Ipswich Road has strong ties with a school for deaf children at the village of Embangweni, Malawi, East Africa, following a 6 month work placement there of Jill Donley, one of the Church Members
Subsequently the Headmaster of the school, Edward Mtonga, was able to read for his B.A. and M. A. specializing in Special Educational Needs (S.E.N.) at Newcastle University. During that time in the U.K. Edward visited Norwich.
He spoke movingly of his own commitment to the school and of his efforts to bring the highest possible standard of education to the ‘deaf child’ while struggling to fund supplies of food, bedding and the cost of transport. The school is, of necessity, residential as it has a huge catchment area of well over 100-mile radius. Since his visit, Ipswich Road has been committed to sending an annual gift of money, principally to ensure supplies of the staple cereal, maize. The school grows, harvests and mills their own, but it is not enough. During the severe drought of 2005 additional emergency funds were also sent, as the cost of what supplies were available had rocketed.
In 2006, a casual remark by Jill to the instigators of the Norwich Dedza Partnership (N. D. P.) led to space being offered in a container they were shipping to Malawi. By the grace of God the recipients in Dezda had tribal links to a village close to Embangweni, (over 100 miles away!) and 60 fleece blankets were purchased by Ipswich Road and delivered personally to the school hostel. (See photo). It is hoped that Ipswich Road will be able to share the N.D. P. container again this year which will leave Norwich in November. We are again hoping to send fleece blankets, sheets, blankets (new or very good condition) and reams of copy paper and exercise books. There is a shipping cost!
So what about Ipswich Road’s project in Embangweni? Would you like to be involved?
You could help buy space on the March 2007 container to send out bulk goods, which cannot be posted, for the school or you could help buy the goods to send.
Ipswich Road is held a Gift Day on Sunday March 11. Any individual or congregation could support this work by sending a gift cheque made out to Ipswich Road URC and sent to the Treasurer, Mrs. Rosie Carey, Ipswich Road URC, 40-42 Ipswich Road, Norwich, NR4 6QR
