FMSI delegation in Malawi to assess education challenges
The director of FMSI, Andrea Rossi, together with Br. Mark Omede, Assistant Director of the Secretariat of Mission and Rita Pala, from the staff of FMSI, traveled to Malawi for a monitoring visit of the project “Equity of access to quality education for girls and disadvantaged children in Malawi”, supported by Misean Cara. The team visited two of the 7 schools involved in the project and were able to interview students, teachers, parents and the headmasters. The project aims at ensuring equal access to quality education, especially for girls, in an area where this is often not guaranteed.
Marist International Solidarity Foundation
FMSI is a Foundation of the General Administration of the Marist Institute and work worldwide to promote a new mentality and concrete initiatives for the benefit of children and young people, especially the most defenseless and abandoned to make the world a better place for children and young people.
Currently, FMSI and the Secretariat of Education and Evangelization of the Marist Brothers are jointly implementing two projects in Malawi, which are aimed at addressing barriers hindering underprivileged and non-boarding students, particularly girls, from accessing education in the country.
Andrea Rossi said the aim of their visit is to appreciate the contribution Marist Brothers are making towards improving the quality and access to education for every child. “As a child rights-based organization, our biggest concern is always the welfare of children in all the country where Marist Brothers are present. So, our visit to Malawi will give us the opportunity to understand and appreciate the challenges that children are facing and how best we can work with our stakeholders such as the government in addressing them to ensure every child has access to quality education,” said Rossi.
“We want to address school dropout and improve the quality of education in public schools in Malawi and any other country where Marist Brothers are present. We want to create resilience programmes and income generating activities as a way of ensuring sustainability of the project,” stated Rossi.
Director of Education, Youth and Sports at Salima District Council, Alfred Hauya, stated that less than a quarter of the learners that sit the Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PLSCE) make it to secondary school because of lack of space.
Hauya therefore pleaded with the delegation to consider supporting the government in constructing additional hostels and classroom blocks to facilitate increase in numbers of learners being selected to secondary schools.
In her remarks, District Commissioner for Salima, Grace Chirwa-Kanyimbiri, assured FMSI that her council will provide the required support for the project to achieve its goals.
Currently, Marist Brothers are implementing their interventions at Likuni Boys Secondary School in Lilongwe, Champagnat Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) and Marist Secondary School in Dedza, St. Charles Luwanga Secondary School in Balaka, Zomba Catholic and Mayaka Community Day Secondary Schools in Zomba and Msalura and Mafco CDSSs in Salima.
