In the realm of education, every student's journey is unique, but few stories encapsulate resilience and determination quite like that of Zalimba, a Form 4 student and beneficiary of Story Time.
Through student sponsorship, mentoring, women’s empowerment, teacher training, and food security initiatives Story Time endeavors to provide holistic support to students facing various challenges, including inflation and hunger. Here's a glimpse into our activities during Q1 of 2024.
The year 2020 has brought great change around the world. Malawi has seen its share of floods, elections, and regulation changes due to COVID-19. If you haven’t had the chance to keep track of it all (who does?), Story Time has put together a brief rundown of what has happened in Malawi this year, and where things stand now.
The government of Malawi closed high schools mid-year in April 2020, and in November, the government invited Form 4 (Senior) high schoolers back to school in order to study for the exams that they were originally supposed to take in May. Senior students will take their government exams, and all students will advance grades in February. The government has mandated masks, hand washing, and social distancing, but in rural Malawi, at our partner high school, students are not able to buy these items
Teacher training workshops have started and are continuing this year. Dr. Zikani Kaunda, Story Time Vice President said, “It’s good that we have all the teachers on board, the progress will be demonstrated in the students’ performance.” Each teacher will have a plan of action, from today until the end of the term, to see what has improved in terms of students’ performance.
Chisomo is a previous Story Time participant in the Women’s Empowerment Project, and since graduating, has become a volunteer facilitator and learner guide for CAMFED on the topic of sexual health and reproduction. She feels that because she went to school, “maybe I should do business. I should do something on my own.” But her mall business is not without struggle, due to the recent drought.
In this Short Story, Cynthia, one of the young women in Malawi who is a part of the Women's Empowerment Project (WEP), shares her thoughts on school, goals, and what it means to be a girl. Cynthia is 16, and in Form 3 (Junior year). She has 3 siblings and lives with her two parents. Her favorite subject is Biology. When she grows up, she wants to become a nurse because she has a desire to help people.
Vera is a Form 4 (Senior) at Nsondole Community Day Secondary School. Her favorite subjects are math, geography, and biology. She feels she is an important member of the community because people in her community see her as an educated person who can give back. As a female, Vera doesn't have many role models. She hopes to complete her education and start giving back to her community soon.
"School is very important for me because it will help me become a good business woman and know which business to invest in...I want to see my community developed and if I am educated, I can be able to help." Read the story of how Herrietta, age 17, Form 1, feels about schools, pads, and being comfortable in class.
When people travel, they sometimes have a preconceived notion on what to expect. At other times they go through a period of culture shock. But when you take the time to actually make your traveling worth something, one that you can remember many years down the road, and how much you learned and grew as an individual, that is an extremely priceless thing to have. Joua, one of our Story Time volunteers shares her first hand experience of when she first went to Malawi:
