past year, our online and hybrid events have continued to be strengthened and enriched by the high degree of participation of Malawians in Malawi and members of the diaspora in Scotland, both as speakers and contributors.
The SMP has undertaken a variety of work during this period on equity, diversity and inclusion (including consideration of racial justice and decolonisation) which has relevance for advancing mutual understanding. This has included the ‘People to People’ podcast series, cultural activities around David Livingstone’s legacy and Prof Samson Kambalu’s artwork, and a series of discussions around equity and diversity.
In September ‘21, we were thrilled to partner with ‘Take One Action’ film festival to help enable the inspiring new feature-length documentary, ‘The Ants and the Grasshopper’ to be shown on-demand online and in cinemas in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. At the end of the film there was a discussion on stage about the themes in the film in which the SMP, as a sponsor, was invited to speak. The SMP gave its speaking place for each of the screenings across Scotland to local Malawi diaspora representatives to share their insight, reflections and perspectives.
Similarly, when the SMP was invited to give evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, as part of its review of Climate Justice work, the SMP gave its place to Muthi Nhlema of BaseFlow in Malawi, as there was no global south speakers on the panel. Muthi gave far more compelling and relevant testimony than the SMP would have been able to and we are pleased to have ensured that Malawi was directly represented.
In our 9th February event on Equity, Diversity & Inclusivity, co-designed by and co-hosted with MaSP, we heard from the Malawi Human Rights Commission’s work, the Nyasa Rainbow Alliance (perhaps the only LGBT+ representative group in Malawi), as well as a Diversity and Inclusion Consultant at ENABLE Works and Councillor Graham Campbell, a veteran political campaigner & community activist. Following this event, the SMP has supported new conversations between potential groups supporting LGBT+ rights. LGBT+ links were also explored through the SMP’s ‘People to People Podcast’, listening to a range of different voices in Malawi and Scotland.
Speaking of the co-hosted SMP & MaSP Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity event:
“I got to learn of different interventions the partnership is implementing in Malawi. I got to learn how we can integrate equity and inclusion in our interventions. I also got to appreciate the social discrimination experienced by the LGBT group and how we can help promote and sensitize the community regarding their rights.” Chisomo Madula, WaterAid Malawi
We were also particularly pleased that in 2021-22 a former recipient of Scottish Government SMP David Livingstone Scholarship, Overstone Kondowe, became Malawi’s first ever MP with albinism. This was hailed as ‘giant step forward’ in the Malawian and international press.
External Assessment
The conclusions of An External Assessment of Evidence of the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) Impact / Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Data, 28 April 2022 conducted by the Corra Foundation concluded that the SMP has:
- successfully delivered on the pre-set outcome milestones for the 2021-22 year of implementation
- been able to meet those milestones despite the continuing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic which affected both member engagement and staff capacities
- additionally, been able to meaningfully respond to the new needs of members in relation to the Covid-19 response and to use the opportunity provided by COP26 during the implementation period.
Finance
Total income £280.489
Scottish Government core grant: £242,536
Restricted income (from commission producing videos for the David Livingstone Birthplace) £10,000
Unrestricted £22,928
Oxygen Appeal £5,000
Bank interest £25
Total expenditure £302,188
Salaries £180,273 (NICs £17,705; Pension £9.934)
Events and operations £29,381
Oxygen Appeal £6,811
Reserves
- unrestricted undesignated - £105,881
- unrestricted £12,755
Chief Executive’s Reflections
It has been another successful year for the Scotland Malawi Partnership as well as our sister network in Malawi, the Malawi Scotland Partnership. I am indebted to the staff, trustees, partners and members who have contributed to this success, with a tireless enthusiasm for civic activism and dignified, two-way people-to-people partnerships.
I am keen to also thank the Scottish Government, who continue to underpin the work of the Partnership through their continuing core funding: this is something specifically praised by the President of Malawi this year.
Like all organisations, 2021-22 has been a transition year for the SMP, as we begin the journey out of the Covid-era and back to in-person activities. I think we’ve all missed the energy and camaraderie that comes from meeting together in-person but we are committed to ensuring we do not allow the return to the in-person experience to reduce the inclusivity, transparency and accessibility of our work.
Perhaps the one great silver-lining of this pandemic has been the levelling impact of digital-working. Moving meetings to Zoom has allowed at times a fifty-fold increase in the number of Malawians able to take part in SMP meetings. We have had SMP AGMs in which the President of Malawi has been able to join live from State House, alongside hundreds of other Malawians from all walks of life.
Looking forward to the year ahead, perhaps one of our most significant priorities is perfecting the technology to allow us to excel in hybrid meetings, as we have with purely in-person and purely digital events.
If I were to pick one thing that I most look forward to in the coming year, it would be the unveiling of Prof Samson Kambalu’s statue of John Chilembwe and John Chorley on the fourth plinth of Trafalgar Square. In the era of statues being pulled down, with understandable outrage, what could be more uplifting than arguably the world’s most prestigious art commission going to an inspiring Malawian artist, to produce and inspiring artwork remembering a Malawian freedom fighter. John Chilembwe and John Chorley will, together, stand for two years from September 2022 on the fourth plinth, with Chilembwe literally towering over the other monuments and projects of imperial power at the heart of London.
This is a Malawian story and a Malawian success, which Scotland is proud to have supported. We must remember, and be honest about, our past as we look to build a better future.
The SMP is not a corporate entity, it is a community; a community of like-minded people who choose to come together in the belief that we can make a better world by working through dignified, equal, two-way partnerships with our friends in Malawi.
We continue to be challenged, inspired and led by Malawi, and we look forward to continuing on this journey together: two nations, two friends, one partnership.
David Hope-Jones, Chief Executive.