Distributor Cornelius pledges support for Malawian youth

Cornelius Group, an independent speciality chemical distributor, has announced a new commitment to The Sparkle Foundation, a British charity that gives education, nutrition and medical support in to children in 17 rural villages in Malawi, south-central Africa. It uses small-scale sustainable projects to empower rural youth.

Cornelius manufactures and distributes chemicals, ingredients and raw materials globally for the industrial, health and nutrition, personal and household care markets.

Neville Prior, Cornelius Chairman, said: “The Sparkle Foundation is an amazing charity, carrying out extremely valuable work in one of the world’s poorest countries. Staffed by international and local volunteers, their dedication to the most disadvantaged in the world is remarkable.

“As a well-established company, operating for more than 80 years, it’s important for Cornelius that we are committed to charitable work alongside our day-to-day business activity. We have funded several charities over the years with donations but we have decided to dedicate our overall support from now on to The Sparkle Foundation. I am proud Cornelius will be working closely with their project Sparkle Malawi and I hope our support will give a real boost to the excellent work they do.”

Malawi, formerly the British protectorate of Nyasaland, is in southern Africa. Almost 45 per cent of its 18 million people is under 15 years, and in terms of economic production it is one of the world’s poorest countries, meaning many Malawian children live in poverty and leave school early.

Sarah Brook, Founder of The Sparkle Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Cornelius on our ongoing projects in Malawi. We are working towards creating brighter futures for vulnerable people and this partnership among others will help us achieve that goal. We are grateful for all the support we receive, recognising that the good we do is only achievable thanks to the support of our partners.”

Cornelius is planning fundraising activities for the charity with a view to visiting Malawi to work directly on a project in the coming years.