MAKING ANÂ IMPACT IN MALAWI
Working with local people to relieve poverty and support education for the people of the Kasungu Region in Malawi St Peter's Malawi Education Trust have a 10 year history of working directly with local people in Malawi.
With them we’re involved in making a difference by fundraising and volunteering, rebuilding schools, supporting educational opportunities, providing water, solar power, mosquito nets and sanitary protection.
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WHO WE ARE
UK Registered Charity Number 1171615
The team behind St Peter’s Malawi Education Trust have been fundraising and working on significant projects in Malawi for 10 years. We registered as a charity in 2015, committed to the advancement of education and the prevention and relief of poverty for the benefit of the people of Kasungu district in Central Malawi.
We have already reached our target of £36,000 target for Easter 2018, and a team of volunteers went out to Chalizya Primary School in Chimbiya, near Kasungu in Malawi, a remote rural community that we have developed close links with. Together with local people they built seven classrooms in just 5 days, and provided solar power, mosquito nets, sanitary protection and a new borehole.
We helped the same school in 2011 when the team went out and put a roof on the existing classrooms after a successful fundraising year.
You can find out more about our work (all done by volunteers) at St Peter’s Malawi Education Trust Facebook Page and an account of our work so far here
EASTER 2018 PROJECT
During Easter 2018 St Peters Malawi Education Trust undertook a massive project to transform Chalizya Primary School in central Malawi into a safe learning environment for its 900 pupils. At the same time we tackled the shortage of staff accommodation, the lack of access to clean drinking water, the problem of pupils catching malaria, the difficulty of continuing with education while menstruating and the lack of electric lighting for studying in the evenings.
WHAT DID WE DO? ... 7 CLASSROOMS IN JUST 5Â DAYS!
Chalizya School was is in desperate need of improved facilities. 900 pupils were sharing just 6 classrooms, two of which were in a desperate state of repair and dangerous to use, because the roof timbers had been eaten away by termites. The other four classrooms were re-built by the Trust, with local support, in 2011.
The two dangerous classrooms were demolished to make way for the new build. Seven new classrooms were constructed and linked to the four classrooms built in 2011, making the school into a U shaped school around a central court yard area.
The school now consists of 11 large classrooms, with class sizes reduced from an average of 150 per room, to around 80.
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TEACHER ACCOMMODATION
An additional classroom size building was constructed, linked to the classrooms and divided into two separate spaces to provide two teachers with accommodation.
Teacher accommodation is vital as the school has a shortage of teachers and struggles to retain good teachers due to the lack of accommodation.
SOLAR POWER
At St Peter's Malawi Education Trust, we strive to empower the lives of youth in the Chimbiya community through our variety of initiatives. The villagers have no access to mains electricity.
We installed solar panels to provide free power, lights and phone charging points, which the whole community will be able to utilise.
Pupils will be able to study out of school hours and the rooms will also be available to use as community hub during the evenings.
We are happy to be the driving force behind the improvements in the educational opportunities for these children, and hope to continue making a difference in their lives.
MOSQUITO NETS
We distributed 100 mosquito nets to try and ensure that every pupil is able to sleep safely under a net.
Training and education will also be provided to ensure that people understand how and why they are important for the prevention of malaria.
SANITARY PROTECTION FOR GIRLS
St Peter's Malawi Education Trust empowers youth in the Chimbiya area to reach their fullest potential by helping them not to miss school during their periods. The girls in Malawi are unable to access a full education because of a lack of sanitary protection.
Over the past 2 years we have sewn over 200 sets of reusable kits.(100 more to go out this July) and have set up a sewing group in the village with sewing machines and materials for them to sew their own kits.
We have now had the chance to supply menstrual cups including training in their use.
A cup lasts for 10 years. There was a pilot project in 2016 when 100 menstrual cups were distributed in 2 locations near Mtunthama. In May 2017 this was evaluated and reported at government level that the trial was very successful.
Mass distribution is now being undertaken, starting at Easter 2018 and continuing during the next visit to Malawi in July 2018.
A NEW BOREHOLE
At St Peter's Malawi Education Trust paid for a local specialist company to install a new borehole near to the primary school. Unfortunately although this initially seemed successful there was not enough water at the depth reached to sustain the new borehole. Further fundraising is needed for this project, with specialist advice and a detailed water survey essential before a second attempt is made.
Access to water is a daily battle for the community around Chalizya, with an estimated 3000 people currently sharing one borehole.
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
March 2018
A large fundraising effort was successfully completed. We needed to raise £36,000 and managed to exceed this target.
A team of volunteer skilled tradesmen from the UK were recruited to undertake the build working alongside local volunteers. In July 2017 a small team visited Malawi to establish links with The British High Commissioner, the Malawi Ministry of Education and the local MP. This trip was used to organise work that could be completed prior to the start of the project in 2018 such as organising the locals to make bricks, demolish existing class rooms, undertake surveys for the borehole and to visit local suppliers of materials to gain sponsorship of materials.
In addition, we established a local committee to take ownership of the 2018 project and to act as management group for all our ongoing work, developing education in the district.
CONTACT US
Interested in getting involved with St Peter's Malawi Education Trust and discovering more about our work? Contact us today and see what we have to offer!
Your Support Makes a World of Difference
At St Peter's Malawi Education Trust, we care about the people in this remote rural region of Malawi and strive to provide them with the resources they need for education as the best route to relieve poverty.
Donate today, and make the biggest impact on the lives of the young people of Chimbiya.