Watson's Malawi Partnership

The Watson's Malawi Partnership draws on the resources of the George Watson's College community to build sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships with organisations and individuals we meet through the school's annual visit to Malawi.

In keeping with the ethos of ‘dignified partnerships’ put forward by the Scotland Malawi Partnership, we focus on five areas where we can help young people to thrive, in even the most challenging conditions.

Our annual school trip to Malawi offers students the opportunity to listen and learn from one another, enjoying each other's company in an open and respectful setting. 

We provide partner schools with teacher training, essential materials and funding to develop their programme while sharing the value of the Malawi/Scotland experience with other schools in Edinburgh.

You can read more about our partners' work in education here >>

Our health and well-being workstream promotes healthy living and well-being for all – providing lifesaving support in Malawi and valuable development opportunities for pupils in both countries.

We support Open Arms' outreach programme caring for orphaned and abandoned children within their village community and provide funding to Achikondi Clinic, set up by midwife Charity Salima.

We also distribute baby clothes and underwear donated by the local community as well as reusable sanitary pad made for us in Malawi to help keep girls in school for longer.

You can read more about our partners' work in health & well-being here >>

Public participation in sports and culture is so important for building relations and simply creating joy. 

We are passionate about extending netball to more women and girls, spearheaded by the Netball for All initiative created in memory of one of our founding members.

We also facilitate opportunities to play football, particularly within communities working so hard to protect the environment. 

You can read more about our partners' work creating opportunities in sport & culture here >>

Inspired by the Mayankho enterprise, we want to help young people set up in business so they can support their families and help their community.

During our visit to Malawi, we look for promising small business opportunities to invest in. So far, we have helped a group of Mulanje stall holders set up a new piggery business and some women from the nearby village create an egg business. 

You can read more about our enterprise workstream activities here >>

We recognise the environmental cost of our school visit and work closely with Mulanje Conservation Trust, Zomba TREEZ and Kuti Wildlife Reserve to find meaningful and sustainable ways to off-set our carbon footprint and protect and improve the environment.

In addition to providing funding for critical reforestation initiatives, we also distribute sports equipment, strips and trainers donated by local Edinburgh clubs to support firefighting programmes.

You can read more about our partners' environmental work here >>