And English teacher Helen Wright and six Lockerbie Academy leavers – Samantha Carruthers, Lianna Barrie, Morven Beattie, Amy Macgregor, Lucy Howatson and Ballie Armstrong – leave for the African country on Saturday for two weeks.
They will visit Lockerbie’s partner school Thawale to teach students about global citizenship and help renovate classrooms.
Helen said: “The link continues to be a worthwhile partnership for teaching and learning as well as forging lifelong friendships and giving all involved the sense that we may be very far apart geographically, but share important values and can learn from each other.”
Student Samantha said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience where we get to help others and have a good time ourselves.
“It’ll give us the opportunity to experience a new beautiful country and interact with people who are less fortunate, but still so enthusiastic about life.
“This trip will really put things into perspective that life could always be worse and we generally just really want to be able to help, even just a little bit.”
The link was forged in 2009 by then Lockerbie Academy deputy head teacher Gordon Ferrie and humanities principal teacher Mark Turner, this will be the fourth and largest student and teacher visit since the partnership was formed.
The group will be staying at Likhubula CCAP house at the foot of the Mulanje Mountains for one week before moving on to Liwonde National Park and then Cape Maclear and finally Blantyre.
The second week of their trip will be spent sightseeing and going on night safaris and boat trips in Liwonde National park before enjoying the local culture at beach based Cape Maclear.
Each participant was hit with a hefty price tag of £2340 to cover costs such as flights.
Helen said: “The money was raised through various in school events as well as community and personal challenges, an end of term carnival last June, the annual community coffee morning in Lockerbie Town Hall, car washes and bake sales, the Fiddlers’ Rally, selling Christmas cards and pin badges and more.”
She added: “It’s our biggest group so far.
