October 2024
Visit to Malawi September 2024
Patrick, Grant, Chris (3 of our doner volunteers) visited Chitipa district September 2024. As well as visiting all the existing schools where we have ongoing work, they visited several orphan care & early learning centres.
In addition, they visited several possible future projects carrying out surveys on work needed to complete renovations.
The British High Commissioner, Fiona Ritchie, visited Chitipa, discussing Bwengu Projects work within local schools.
Project work at Muselema Primary School 2024
This primary school classrooms were in a poor condition, with a number being dangerous. During Easter 2023, a 2-classroom block collapsed. This schools 6 classrooms have been completely renovated. In addition, a new 2 classroom block was built.
Quick work at Chitipa Model Primary School 2024
This is a very large primary school with 1450 children on roll. After storm damage 8 classrooms collapsed.
There are 13 remaining classrooms, all insides of these 13 have been renovated. Work has commenced on the outside of these 13 classrooms.
Adult education project Muselema Primary School 2024
These adult education classes are free to all who wish to attend, they run for 24 weeks in afternoon school. Muselema is now the 19th adult education project in 19 schools since 2009, with some 78 villages involved. The oldest adult in this class was 76 years of age. Some 1,800 adults have gone through these 19 projects.
Orphan Care Feeding & Early Learning Centres 2024
In Jan 2024 we had 1 orphan care centre, by end December, our plan is to have opened 5 in total. Each centre is kitted out with classroom furniture, talking walls. Cooking/ eating utensils / food to feed up to 55 orphans each month. In addition for approx. 90 min each morning there will be classroom lessons given by a retired teacher in Number recognition and Alphabet letters.
Talking walls project Chitipa Primary Schools 2024
In early summer 2024 we to took an idea, which we then developed, that allows the national curriculum of the 8 subjects at primary level to be painted on some 268 classroom walls in 8 primary schools. Shortages of books is a common problem in Malawi schools.
With this project, depending on what STD is being taught in fixed classrooms, then the subjects painted onto these walls will be relevant to the child’s age/ level and what standard they are currently in.
