Krizevac Project Time line
Krizevac means ‘Mount of the Cross’
In 1933, the parish of St. James, in former Yugoslavia erected a large cross to commemorate the 1900th Anniversary of Jesus’ passion and death on the Cross. The Cross on Mt Krizevac overlooks the village of Medjugorje, the villagers carried up all the materials to build the cross, in memory of Christ’s way of the Cross. It was completed on March 15, 1934.
Krizevac is a Croatian word given to the mountain that rises above the pilgrimage town of Medjugorje in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina close to the boarder with Croatia. The name “Medjugorje” literally means “between mountains”, where since 1981, a number of children and teenagers have had apparitions of Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. It was here in 1986 that ‘Krizevac Project’ founder, Tony Smith, discovered peace, prayer and personal connection which inspired him to start this charity.
July 1992 – Tony Smith visits Malawi for the first time.
2000 – Tony funds the second cross which is completed on Mount Michiru, Malawi. The first cross on mount Krizevac in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to attract thousands of pilgrims annually.
Tony begins regular visits to Malawi.
2002 – Tony starts Mary’s Meals in Malawi with the object of feeding every hungry child in Malawi, this project is handed to Scottish International Relief the same year.
2003 – The Way of the Cross is completed on Mount Michiru: bronze plaques depicting the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. Mount Krizevac had it’s own Way of the Cross, where Italian sculptor Carmelo Puzzolo created huge bronze reliefs of the Stations back in 1988.
2006 – Tony funds the building of St. James’ Government Primary School, accommodating 39 teachers and 1,900 children.
2006 – St. James’ Parish Church is built by the Krizevac Project Malawi.
2006 – The Krizevac Project is registers as a charity in the UK, pursuing the comprehensive, permanent and positive transformation of the area around the cross on Mount Michiru: Chilomoni township.
2007 (May) – The trustees visit Malawi; after interviewing focus groups, it is established that the most pressing of problems in Chilomoni is the lack of jobs. Beehive Centre for Social Enterprise is established.
– Relationships between various Malawian community groups formalized: Friends of Medjugorje, Queen of Peace, Krizevac Project (Malawi), St James Primary school.
2007 (June) – UK appeal launched seeking donations of sewing machines, computers & bikes.
– First container full of donations is sent from the UK to Malawi.
2007 (Aug) – Vince Owen, one of the trustee moves to Malawi with his family to establish the project.
2007 (October) – Beehive Bikes Enterprise established for the refurbishment of donated bikes, later called BeeBikes.
2007 (Nov) – Refurbishment of old classrooms into Beehive Centre for Social Enterprise, that will later accommodate the Tailoring school and IT school.
2007 (Dec) – The Way of the Rosary completed on Mount Michiru, the trail can be walked all-year round by pilgrims, locals and tourists.
– Beehive Limited and Krizevac Project (Malawi) are registered as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee in Malawi.
2008 – Beehive Training launched including informal tailoring, Tailoring & Design Professional Certificate, A+ ABMA Computer hardware technician & Computer Science.
2008 (Feb) – Land in front of St James Church purchased for new St James’s Presbytery.
– House near to the church purchased for future development.
– Donation of Bikes to local AIDS support group.
2008 (Mar) – Tithandizane nursery located to classrooms refurbished by Krizevac Project behind St James Primary school.
2008 – Land and House purchased at Mitsidi, to be developed into the volunteers village.
– Clearance of undergrowth at Mitsidi and first wooden houses constructed.
2008 (April) Beehive computing, internet café set up near St James Catholic Church along with Torrent Computer Rentals.
2008 (July) – Trustees visit Hydraform South Africa and commit to sustainable block-making for construction.
2008 (Oct) – Arrival of Hydraform machine in Malawi.
2008 (Nov) – Construction of Workshop for Metal working/steel fabrication.
2008 (Dec) – Mitsidi main house construction completed, accommodation for volunteers.
2009 – The Krizevac Project Pencil case project was conceived to distribute thousands of stationary items to needy pupils. Emily Clarke motivated 8 schools and Guide groups in the UK to collect old but usable filled pencil cases (arriving in Malawi 2010).
2009 (Jan) – First Krizevac Project volunteer, South African Alexa du Plessis.
2009 (Feb) – Borehole sunk at Mitsidi Volunteers Village to ensure regular water supply through solar pump.
– Two Toyota Hilux vans donated to the Beehive for Social Enterprise.
2009 (March) – Request from Chilomoni Police to construct Victim Support Unit.
– New borehole completed at Chimembe for the purpose of Hydraform block-making.
2009 (April) – Zedi Nyirenda, volunteer geotechnical engineer advises on use of Hydraform blocks. The foundations on new St James Presbytery are completed.
– Volunteer Jo Seth Smith conceives the idea of Bee Books along with first aid training and Mitsidi development. Volunteer Joe Mclenenhan supervises Mitsidi construction.
2009 (May) – Volunteers Cheryl Evans, Jill Lee, Paula Hodson and Pauline Machin carry out two-week advisory support and training at St James Primary & Tithandizani Nursery School. Volunteer James Todd, geotechnical engineer supervises the quality improvement of Hydraform block making and site levelling at the Beehive campus.
– The ground floor concrete slab is poured at the St James Presbytery and the blockwork is underway, funded with generous support from Park House Trust. Beehive trained a large number of unskilled locals while construction was underway, giving them the skills to be construction workers.
2009 (June) – Volunteer David Brown, Chartered Engineer begins as Programme Manager for Construction. Vince Owen hands over as Beehive Managing Director to Peter Nkata.
2009 (June) – The first Land Rover, of what will be 14 ex-army Land Rovers arrives to support construction and plant & vehicle hire.
– Beehive Centre for Social Enterprise welcomes a new managing Director, Peter Nkata, who has substantial commercial and engineering experience, Peter previously managed Mary’s Meals, feeding over 350,000 children in Malawi everyday.
2009 (July) – Volunteer Jamie Da Sousa gives business support for Torrent Computer Rentals.
– Refurbishment of Krizevac Volunteers accommodation sees main guest house veranda completed.
– Volunteer Architect, Sylvia Ott begins design of IT Training Academy, toilet/ablution block behind St James Church & new accommodation at Mitsidi.
– New Beehive Shop opens behind St James Church.
2009 (Aug) – Volunteer James Harding takes on the position of Chartered Engineer construction Programme Manager. Volunteer Cathy Bishop designs drainage scheme for Beehive Campus & St James Primary School.
– Landscaping of the top level at Beehive site, in preparation for the Children’s Centre construction.
2009 (Sept) – The blockwork on St James Presbytery reaches the 1st storey, formwork prepared to cast the 1st floor slab.
– Completion of two worker’s houses at Mitsidi.
– Creation of construction stores from containers and temporary kitchen to support the coming years of construction.
– Recruitment of Torrent Plant & Vehicle Hire Managing Director, initially sent to UK for training.
2009 (Oct) – Water tower/laundry & solar pump completed at Mitsidi Volunteers Village.
– Steel fixing completed on first floor slab and concrete slab poured on the St James Presbytery, scaffolding constructed and block work underway.
– Storm drainage constructed at St James Primary School site above Beehive campus.
– New Beehive enterprise, BeeBeauty Beautician training launched, supported by volunteer Gemma Harding.
– Construction of the first 4 one-bedroomed apartments (The Jacaranda apartments) at Mitsidi volunteers village.
2009 (Nov) – Volunteer, Zoe Antrobus (joined September 2009) trains Malawian counterpart as shipping project officer, employed January 2010 in the UK as coordinator (now employed as UK Manager of Krizevac Project UK.)
2009 (Dec) – Krizevac Project UK Coordinator George Furnival (employed Sept 2008) runs the UK. First volunteer-run collections, sorting & sending second-hand books led by Volunteer Mary Parris. Volunteer Doug Bruce starts container loading team.
– Volunteer Jane Hunt begins a 1 year placement supporting business planning of Mother Teresa Children’s Centre in Malawi.
– The roof is completed on St James Presbytery along with the external rendering & boundary wall, scaffolding is removed.
2010 (Jan) – Design of Victim Support Unit building started.
– Recruitment of Hendrix Mgawana as Foreman of reinforced concrete frame construction.
– UK Architect, Marty Mc Coll starts one-year placement designing Mother Teresa Children’s Centre and Beehive. First of four Multi stakeholder meetings are held to plan the design of children’s centre facility with representatives from health, education, police, social welfare, local voluntary groups and churches.
– The foundations are dug for the new 3-storey IT Academy, many of the construction workers who trained on the St James Presbytery are now working on the IT Academy project.
2010 (Feb) – ‘Masuku’ the second 4 single-bedded apartment block for volunteers at Mitsidi reaches roofing level.
– Detailing & finishing of St James Presbytery under the supervision of senior foreman, Passwell Chiumia is carried out.
– Volunteer Dawid Viljoen, Architect, begins project managing the construction of the IT Academy. Volunteer Sam Youdan, Chartered Engineer begins the complete structural engineering design on Children’s Centre.
– Construction starts on the Victim Support Unit at Chilomoni police station (completed May 2010).
2010 (March) – Soil crushing plant established to improve access to graded soil for Hydraform blocks.
2010 (April) – Krizevac Project UK awarded the contract by Royal Mail to remove and recycle around 20,000 old post office bicycles. Around 13,000 will be shipped to Malawi over the coming years; Elephant Bike is set up in the UK as a social enterprise, transforming the old ‘postie’ bikes into desirable courier bikes.
– Start of construction of facilities at the Blantyre City Centre base for Torrent Plant & Vehicle Hire. UK ex-army vehicles arrive forming basis of truck hire operation & support for construction efforts (construction completed May 2010).
– St James Presbytery landscaping and completion of external lighting & small external car park (finished May 2010).
– Conduits included in slab to ensure connection of 400 networked computers for the IT Academy.
– Torrent Rentals is the newest enterprise; trucks, backhoes, telehandlers and other machinery that were used for the construction of the Beehive buildings, are now going to be rented out.
2010 (June) – Foundations are dug for Mother Teresa Children’s Centre.
2010 (July) – Internal blockwork & stairways constructed at the IT Academy.
2010 (Aug) – Reinforced concrete frame and scaffolding progressed to reach second floor slab on IT Academy.
– Malcolm Savage volunteers as UK Chartered Engineer Programme Manager of Construction.
Beehive Directors and Krizevac Project Trustees agree to name the IT training facility the John Paul II Leadership & IT Academy
2010 (Sept) – UK Secondary School Deputy Headteacher, Jan Daines volunteers as Principal of John Paul II Leadership & IT Academy. Dr Marian Pearson and David Meachan volunteer as professional childcare trainers from UK Universities.
2010 (Oct) – First Terrazzo Flooring Machine bought from South Africa (2nd arrives in December from the UK).
– 132 Care givers are trained for 3 months in preparation for the opening of the Children’s Centre, 70 go on to do a further years training (Jan 2011).
– Volunteer qualified teacher Lindy Daines begins teaching at St James Primary School part time and supports the training of Care givers for the Children’s Centre.
2011 (Feb) – The Children’s Centre is named Mother Teresa Children’s Centre.
2011 (March) – Terrazo flooring completed on ground floor of Children’s Centre.
– Volunteer Jennifer Singleton, qualified teacher, starts at St James Primary School for one term. Volunteer Adam Butterworth, service mechanic starts to improve the systems at Torrent Plant & Vehicle Hire. Volunteer Melvin Hurst, Chartered Engineer starts as Programme Manager of Construction.
– Media Centre completed, this was initially used as Torrent Computer Rentals office (This would later become a chapel in 2020).
2011 (April) Volunteer Giacomo Zanardo, Architect, starts to project manage progress on the Children’s Centre south building and design the new hall.
2011 (May) – The completion and opening of John Paul II Leadership and IT Academy (Now occupied by Carlos Acutis Secondary School).
2011 (June) – Childcare training of 70 Care givers completes theoretical phase – practical training planned.
2011 (July) – Brian Hardy and Sue Overton volunteer as business advisors for planning Children’s Centre. Volunteer Zedi Nyirenda returns as geotechnical to advise on the foundations of the new hall.
2011 (Aug) – Hugh Rogers volunteers as UK Chartered Engineer Programme Manager of Construction. Linda Rogers volunteers as Financial Systems advisor to oversee the implementation of SAGE accounting systems.
2011 (Sept) – Joe Lewis joins UK volunteer team preparing bicycles for shipment (Joe is still with us today, 2025).
– Marc Williams, UK qualified teacher volunteers. Sarah Battersby, UK qualified childcare manager volunteers. Rita Dametto, Architect, volunteers to project manage progress on the children’s centre north building. Chris Saddler, volunteers as UK Chartered Engineer designing the septic tank and children’s centre fire escape.
2011 (Oct) – Lindsey Coyne, Qualified UK nursery nurse volunteers as Room Leader preparing the Mother Teresa Children’s Centre.
2012 (Jan) – The Mother Teresa Children’s Centre classrooms open.
– Jennie Hone and Joan Smith, Qualified UK nursery nurses volunteer as Room Leaders. Alan Peters, UK volunteer Architect, to project manages completion of the children’s centre north building and completes design of the hall.
2012 (Feb) – Kirren Mahmood volunteers as childcare assessor. Francoise Cosgrove volunteers to support the HR systems development within the Beehive.
2012 (April) – UK Professional Children’s Services Manager Alison Hill volunteers as Head of Mother Teresa Children’s Centre. UK construction supervisor, Jason Hill volunteers to supervise construction completion of services around Beehive campus.
2012 (July) – Nicola Bishop volunteers as Outreach Manager for Mother Teresa Children’s Centre. David Stevens volunteers as Mechanic at the Torrent Plant & Vehicle Hire.
– Trustee Vince Owen returns to the UK with his family, but will regularly visit, with Malawi being his second home.
2012 (Sept) – Declan Somers volunteers as Country Director for Krizevac Project.
2013 – Mother Teresa Children’s Centre Outreach and Community Services opens, it will support around 2200 children and families in Chilomoni and surrounding villages.
Krizevac Project are planning on sending 5 JCB’s to Malawi this year, with the support of JCB Rocester and funding by Mobal Phones, to be rented out by Torrent Plant & Vehicle hire. Plans are also underway to set up a training course for workers with the help of JCB.
More students than ever started this year at John Paul II Leadership & IT Academy. We have 400 networked computers available. Over 150 students signed up for weekday and weekend IT courses.
2014 – We set up book collection boxes in Tesco’s Uttoxeter and Hanley to enable local donations.
– It’s been a year since the Mother Teresa Children’s Centre fully opened, it has been caring for pre-school children in day care for two years, but it was in October 2012 that the newly trained Malawian team began to offer the full range of health and family support services to all families in the community.
2014 (Feb) – Declan Somers joins the Krizevac Project Team in Malawi, accompanied by his wife Aneta, he will be helping to expand and manage the project.
– We complete our second Krizevac cross in Rwanda.
– Volunteers Jim Bailey (Director of Apprenticeships at JCB) and Rebecca Norcup (Careers Advisor at JCB Academy in Rocester) visit the Beehive Centre for Social Enterprise to help develop plans for our very own JCB Academy Malawi.
2018 – Chilembe Church
– BeeTech Building is completed (now part of Carlos Acutis Secondary School)
– Plot 220 is situated in the heart of Chilomoni on the High Street, it consists of two block, with accommodates retail units, apartments and residential homes construction was completed this year.
– Main campus solar array, canopy fitted over the carpark to power the whole campus, battery storage also enables the site to be provided with 48KW of power on overcast days.
2019 – Mary Queen of Peace Hall construction is completed, this large hall can accommodate up to 500 people at a time. It’s a common space for gatherings, meetings and collective worship for students and employees.
2020 – Building started on St Kizito Catholic Primary School (completed 2022 and officially opened in 2023). The primary school offers quality, international-standard educational facilities to children in the local area, and provides continuity of education to the students at Beehive’s Mother Teresa Children’s Centre.
2022 – Sports Pitch excavations started.
2023 – Mary Queen of Peace Catholic University B01 (Now St John Paul II College and IT Institute building – JP2)
– St James Church Cook’s House
– Chileka Orchard
2024 – Mitsidi Girls’ Hostels Phase 01 (for Carlos Acutis boarders)
Ongoing Projects 2025
– Mitsidi Girls’ Hostels Phase 02
– Mary Queen of Peace Catholic University B02
– Mary Queen of Peace Catholic University Accessibility Ramp
– BeeHive Mills Industrial Park Phase 01
