Helping MOET School with their accounts in 2009 & 2010

Tom Allport (Volunteer)

In early 2009 I took a couple of weeks off work to visit MOET School and see if I could help.  My role was to find and go through all the records available and report back to the trustees and donors on my findings.  I also needed to set up policies and procedures going forward to ensure proper accounting records could be kept.

This was a challenge, made all the more interesting by the fact that there was no electricity for most of the days and their one and only computer was barely working as it had no battery and was riddled with viruses. 

I brought with me a donated laptop and over the course of my stay I was able to produce analysis for the previous 15 months.  I taught the staff to use Microsoft Excel and set up templates for cash books and ledgers which automatically fed through into separate bank and cash reconciliations, detailed expense schedules, balance sheets and income and expenditure statements.  This was set up so the staff could keep proper records, which should enable them to meet their regulatory requirements and reassure overseas donors.

At the end of January 2010 I went on an 11 day follow up visit and took two donated laptops with me this time to leave behind.  The return visit was enjoyable – it was lovely to meet up with all those I had the previous year.  I got a very warm welcome from all the staff, children and locals.  The accounting records had been well kept and the member of staff who I trained up has very enthusiastically taken to all the spreadsheets and reports.

The progress the school has made since my initial visit is excellent.  I am very proud of all the hard work they have put in and the results they have achieved.

During my visit I also made contact with a manager for Weltwaerts, a German development services agency based in Lilongwe, Malawi.  Following discussions about the MOET School and its projects, representatives for the agency agreed to visit and were highly impressed.  Weltwaerts subsequently agreed to support MOET School and send two volunteers in September 2010.  The volunteers will stay for one year and will be involved in computer training to teachers and pupils, some teaching, compost-making, tree planting permaculture, sporting activities and crafts such as drawing, carpentry and metalwork.

This added support is fantastic news for MOET and will really add value for the children and staff and help to strengthen their future.

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