Mamie Martin Fund - 18/04/16

Irvine Seagate Rotary’s speaker on Monday was Willie Sinclair, talking about the charity the Mamie Martin Fund.  Mamie Martin was a teacher in Nyasaland, now Malawi, in the 1920’s, and was Willie’s grandmother.  The fund in her memory, which was started in 1993, provides bursaries to fund girls in Northern Malawi who have qualified for secondary school but cannot afford the fees. 

These are around £300 a year, a relatively small figure here, but sufficient to make a life changing impact on the girls involved.  This year the fund is supporting 85 girls through school, and a Scottish Government funded study shows that over 75% will go on to higher education in university or college.

 They will then make a significant contribution to their country’s economy and development, which they would not otherwise have been able to do.  Although a relatively small charity, the Mamie Martin Fund is thus making a worthwhile impact, and improving life in Scotland’s partner country, Malawi.  Their website is www.mamiemartin.org, and their main support comes from individual donations. 

Willie answered questions about the fund, and a Vote of Thanks was proposed by Hugh Hutchison.