Starting a Nursery School in Malawi, Africa. A reflection back to the 6th of September 2010.

The Orbus Nursery School at Ngumbe, Malawi, started on the 6th September 2010. Pictured back row are the inaugural staff with the Manners family, Craig Manners, his wife Jayni, sons Joshua, Caleb, Daniel, Benjamin (and Jonathan about 7 1/2 months p.c.), with the first children of the school. The school building is in the background.

31st August 2025
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After many months of hard work, on the 6th September 2010, the Orbus  Nursery School was officially opened and started its first day of school.

The school was built for orphaned and vulnerable children in the Ngumbe area, and started with five teachers, and approx. 44 children.

Having been blessed with A$70,000 in late 2007, we were able to buy a 15-acre parcel of land from the Malawian Housing Commission in 2008, in Daniel Village, Ngumbe on the northern outskirts of Blantyre, Malawi.

​We then proceeded to build two beautiful buildings in 2009, which were completed just in time to have an official Orbus Centre opening in late July 2010. 

In August my family and I set about employing some staff, set up one of the buildings with furniture, blackboards, educational material painted on the walls, and resourced with lots of amazing things gifted to Orbus by churches around Victoria and mostly from the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, sent over in two sea containers, which my family and I had the privilege of receiving earlier in 2010 and distributing over three memorable months around southern Malawi, mostly to villages and churches surrounding Blantyre.

There are too many people involved who helped with the school and with the distribution, but one in particular is worthy of a mention at this time and that is my very good friend, Blessings Kanike, who helped me immensely and who has grown as someone I am very thankful to God to be able to call a friend.

The first day of the Nursery School, on the 6th of September 2010 was a special day, and needless to say a highlight of my family's time in Malawi over 2010-2012, as was the starting of the Orbus Primary School in September 2011, and then again in 2017 when we returned to help build, register, establish and start the Orbus Mission Secondary School which opened in September 2017.

A report I sent back to supporters in Australia of this special occasion of the opening of the Orbus Nursery School can be found HERE. 

Thank you, God, for the privilege of being used by you to be involved in starting something so beautiful. Thank you for the joy it was to be in Malawi, and for the blessing that it was to myself, my wife and our five sons.