Stories from the field

It’s the rainy season in Malawi, and the campus is turning lush and green. It is the perfect time for outdoor tree planting. Every girl will participate in this work to appreciate the trees and the environment.

Christmas is almost here, and it’s the time of the year Kuwala gives back to the neighbouring community, especially the elderly. Memory spoke at the campus, and the elders received a bit of love, a hamper filled with rice, a loaf of bread, and some brown sugar. An act of kindness in these times significantly impacts someone lonely this year. So let’s continue to teach others how to give. Thank you to Memory’s team for working diligently to assemble the hampers.

October 11th, 2021

Did you know the United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child? This day of celebration brings attention to the purpose of education, healthcare and learning opportunities for young girls. The theme for 2021 is Digital generation. Our generation.

Our students and teachers are working hard, even on evenings and weekends, to finish this year strong. At the end of next year, our present group of 60 girls will be writing National Exams. The focus is study, practice exams and English learning — the most critical and challenging component of the National Exam.

The girls are off to their homes for a two-week break with the expectation that they focus daily on a two-hour study time. They will have school work, and there is an opportunity to connect with other girls in their village, compare and share what they have learned, and exchange ideas. Parents arrive on motorbikes to pick up their daughters, who are excited to go home for the break. The motorbike is the mode of transportation in Malawi.

The girls were excited to participate in their first trip off-campus. They had a good break from their studies and enjoyed a bus trip to a nearby river where they could rejoice in the natural environment as friends. They had time to relax and dance. They also appreciated a quick stop at a nearby village. The village children were happy and inspired to see our students.

Do you remember learning quadratic equations in school? It is one of the many mathematical problems the students are learning. They are progressing well in their studies; the girls also spend time with their teachers in the evenings for more problem solving on the chalkboard at the campus. Study time is taken seriously, and they do not take the opportunity to learn for granted. They have their sights set on the National Exams at the end of Form 4 next year.

It’s been a few years since the first shovels went into the ground on a piece of land in rural Malawi. Today, not only does Kuwala have the infrastructure, a complete water and sewer system, electricity, solar power, well-constructed buildings on a spacious campus, sixty girls attending school, five teachers and staff, a greenhouse producing vegetables and an orchard bearing fruit. How do we manage all of this halfway around the globe?