Photo 1 Guava Trees.JPG — **Michael Jackson’s Legacy**

**in partnership with Starfish Malawi**

The support of Michael Jackson’s Legacy (MJL) has been amazing.

Since 2017 they have been passionate about what we are doing in Malawi and have supported and helped us with a number of projects.

Here is an overview of MJL

Michael Jackson Legacy (MJL) is a charitable organisation dedicated to continuing Michael Jackson’s humanitarian legacy in his absence, and thereby making the world a better place. Michael Jackson inspired love, hope and compassion worldwide through his music and through his humanitarian work on behalf of the suffering and underprivileged, and we are committed to continuing his legacy of love in his memory and through his example. Our projects will reflect issues that he cared deeply about: the welfare of children and animals, the protection of the environment, and the elimination of needless suffering. We as individuals do not have the influence a worldwide superstar can procure, but as individuals, we can ‘make the change ‘ and collectively, we can make a difference.

Everland Malawi Special Educational Needs Centre

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In 2020 during conversations with MJL about the needs of children with disabilities, we shared that a future goal of Starfish was to build a special educational needs centre to provide for those children who had various disabilities and were finding it hard to learn in the very large class sizes of Std 1 and 2 in Ngolowindo primary school. We wanted to provide a safe environment where specialist teachers could give a better, targeted, education in the early primary school classes, enabling the children to have a huge step forward in their studies that would set them on a good path to return back in to the main school in Std 3.

We were delighted that MJL not only wanted to fund the construction of the centre but to equip it with resources and desks as well. The centre opened in 2022 and has already made an impact to the children that are being taught there. The Government supplied two trained special needs teachers who welcome the opportunity to provide structured teaching to these children.

MJL have also raised funds to construct a teacher’s house.