PHD student Mathero Michelle Nkhalamlog has come a long way since her childhood when she and hundreds of fellow classmates learned to write in the dirt.
Raised in Malawi, the Bangor University psychology student earned a Commonwealth Scholarship through the British Council, and is now determined to use her skills, experience and knowledge to make a difference at home.
To this end, Michelle, 28, has began fundraising for the charity Starfish Malawi, which offers vocational training, HIV/Aids awareness, orphan care and education in the poverty stricken region of Salima.
Michelle said: “Having lived here in the UK, I have learned to feel lucky and appreciate a lot of the things that are sometimes taken for granted here, such as having a meal or getting £10 from a machine.
“As a result I felt that if I could do even a little something to help change life in my own country then I would.”
She added: “Initially I would just buy clothes and books on eBay to take home for the children who were orphaned as Malawi is quite poor and in some areas, it’s very rare if you find a child wearing clothes with no holes or patches.
“A friend suggested that I look to find an organisation so that whatever I was doing was channelled into that.”
Salima is a two hour drive from Michelle’s home town of Zomba, so whenever she returns to her country she takes a trip there to see how the donated cash is being spent.
She said: “From a personal point of view it’s a good feeling to have an impact on someone’s life and I know a lot of people who have been helped by the charity.
“I myself was funded by the Commonwealth; I started my education learning to write in the soil and on a huge mango tree with hundreds of other students, so now I really do appreciate the resources available to me and don’t take them for granted.
“From a very broad perspective the planet is becoming a global village and in one way or another and we eventually all get affected by what happens somewhere else, so it’s important to tackle poverty at the root and ensure it doesn’t get passed on from generation to generation.”
As part of her work to help Starfish Malawi, Michelle will take part in a 12.5 mile sponsored walk through Kent on June 26, as part of a drive to raise cash to provide for the basic needs of 1,000 orphans in the African country.
She has also placed a number of collection boxes in various shops around the region, and has been delighted by the response; “I’ve been impressed by the response and several tins have been filled.
“Some people are very responsive to things like this and have been amazing,” she said.
Michelle also offered thanks to the Jewellery Box branches in Bangor and Valley, Trearddur Bay Hotel, Diskos Bangor and Spar in Valley for taking a collection box.
To find out more contact Starfish Malawi chairman Chris Knott on 01580 850251 or 07710 367272, or email chrisknott@starfish-malawi.org.uk.