PEOPLE WE ARE/WILL BE DIRECTLY IN CONTACT WITH:
Will Dowson, Renewable energy specialist in the UK
- need to know more on expected usage (hours per day per laptop) and exactly how much power is needed per day.
He is happy to be accessed by email but phone contact may be difficult as he is off to the Philippines for 3 weeks to implement power units in rural villages there. His contact information: Will Dowson willdowson@profitablegroup.com
Mrs. Chikondano Mussa, from the Ministry of Education in Malawi
A director overseeing I.T (a friend of ) called Chikondano Mussa. Mrs Mussa is a great person to have in country to facilitate the details of this, and she has recommended the South Eastern Education area to work in, in particular the Machinga District- about two hours drive from the capital Lilongwe. She is looking into the right school, but as there is such as massive shortage, it will be that they put aside one age group or class for you, which will be done properly. There simply aren't schools anywhere with only 100 children, as I mentioned was what I expected. I would like to say that I am confident this project will work well with a clearly defined group or class working on the project with you, and in truth is the only solution. For your ifnformation, the classes are called standards and the age group 6-12 is standards 1-5. Mrs Mussa will get the right location for you and make sure all authorities needed both through government and locally are achieved in a single phone call- she has the right influence!!!! Beaurocracy can be an issue working in Malawi so having a senior person on side is invaluable, as Build A School has learnt. Something which may seem wonderful and simple to us can end up with 5 meetings and an exhange of goats before even meeting the right person!
Please feel free to now email Mrs Mussa at the government ministry of education on chikozacomussa@yahoo.com or call her on 00265 (0)8896067 (drop the zero and they are 7 hours ahead of you).
To help us find the right school, located in a place where we can get internet, and somewhere that might have sources of power as well. Also, just the right size -- a grade of <100 students.
Ken Gondwe, Head of I.T. at Malawi University (based at the Polytechnic in Blantyre)
- happy for us to liaise with him and put together a student team to support us.
His information is:
Ken Gondwe kcgondwe@poly.ac.mw 00265 (0)8311028 Malawi is seven hours ahead of us -- he is expecting us to email him presently.
Australian group that previously worked with Build A School to build a school
Chairman of Y-Gap in Australia, Elliot Costello, is happy to speak with you. He can offer you advice via elliot.costello@y-gap.org.
We could ask them about how they interacted with the local community. Also, just logistics: lodging, transportation, health, safety, etc....
PEOPLE LUKE IS IN CONTACT WITH:
Zain's Main Office Person in Blantyre (Edith?)
Zain's main office person in Blantyre. Zain is a company that has taken over CelTel, and are the main mobile network in the country by some distance.
Grieve Massa, Luke's manager
Got malaria 
.
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