RIPPLE Africa supports pre-school education in Malawi by helping eight pre-schools locally in the villages of Chiomba, Chitungulu, Kachere, Katenthere, Matete 1, Matete 2, Mazembe, and Mwaya. RIPPLE Africa’s support includes paying the monthly salaries of 24 teachers (three per pre-school), providing resources such as toys, blackboards and chalk, pens, books and supplies, tea and sugar, cups and more. RIPPLE Africa has also completed important building work, helping to build new bright pre-school buildings for some of the pre-schools which were most run down, and it is hoped that funds will be found to eventually build new classroom blocks for three more of our supported pre-schools. RIPPLE Africa’s pre-schools are managed by its local Pre-school Coordinator, Jimmy, and the work of the teachers is further enhanced by the involvement of overseas volunteers who often help in the classroom.
RIPPLE Africa also runs a sweet potato project for the pre-schools, where all 24 pre-school teachers grow sweet potatoes which they prepare and feed to the children during lunch break every day. One in eight children in Malawi are orphans, and often struggle to find enough food to eat, let alone find the time to focus on their education. A simple dish of sweet potatoes helps improve concentration, creates an incentive to attend pre-school, and reaches out to the most vulnerable children in the community by providing a benefit not only to their educational needs but also to their health. Each teacher is paid a small bonus for growing the sweet potatoes, which also helps to improve their own income.
Mazembe Pre-school built by RIPPLE Africa
Most people recognise the critical link between the important foundation which pre-school education provides, and the level of success in education students will experience later on. Those first formative years are essential to a child’s education and development as a whole. The Malawian government recognises this link and encourages communities to set up local pre-schools. However, with no financial support, the reality is that pre-schools are almost always run on a voluntary basis without any resources, and most teachers work for free, often in buildings which are unsuitable and even unsafe for children. RIPPLE Africa is making a difference to early education by ensuring that all the pre-schools its supports are equipped with the essential components necessary to providing this foundation: enthusiastic teachers, varied learning resources, a fun place to learn, and coordinated support from RIPPLE Africa at a senior level. RIPPLE Africa is providing a benefit to hundreds of young children, providing local employment to pre-school teachers, and through the sweet potato project, helping communities to look after their most vulnerable youngsters.
It costs RIPPLE Africa an ongoing monthly sum to support each pre-school. Other projects are one-off capital costs, such as building new classroom blocks for three of RIPPLE Africa’s supported pre-schools. RIPPLE Africa is looking for enthusiastic donors to provide support to help the pre-schools flourish:
To see all of RIPPLE Africa's videos, please go to the YouTube RIPPLE Africa Channel