BUILDING SCHOOLS IN MALAWI

Malawi is located in south-east Africa and sits on the shore of Lake Malawi, the continent’s third-largest lake. It is also called ‘the warm heart of Africa’ due to the striking friendliness and openness of its people. Malawi’s culture is shaped by dance and music.

Previously a British colony, Malawi gained independence in 1964. The country has been democratically governed since then and is largely politically stable. Even today, its official languages include the colonial language of English alongside Chichewa and 13 other languages. The capital of Malawi is Lilongwe.

Although primary schools in Malawi are free and attendance is compulsory, only about half of children complete primary school, which concludes at the age of 14. Family responsibilities and long or dangerous journeys to school often prevent children from attending class.

In addition, the educational environment can be sub-optimal: large classes with an average of 115 pupils make learning more difficult.

Back in 2019, a project was launched in collaboration with the Fly & Help Foundation, the abc-Gesellschaft association and local stakeholders to promote the construction of schools in the Salima region. Four schools and a nursery have now been opened. The schools are non-denominational and are run by the state.

Alongside the construction of school buildings for teaching purposes, additional sanitary facilities, wells, cooking areas and accommodation for local teachers are also being built. Solar panels are used to supply the buildings with energy. Besides this, the school sites are home to gardens of mango and lime trees.

An effective approach is a guarantee of success for the One Foundation. This is why our work as a foundation focuses on the resource of education with the aim of giving the children of Salima a better future. In addition, we believe that local people’s needs are the top priority, which is why we work closely with stakeholders on the ground.