Fr Jock is very grateful to those who have expressed a wish to give him presents for this 40th anniversary of ordination, but he does not want any! However, if, by chance, anyone wishes instead to make a donation to the STEKA Children’s Home and Vocational Skills Centre in Malawi, he would be both delighted and grateful.  

Our two parishes have been fortunate enough to have formed strong bonds with Gift, Abigail and Sandra who werebrought up there before studying at Queen Margaret University (while living with Emma Wood) before returning to Malawi, leading to a visit by 12 parishioners (including Fr Jock) in 2020, and the raising of over £10,000 by the parishes to pay for a women’s Hostel for the Skills Centre. 

Please read more about the Home and Centre (with an opportunity to donate) via the link below: 

Emma Wood writes: ‘Inflation in Malawi is the highest in Africa – with the BBC reporting stories such as a mother telling her children not to play because they can’t afford soap. Donations will be split between the STEKA children’s home and to help support the STEKA Vocational Skills Centre. 

STEKA is an inspirational grassroots Malawian charity run by Godknows and Helen Maseko. Godknows is a former ‘street kid’ and a survivor of human trafficking who, with the firm and courageous support of his wife 

Helen, has managed to cope with this extreme trauma and work his way out of poverty. Together they have created a loving home – the STEKA Home – in the city of Blantyre for more than 100 young people, some of whom have also experienced deep trauma and abuse, and some who have only avoided it by becoming part of the Home. 

What makes STEKA so special is the way Helen and Godknows run it as a family. They live the role of loving parents, and the children are brought up to value their rights and themselves – with a special focus on girls’ rights to equality and to resist early marriage. Positive masculinity is also developed, with boys sharing the chores and respecting the girls as equals. Everyone is given access to education and given parental love; so, the children develop into ambitious young adults with high self-esteem. We call this the ‘STEKA effect’.  

STEKAskills is a grassroots Scottish charity, run only by volunteers, which seeks to help Godknows and Helen spread the ‘STEKA effect’, to other Malawians who have also experienced poverty and trauma. The intention is that that they, too, develop the self-esteem, skills and ambition to create positive and independent futures for themselves. As Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the word, only 1% of its inhabitants can access a college education. Therefore, STEKAskills has supported the development of the STEKA Centre for Vocational Skills and Community Enterprise in Lirange, a deprived area of rural Blantyre. It operates as a college where people can learn skills such as tailoring or hairdressing and set up their own small businesses. The loving and nurturing approach developed at STEKA extends to the Vocational Skills Centre where Godknows and Helen also act as role models, helping students experience the Centre as an extended family and also cope with trauma. Thanks for taking the time to visit this JustGiving page. 

https://www.justgiving.com/page/father-jock-anniversary-steka