Aid Projects in Malawi

In Malawi, education in not compulsory and only 50 percent of children attend primary school. Of the children who attend primary school, only 25 percent graduate. Many regions of Malawi lack secondary schools. Most schools do not have basic resources such as desks, chairs, pens, and notebooks, and classes are often held outdoors because of a shortage of classrooms.

There can be up to 170 children in a single class, and often a teacher must teach two classes at once. Only 2/3 of teachers have completed a formal 2-year training. The illiteracy rate in the country is one of the highest in the world (at around 50 percent).    

We work with a local primary school in our village of Lifuwu. The primary school offers education to children between 7 and 14 years old (Standard 1 to Standard 7). The size of the classes vary between 60 and 170 students. We aim to support the school by sending volunteers and donating learning materials, such as books and pens. The volunteers will not only teach but will also help to improve the facilities. Unfortunately there is no secondary school in our area so many parents remove their children from school to help the family make a living. Without hope for further education it is understandable why many of the parents think school is a waste of time.  

Your role as a volunteer
Teaching Assistant and Tutoring: Teaching English to the students is one of the top priorities for our projects in Malawi. As a volunteer you will assist the teachers at Kazembe by delivering English lessons to the older students and you will be assigned a class, usually from Standard 5 up to Standard 8. However, you may also decide to teach other subjects such as Maths, Science, Life Skills, etc., depending on your skills and interests. You will be also doing tutoring both by supporting learners with their assignments and those which fall behind in their work with one-to-one attention during the classes. Whenever you feel comfortable, you may also decide to take over the lesson under the supervision of teacher. 

After School Program: The "Children’s Corner" at Kazembe is a new program we would like to implement in order to add value not only to the education of the kids but also to their personal development. Indeed, as most of the children are idles, we believe that an after school program may represent a great opportunity for the kids to spend their time in a profitable way as well as for the volunteers to get to know the kids. You will be organizing interactive learning activities such as games, songs, English classes, readings, arts & crafts and sports.