Following Stephen & Gail’s recent visit to Malawi, we have decided to adjust the building project schedule at Saidi.

The deteriorating economic situation in Malawi means that we must plan for the possibility of an upsurge in crime. Consequently we have decided that we need to prioritise improving security above additional building work.

Necessary Immediate Improvements

We are consulting with a security company about surveillance and intruder detection equipment. In the meantime, we are also improving our physical security on-site:

1. Continuation / Completion of the perimeter wall / fence – there are still a few hundred metres un-fenced.
2. Fabrication & installation of main gate
3. Fabrication & installation of 40ft steel grille / gate to container bay area. This will provide an additional layer of security for our office equipment and the vehicles parked overnight in the container bay.
4. Electrification of the inner compound perimeter. Electrification of the entire compound perimeter will follow in due course.
5. Construction of print room & office within the secure inner compound.
   • We recently unexpectedly acquired equipment to enable us to do our own short-run booklet printing. We need a suitable room to house this equipment. Along with some of Anna’s belongings, it is presently taking up space in our literature container. We will need this space when we do our next tract print run shortly.
   • We will take the opportunity to bring forward construction of further office accommodation. This will serve as secure living accommodation in the meantime.

Future building developments

These new priorities for the building project mean that we have to postpone other work. Particularly, we will reschedule accommodation we had intended to use for Bible teaching conferences. Ongoing security considerations will have implications for the rate at which we develop in the future. However, we believe this is the right thing to do in the circumstances.

We plan to post a fuller review of the building work shortly.