Malawi Fruits was born in 2011, but the roots of the charity go back to 2008 when a group of us went to Malawi to build houses, working with the charity Habitat for Humanity. That workparty was organised by three people: Alan Laverock, Jim Aitken and me. A second workparty followed in 2010, this time in the beautiful town of Livingstonia in Northern Malawi. All three of us – Alan, Jim and I – felt called to continue supporting Malawians in any way we could. In 2011, Alan and I formed Malawi Fruits, while Jim embarked on a more personal mission, investing his own time and money to provide support for individuals and communities around Livingstonia. Alan, in turn, left the Board of Malawi Fruits in 2017 and started the Bananabox Trust which has several projects around the Northern Region.

Alan Laverock, who passed away in November 2025.
Jim Aitken and Kevin Simpson on one of the building projects in Livinstonia.

Alan died suddenly in November 2025 and, the day I left to come to Malawi (19th April), I received news that Jim had passed away, one day short of his 89th birthday. It was my privilege last week to gather with hundreds of Malawians as we laid Jim to rest in his beloved Livingstonia.

The death of close and long-terms friends is a poignant moment, but the feeling of being the “last man standing” from our workparties and our history, is part of the mix too. After Alan’s death at the end of last year, I took on some additional responsibilities to ensure that Bananabox Trust, and especially the projects in Malawi, could have a future without their founder there to guide things.

So much for the history – what about the future? Much of my time in the last week has been working with the staff and Board of Bananabox and with our own staff at MFT, to consider whether we can bring both organisations together to create one stronger unit. It has been hugely encouraging to see the openness to such a move, and Trustees and Staff getting excited about the vision of what the future could look like together.

Meeting with the Bananabox Board and Willan, the Charity Manager (left)

We’re continuing the discussions in the coming days and are looking forward to forging a future together. Already we are making plans for new and exciting projects on the ground, all aimed at creating a sustainable future for the organisation. In many ways it feels like we are moving full circle, with Alan having been in at the beginning of MFT and now this coming together of the two charities he helped create. We haven’t forgotten about Jim’s legacy either, with plans in place to complete several projects in Livingstonia which he was working on when he died.

I’m particularly encouraged that everyone has been very clear that the work in the future should be designed and led by Malawians. An old friend from Livingstonia told me, “We thank God for the ways you have helped us but we Malawians must stand on our own feet now.”

More to come….