Press release
18th May 2005
LESSONS FROM THE BLACK COUNTRY:
PARRY ASSOCIATES' ROOFING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS MALAWI'S SCHOOLS
The benefits brought by the intermediate technology machinery of JPM Parry & Associates Ltd of the West Midlands (UK) has been confirmed as a major factor in the transformation of education in the southern African state of Malawi.
Parry technology has been implemented throughout Africa, Asia and central America, and its adoption by the Malawian national school building programme has produced spectacular results. The Malawi Ministry of Education, supported by the UK government, has been constructing thirty classrooms a week and 1,500 new classrooms will be completed in 2005.
A new report, "Made In Malawi: A Quiet Roof That Lasts", from the British Department for International Development describes how concrete roofing techniques have not only improved the learning environment for schoolchildren, but have also created local jobs and businesses.
"The Parry tile is strong, durable and much friendlier for learning," says the report. "The new roofs are good for learning and good for Malawi's economy. Much of the cost of a tin roof goes out of Malawi in import and foreign exchange costs. Parry tiles are produced here using local labour and mostly local materials, so the cost of the production stays in the country. As the word gets out from many satisfied clients, suppliers hope to grow a new Malawi industry of beautiful and durable roofing materials."
The tiles have other advantages over tin roofing sheets: they are cooler in the sun, quieter in the rain and will not blow away in strong winds.
Parry Associates produces a range of machinery for the local production of building materials, including roofing, walling, flooring and ground surfacing products in both concrete and clay. The company is currently in the final stages of developing HIGH AND DRY, an affordable two-storey construction system which provides an upper-level refuge from flooding as well as the ability to build larger living spaces on small plots and hilly terrain.
An essential element in Parry Associates' service is its technical support and training, including the ability to send experienced trainers to locations around the world to ensure high quality end products.
"What has happened in Malawi is a perfect example of the right factors coming together at the same time, leading to a spectacular achievement," said the firm's chairman John Parry. "Similar conditions exist in several neighbouring countries and so we're looking forward to further projects of this kind."
Details of developmental success stories, including Malawi's school building programme, can be seen by clicking on the link below:
Click on the following links for DfID's reports about the Malawi school building programme:
Notes:
1. JPM Parry & Associates Ltd was founded in 1974 by John Parry, one of the early team of directors of the Intermediate Technology Development Group and chair of its Building Materials Panel, to offer technical services to the construction industry in Britain and overseas. Shortly afterwards, the company started to develop a range of intermediate technology machinery that could be used to produce quality building materials in developing countries using local resources. These are now in service in over 80 countries.
2. Applied to transport, the Parry approach to technological development produced the flywheel energy storage system licensed to Parry People Movers Ltd (www.parrypeoplemovers.com).
For further information, please contact:
John Parry MBE
CHAIRMAN
JPM Parry & Associates Ltd
Overend Road
Cradley Heath
West Midlands
B64 7DD
UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1384 569171
Fax: +44 (0)1384 637753
E-mail: info@parryassociates.com
Website: www.parryassociates.com
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