Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Stuart Gillespie

Kirkcudbright coffee mornings raise money to help Malawian children

A series of coffee mornings in Kirkcudbright have been raising money for a cause close to the parish church congregation’s heart.

Gary Brough is a mission partner for the church, having moved with his family to Muzuzu in Malawi in 2018 as a Mission Partner of the Church of Scotland.

Through Gary, the church community has been supporting a scholarship programme helping, in particular, orphaned girls. Because of a lack of funds they are at high risk of being forced into early marriage as secondary school in Malawi is not free.

Forty-two per cent of girls in the country are married before the age of 18.

Child marriage is driven by poverty, traditional practices, teen pregnancy, limited awareness and school boarding.

Only 14 per cent of girls complete upper secondary school in Malawi and among the poorest children this falls to two per cent.

Covid-19 has added to the problem with teenage pregnancy tripling and child marriages doubling.

Giving girls the opportunity to stay in school greatly reduces the risk of child marriage.

Proceeds from monthly coffee mornings in the church hall go towards the scholarship programme.

The next coffee morning is on Saturday from 10am until noon in the church hall. There are none in December but are generally held the first Saturday of every month.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.