AN EMERGENCY APPEAL

On Friday 22 December, gale-force winds damaged many houses in Gumbi and nearby villages.  We are launching an emergency appeal with a target of £1,000 to help with the cost of materials to assist villagers in rebuilding their houses. If you can help, please donate via the Gumbi button on the ACAN website. www.altonclimatenetwork.org.uk/donate/

Fortunately, the new buildings on the Gumbi Farm were not damaged. 

NOW THE GOOD NEWS – THE FARM IS DOING WELL!

In early autumn, an anonymous major donor committed no less than £16,500 to the development of the Gumbi Alton Permaculture farm project.   Her donation has already funded tools and seeds for the young farmers we’ve trained, to help them to grow crops around their own homes, and a solar irrigation pump for the main farm. 

Her funding is currently paying for the construction of a large pond (see pic above), which will store 50,000 litres of rainwater and in which the farmers will keep fish for food. 

The classroom funded by ACAN donors is nearly finished (see pic L) and the store room built last year now has solar panels (see pic below R), providing power to several buildings on the site.

RIP JOHN VIDAL

The founder of the Gumbi Education Fund, John Vidal, the environment editor of The Guardian for nearly 3 decades, died at the end of October.  He considered the GEF to be his greatest achievement.  He is greatly missed by the Gumbi community.  His widow and the other Trustees are determined to maintain and develop his legacy.  There will be a celebration of John’s life in early March.    Jenny Griffiths is now a Trustee of the GEF and is hoping to visit Malawi next year with John’s widow and our anonymous major donor.