back to school with 169 children!

Back to school – primary classrooms with over 170 children and poor resources

Imagine your child starting school this September with another 167 children and they are all in the same class! Amongst their class mates will be children aged 5- 9 years old, these older children are re-sitting the previous year due to low grades, ill health, and poor attendance. The teacher will probably feel out of their depth, with little resources to use ( most children will not have reading books) and poor training. This is not the start any mother wishes for their child, especially in a country where the need for education is acute.

With English being the second language in Malawi, it is vital children become confident speaking English before the completion of Primary school, however, most do not. Once at Secondary School its English speaking only – all lessons, all interactions! It’s not surprising that many drop out in the first year – many girls opt for a life in the home raising children instead.

This is so tragic but help provided by Shine is making a difference. More and more children are starting to learn English (and other subjects ) from a young age as parents begin to see the impact the Early Years groups have on their children and as they become more confident in English they begin to read and speak out loud.

Shine Relief is also providing support to encourage after school learning for more and more children, as the desire to learn increases, and children are becoming more confident to share their skills with their parents and siblings.

All these groups are free to children across the region and the Early Years group includes a free lunch of porridge and fruit for every child. It costs Shine approx £45 per child for one year and funds are received from our regular supporters (we receive no government funding)

During a recent visit to our project area, our team witnessed for themselves the impact both groups are having on the children across the region. The head teachers of both local schools spoke about the need for the children to have the right attitude to learning from an early age and noted the key role Shine plays. Support is desperately needed for one of our community Early Years groups which is based across the river at the far side of Chilambe. The community has been rebuilding their CBO centre, which collapsed last year, for over eight months. It will be used to support the little children who are unable to make the journey to Shine Village. The Nursery teachers have been receiving support at Shine centre with items needed to teach and also given training alongside our team. This has been working really well!

Training teachers at Shine Centre