Malawi, located in Southeastern Africa, is considered one of the world’s most underserved countries. About 70% of the population lives on less than $2.15 per day; this figure is expected to increase to 71.3% soon.

The Borgen Project spoke with James Kelly, the current chair and a founding member of the Scotland-based charity Classrooms for Malawi. This charity has been operating since 2012 and its prime aim is alleviating poverty through education for the children of Malawi.

Education in Malawi

Primary school education became free in Malawi in 1994. Since then, an additional estimated 1.6 million children have been enrolled in schools. However, the funding for the additional classrooms needed to accommodate this enrollment increase has not matched the need. The lack of classroom space has been a factor in causing a high rate of children leaving education early.

Only 58% of primary school children in Malawi will finish the first four years of education and only 31% will make it to secondary school. Only 8% of students will complete their schooling entirely. From these statistics, girls make up 14.9%. Girls will often leave school during the vital years of their education due to numerous factors, including child marriages, teen pregnancies and the need to help with responsibilities at home.

About Classrooms for Malawi

Through renovating and building classrooms and other facilities and providing other forms of support, Classrooms for Malawi contributes to strengthening the country’s education system. These efforts align with the Malawi Government’s Agenda 2063 and the National Education Standards. The organization aims to expand access to quality education and create supportive learning environments that improve school retention rates.

It also works to achieve its goals by fostering sustainable partnerships between schools, groups and communities in the U.K. and those in Malawi. Kelly told The Borgen Project that the charity began as a group of friends united by a shared goal: to help address Malawi’s chronic shortage of classrooms, which had forced many children to learn under trees. The first group traveled to Malawi in June 2013, working in three locations—Misesa Primary School, Namulenga Girls Primary School and Mang’omba Primary School.

While preparing for that trip, the friends decided to formally establish the charity to ensure their support for Malawi would not be a one-off effort. Since that first visit, other groups have reached out to the charity to support its work, either by organizing trips to Malawi or by raising funds for Classrooms for Malawi’s projects and programs. When carrying out improvements, the charity hires local builders and purchases all materials within Malawi. This approach creates jobs for local communities and strengthens the local economy.

The Impact of Classrooms for Malawi

Since 2012, the charity has worked in 50 schools across 11 Districts in Malawi. These consist of 20 nurseries, 24 primary and six secondary schools. More than 36,000 children are now being educated daily in these 50 partner schools. They benefit from the many improvements the charity has provided to their educational environment.

Classrooms for Malawi’s work is guided by its Strategic Plan, which sets out the charity’s ambitions and actions. The plan is structured around nine pillars: Pillars 1–8 are drawn from the Malawi Government’s priorities for improving schools, while Pillar 9 is based on the Scotland Malawi Partnership’s framework for building sustainable partnerships.

The pillars include: providing safe, accessible and quality classrooms; improving water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; supplying adequate furniture and learning materials; encouraging the creation of school gardens; offsetting carbon emissions from the charity’s activities; ensuring daily school feeding programs; and fostering greater community involvement in education.

Building Lasting Classrooms in Malawi

Kelly explained that the charity aims to ensure all interventions are sustainable and well-supported. Structural improvements are carried out to a high standard to withstand Malawi’s harsh weather and to ensure the buildings last for many years.

Every project must be fully funded before it begins to guarantee completion. Each initiative is commissioned in full consultation with the local education department to align with existing school development plans. Once completed, the organization hands over the projects to the Education Department, strongly encouraging community ownership and care.

During his interview with The Borgen Project, Kelly shared an overview of one of the charity’s current projects. Classrooms for Malawi is converting a classroom at Nansomba Secondary School into a textile and design classroom. The renovation includes supplying materials and sewing machines, while the Education Department will appoint a new teacher so the subject can be added to the school’s curriculum.

This classroom will equip students with valuable life skills, such as using sewing machines to make and mend clothes. Importantly, it will also teach girls how to produce reusable sanitary pads, helping to improve hygiene and sanitation practices.

The Future

Speaking with Kelly, he noted that the challenges the charity faces in achieving its goals can at first seem insurmountable. Conditions in Malawi, such as funding shortages, high inflation, storm damage and fuel scarcity, are especially difficult for local schools and communities. His advice was not to let these ongoing challenges discourage people from supporting and helping their friends in Malawi.

Despite the challenges, the people of Malawi are renowned for their resilience and happy dispositions. They are welcoming and happy to share what they have. Malawi is known as “The Warm Heart of Africa.” It is also one of the most beautiful countries in the world and is a hidden gem for travelers.

– Katie Gray

Katie is based in Glasgow, UK and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: James Kelly