Keep Girls in ScHool: MALAWI

Poverty is the greatest barrier to accessing an education in Malawi, and entrenched gender inequity means that girls from poor households are doubly disadvantaged. Covid-19 made the situation worse, particularly in low-income countries where many girls dropped out of school during the pandemic.

In response, the McConnell International Foundation set up the first phase of a new programme in January 2022. Keep Girls in School supports 200 girls in rural Malawi to complete four years of secondary education by providing uniforms, which are compulsory in Malawi, stationery, books, dignity packs and other essential items. For only £120 a year, we can change a girl’s life for the better.

The programme prioritises support for girls forced to temporarily leave school because of pregnancy or other reasons. Girls like Charity Chamba (19), a mother of twin boys. She says, “I would not be at school if I did not get this help. My sons are two years old, and I had to leave school in Year 2. Coming back to school will change my life and help my sons have a better life too.”

We also provide funds for extra-curricular classes including study weekends to prepare students for their national examinations and advice and information on menstrual health. And we have recently introduced our Second Chance to Learn programme, which allows a girl to repeat a year if she needs to re-sit her national exams. A student cannot progress to Year 3 if she doesn’t pass the national Junior Certicate in Year 2 and the national Malawi Certificate of Education(MCSE), which students sit in Year 4, is their passport to employment, further and higher education.