A closer look at life in Malawi...

My photo blog

This month, I'm excited to share some photos you won't have seen yet. I think these photos beautifully capture the vibrant life here – they show the strength of our friendships, the warmth of our families, and the ingenuity of our teachers. They also remind me that our work here must continue. The impact that educational tablets have made on education is truly remarkable, but there’s still more to be done to help even more children in Malawi.

Sharing these photos is my way of expressing gratitude for your unwavering support. It's because of gifts like yours that children here are given the opportunity for a better education and a brighter future. I hope you enjoy looking through them as much as I enjoyed picking them out for you.

Lonjezo* (above) has a learning disability. He struggles to speak and couldn’t keep up in lessons in comparison to other children. Before getting access to the educational tablets, he was struggling to keep up in class. Lonjezo needs one-to-one support in his lessons, but being in a class of over 200 students made it impossible for him to learn. Lonjezo’s mother told me “we were at our wit’s end. We didn’t know where to turn.” 

Since being introduced to the educational tablets, he’s able to read, write and count. His mother tells me she even catches him writing at home, and that they feel so proud. 

The classroom buildings in the primary school are old and made of brick. The roofs are drafty and can get cold in the winter. In the summer, they can retain heat and the temperatures in the classrooms can be unbearable.

As you can see above, the learning centre is much newer than the rest of the school. The roof is sturdy and the walls are very thick. On the roof, you’ll notice a solar panel. Malawi is often referred to as the “land of the rising sun” for many reasons – one is because the sun shines here very often! Lots of buildings and homes here run on solar power, even in rural areas. The power harnessed from this solar panel charges the educational tablets in the learning centre.

This classroom is next door to teacher Peter’s class. There are holes in the roof and there’s no glass on the windows. You might notice there’s no carpet - children don’t have any desks or chairs to sit on in lower grades, so they’ll sit on the cold and bare floor. This particular classroom is empty because there aren’t enough teachers to teach all classes in this school.

In contrast, this is Peter’s classroom. Peter teaches two classes in one, which means he has over 200 students in one room. The shortage of teachers is a big problem in Malawi, and the impact is that some classes can be overloaded with students, while some are completely empty.

The photographs above are some of the teaching materials Peter uses in his classroom. Because of the sheer size of the class he teaches, Peter must adapt and try and engage his 200 students the best he can. Peter makes the flashcards himself and he can use them to help children learn English. There aren’t many textbooks available, so one is usually shared between several children at once.

Before entering the learning centre, children must wash their hands using the bucket outside. They then take off their shoes before entering and sit down on the mats, ready to learn!

Once inside, the children sit down on the mats and use their educational tablets. The tablets and learning centres give children the opportunity to get the one-on-one support from a teacher that they won’t get in a classroom. Using what they’ve learned on their tablets, the children are able to keep up in lessons.

The timetable Peter and Prisca are looking at above indicates which day each group of children has their time in the centre. Each group visits the centre at least three times a week to learn on the tablets. If you look closely, you’ll notice the groups are named after animals you might see here on safari, including hippo, lion and zebra!

You’ll notice the desks and chairs in the photo above - this is what all classrooms should look like in our primary schools! Because of the sheer size of classes in lower grades, there isn’t enough space nor money for desks and chairs. In higher grades like standard 7, there are fewer student because it’s common for children to drop out of school altogether before they reach this grade. Having access to the educational tablets means that fewer children will drop out as they get to later stages in school. 

As well as subjects like Maths and Chichewa (one of the languages spoken in Malawi), students are also taught English and Art. Peter has created some posters which feature some of the English letters, words and phrases he teaches in English class. Children also use the clay to create artistic sculptures in their Art classes.

Pictured above is Alinafe*, who is 9 years old, and struggled to focus in school before using the educational tablets. Her parents were worried, and her mother told me, “She didn’t know how to read, and she didn’t know how to count from 1 to 100.” Since using the tablets, her maths and literacy has come along in leaps and bounds. Now, Alinafe’s mother tells me she writes all the time, and can even multiply and subtract. 
When she’s not at school, Alinafe spends time with her family and plays with her friends in her village. Some children in Alinafe’s village still don’t go to school. Most homes in Alinafe’s village, including her own, don’t have running water, so they must collect it from a nearby water pump. 

Thank you

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking through my photos and getting a closer look at life here in Malawi. Looking through them all, I feel so proud of what we’ve achieved so far. A few months ago I shared a behind the scenes video of the school, looking at life in the classrooms and learning centre. If you missed it, you can find it here: Watch school tour film.

I know that we still have some way to go yet, so I feel very lucky to have you by our side. Thank you. 

Take care, 

Theo
VSO Education Specialist

P.S. Remember, you can ask a question or leave a message below. Let me know which photos you enjoyed looking at the most!
 

*Pseudonyms used to protect identity of children