We have issues with the sort of boxes being used. We are called the Bananabox Trust for a reason! OK, we accept that some supermarkets now use plastic ones, some don’t have lids and some crush them as soon as the bananas are taken out! But they can still be got. If you really can’t get them, we can cope with most compliant boxes. “Moving boxes” are great – designed for the job. Smiths crisps boxes are not! They will simply crush. Your boxes will be handled several times and therefore need to be able to stand up to that. And they might well be near the bottom of the pile once loaded. The container is 2.59 metres high (external dimension) so, if you are at the bottom, then your box needs to be able to take the weight.

Full but not overfull. Overfull boxes are bowed and can lead to an unstable stack, which has obvious dangers to our volunteers. And we can get a certain number of boxes into a certain space – if your box is an inch too big, we lose the space for a whole box. Under-filled boxes are prone to collapse. If you don’t have enough to fill your box, report this to our volunteers when it is delivered – we will almost certainly have clothing, knitting etc that we can use to fill it.

Yes! Unless you would like us to add to it, please do tape it. We don’t inspect the contents! And taping them prevents pilferage. Parcel tape is fine, to secure the top to the bottom!

We are asked this regularly. The answer will always be – we will pack it when we have enough stuff. The boxes don’t come in as a regular pattern so we cannot accurately predict when that will be. So, please follow us on Facebook and/or subscribe to our newsletter. That way, you will be as up to date as possible! Also, our advice always is – if you have stuff, get it in as soon as you can! Every container, there are disappointed people who have left it too late.

Well, there are costs! The container itself costs between £7,000 and £8,000 to rent. It was higher for a while when BBT needed to subsidise it. The costs in Malawi are around £4,000 per container and rising – inflation is around 30%, which is offset to some degree by the exchange rate. And Shed 11 costs around £10,000 a year to run (rent, electricity etc), including ancillary costs like Sellotape, parcel tape, labels, receipt books, packing day costs and so on. We are also required to have an Independent Examination. We don’t include any of the Bananabox Plus costs in Malawi – and all staffing in Scotland is by volunteers. We do think that £17.50 is a bargain!

The Shed is open almost every Saturday from 10 till noon. If you really can’t manage then, we can usually make other arrangements. We can supply directions on request to first time visitors – we prefer to meet first-timers in person! It’s nicer! Testing their immunity to rocket strength coffee!

You can email on kevinmalawi@hotmail.com or call on 07951 157113. Please leave a message if you don't get an answer and we will get back to you very soon

We had a little issue with the local tax authorities, hopefully all sorted now. But one of the outcomes is that Bananabox Plus (our Malawian-registered partner) has bought some land beside the main road in Ekwendeni. In due course, we will build a Shed there for unloading – and will use the space for income generation!

Yes! There were 1,179 items. Some items are “5 chairs” or “4 tables” so there are actually more than that. There were 74 organisations etc which were recipients. These include NGOs, churches, parts of churches (guild, for example), schools (both primary and secondary), hospitals and many more. They were sent by 62 named senders – some are anonymous through Bananabox. These include Charities, churches, knitting and craft groups, Guilds, schools and many others. The biggest things were hydro generating equipment for a project down south; the smallest would be babies’ booties or spoons! There is dental equipment and eye care equipment, mainly for hospitals but also for teaching colleges. There are tables and chairs for schools and other projects. Lots of really good and, in Malawi, valuable stuff.

BBT and BBP are doing this to support the many UK-based organisations, schools, churches, charities, knitting groups and individuals who are doing sterling work in Malawi. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. We believe that the way out of poverty is through development and not aid. However, aid is still required to get them through the current issues. Development is, we believe, investing in infrastructure, in its widest sense. That includes people. So, we prefer items which might build a job, for example, or which might lead to a permanent improvement.