GIRLS-MARZ project comes to the rescue of Balaka and Machinga girls’ education
“I would like to leave you with a powerful quote from Malala Yousafzai, an advocate for girls’ education, who once said, ‘One child, one teacher, and one pen can change the world.’ This bursary represents that pen, that book, and that teacher in our lives. It is the key that unlocks the potential and allows us to write our own future,” narrated Grave as she concluded her speech during the launch of the GIRLS-MARZ Project on that bright morning in Machinga.
In Malawi, the government and its partners have made efforts to eliminate the barriers that prevent girls from attending and participating in school. However, girls’ presence in education continues to be a challenge. Studies have revealed that hunger, lower social status, household chores, early marriage, pregnancies, school safety, and poor sanitation are key barriers preventing girls from receiving a proper education1. Machinga, one of the districts in Malawi where over 70 percent of the population lives in poverty, is not exempt from these challenges. The consequences are reflected in discouraging education outcomes. For instance, in the 2023/2024 Malawi School Certificate of Education Examinations, Machinga district ranked second from the bottom with a 50% pass rate.
Concerned Youth Organization, in partnership with Oxfam in Malawi, is implementing an Inclusive Education project called Girls Initiative for Resilient Learning and Support in Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia (GIRLS-MARZ). The main objective of the project is to improve participation and completion rates for girls and women in secondary, tertiary, and technical and vocational education and training, including in STEM disciplines in Malawi. The project is being implemented in Balaka and Machinga districts, targeting 11 schools (6 in Balaka and 5 in Machinga). It is supporting 492 students with tuition and examination fees, and school necessities such as bicycles, menstrual hygiene management items, solar lamps, school bags, stationery, scientific calculators, and mathematical instruments to ease the burden that secondary school girls face in these districts.
During the project launch, Alice, a 14-year-old Form Two student at Liwonde Secondary School and one of the project’s beneficiaries, highlighted the challenges threatening her education. Coming from a financially challenged household, Alice explained that the long distance to school and the lack of school fees forced her and others to miss morning classes, especially when sent home for non-payment of fees. “Our teachers organize early morning classes to help us catch up with our studies. However, with the long distances I travel from home to school, I always miss these morning classes. When expelled from school, I completely miss lessons. In the end, this has affected my performance in class,” she explained.
Alice praised the bursary support, saying it would help improve the performance of many students. “Our Guest of Honor, Ladies and Gentlemen, this bursary support will really help us improve our performance since we will be accommodated in hostels. There, we will have enough time to read and attend morning classes on time,” she expressed. Alice’s story is one among many of relief and joy shared by girls in Balaka and Machinga thanks to the support they are receiving. Concerned Youth Organization, in partnership with Oxfam in Malawi, is implementing the GIRLS-MARZ project with support from the Scottish Government. The project will run for five years, from July 2024 to July 2029.