2021 Project Summary
A grant of £1500 to support the building of a classroom block at Mambala School, Thyolo District.
Rebecca Warner, Founder of SEED Malawi, explained that they consulted extensively with local community leaders about what the community would value most and what would have the biggest impact in improving the quality of education in the area. Currently many pupils are being taught outside underneath a tree which means that pupils’ education is subject to disruption and a lack of resources. A classroom block was felt to be vital for ensuring that pupils can be taught throughout the whole academic year, regardless of the weather.
2020 Project Summary
A grant of £1000 to support the construction of a school classroom block at Namachila Primary School, Thyolo District.
Rebecca Warner, Founder of SEED Malawi, explained that at Namachila, a school of approximately 1600 students, there is a high drop-out rate with only 44% of boys and 45% of girls completing their schooling. This is down to many reasons including poverty (lack of resources to travel to school and pay fee), having to engage in manual labour to support the family, teenage pregnancy and illness (mainly malaria). In addition, many pupils are taught outside due to a lack of safe infrastructure meaning there is low quality of education and inconsistency of provision as school is often closed in bad weather.
Reporting on the project after it was finished, Rebecca said a sample of pupils and teachers completed a survey on how this classroom build has impacted their community. 100% of pupils interviewed said that now they are being taught in a classroom, they feel more empowered, valued and safe. 100% of teachers said that the classroom build had improved the quality of teaching and the quality of life of the children who attend the school. Attendance figures at the school have already increased since the classroom build