For several months, I have been working on an exciting book project for the World Medical Fund (WMF), a fantastic charity that works in Malawi. I am on their Board and also help with their media activities.

Why a children’s book?

The idea for the book project came about during a WMF team discussion about the ongoing medical programmes in Malawi, which treat over 25,000 children every year. Given the remote location of their villages, far from the nearest tarmac road, and the lack of access to medical care, WMF is the only hope for these children. Sadly, parents and guardians often have to travel for up to two days to bring children to our clinics. This is quite a commitment for all those involved and so it is important to try create a positive atmosphere while they are under our care.

Since all children love to read, the team realised that a children’s book, with a story set in Malawi might make for an entertaining diversion for those attending the clinic. As well as bringing a smile to the faces of young patients and their families with a fun and exciting story, we hope the book can also promote literacy and reading in Malawi. Internationally, we hope that the book can raise the profile of WMF, since its life-saving work receives no governmental funding.

Please help us spread the word!

Last year I developed a story which has received input from other WMF team members to ensure that it had a local theme. At present, I am working with a volunteer illustrator on preliminary sketches to be worked up into images. The publishing process can be quite arduous and resource-intensive and as WMF’s ongoing medical programmes take priority for the team it will be some time before the book is finalised.

We hope for your support when the book is eventually published. If you are interested in spreading the word, please do get in touch. I would be very interested in hearing from teachers involved in reading projects who might like to use our book with their class.