Preschools

25th August 2019.

In Malawi children go to school when they are 6, but in poor rural areas by that time girls have jobs like carrying water and looking after younger siblings and regularly never even get to primary school.

Very early on , maybe 2007 we observed this and sitting with women in villages this was always a priority with them, actually a close second to clean water.

So we started with the simplest training and work with uneducated rural women. We now support over 12 such schools in the middle of nowhere and we now find that transfer to primary school is regularly 100%

They learn to sing, count stones on the ground, write with sticks on the soil, colours from plants, words of english through drama

Whole villages must be involved and food must be provided by the families.

As with everything else, the people own it, do it, manage it while we support as they need to develop with training, group training days, and the odd celebratory party

At the moment Margaret is the head of our training team and is used by the social welfare ministry to do training in areas over the place. She is amazing and the go-to person. Of course if you are in your mid forties, had eight children, all being educated and supported, then you ARE an expert.

She took this picture and it is about to be included in our programme.

Local uneducated women in the local villages will soon become totally capable.

Just remember that uneducated in no way means stupid. In fact the brightest and most creative people imaginable, because if they are not, they would starve and die.

Later they may build a brick structure.