We are a small group of primary schools in North Lanarkshire supporting the education and welfare of primary and nursery pupils in the southern area of Malawi, called Mulanje.
We would normally provide resources and staff training opportunities in Malawi to support the teaching and learning experiences for the children and teachers.
However, this appeal is quite different. We are asking you to help us build a classroom in one of the poorest areas we have ever witnessed in the region where we work. This is an unprecedented step, and we believe that we cannot ignore the children’s plight.
The school is called Mvumo Primary.
To help understand why we have made this decision it may help if I explained a little about the primary education system in Malawi.
In brief, most primary school accommodates pupils from the age of 5 to 16, in stages 1 – 8. The equivalent of Primary 1 – First year of High School. The teachers often teach over one hundred children, with little or no resources except for a blackboard and most children sit on a concrete floor throughout their lessons.
Here is why Mvumo is so different, and so needy.
At the moment Mvumo has only enough classrooms to accommodate children to stage 6 and stage 7 are taught in a make shift area outside. There is no stage 8.
Unlike many other primaries, due to the remoteness of MVUMO, it is very challenging for the children to access another local primary school.
For the children of Mvumo this does mean that the majority of the children in this village have little opportunities to complete their primary education and therefore are unable to attend high school or access any further educational establishment due to their very limited primary education.
As with us, poor and limited education offers little hope for their future prospects. We are asking you help us support the children of this village to have access to a full primary education.