Funding Girls Education - Malawi
Donation protected
This project is run in association with the International Woman's Association of Malawi (IWAM) and aims on funding a group of 10 Malawian girls through High school (A levels) next academic year at Lilongwe City Centre Girls School (secondary).
PLEASE NOTE: all money will be withdrawn personally as this is an independent, 100% non-profit, volunteer based cause. This money will be put into a personal bank and the TOTAL amount that has been donated (as seen on this page) will be written up as a cheque to the school so that they may withdraw the money. You may ask, at any time, for evidence of receipts as we keep them all. Thank you ***
(Donations are regularly withdrawn and used as the school is running on the fees the girls pay to buy food and pay for water and electricity for the boarders. Donations are used to pay instalments over the course of the term to cover the costs of the girl's education)
We have just managed to put 3 fantastic girls through the last term of school this July (2017)! These girls have worked immensely hard this year towards these exams and, thanks to your donations, we have given them the opportunity to finish their education with qualifications to attend universities! These girls have a high chance at receiving one of 25 scholarship places offered to the school by universities in Egypt, an opportunity they would not have had if they had dropped out of school due to lack of funding.
Funwell, The Headmaster of Lilongwe City Centre Girls School, recently said 'we were so worried about the girls having to drop out in the last term of school, they had worked so hard, but then these donations came through, it felt like a miracle!'
Many of the girls attending Lilongwe's City Centre Girls Secondary School are forced to drop out due to many complications of living in an LEDC. They face many financial difficulties and prejudices as young women, with high disease risks and poor living conditions. Most girl's families don't have enough money to feed and clothe their families (with an average of 5 children) and so girls are forced out of school to work in low income jobs with no qualifications (domestic work and vending). The male children often receive the privilege to attend school because of the societal margins that deny Malawian girls the ability to comprehend higher education. Despite the school fees being only £132 (130 000 Malawi Kwacha) per term, families struggle to pay due to the country's very low GDP per capita. Often there is only one parental figure working to fund the household, on a very low income, due to the high death rates caused by diseases ranging from HIV and malaria to cholera. Often the girls must drop out of school due to the death or hospitalization of their fathers, leaving their mothers as the only working parents. Since their mothers more often than not did not go to school, they do not have adequately paid jobs and they cannot provide for the family and so they girls must drop out of school due to lack of funds.
The importance of empowering girl’s education lies not only in their rights as equal humans to the opportunity of well-paid and qualified jobs, but also in reversing the marginalizing societal expectations of women. Women are constantly dependent on men as they fall pregnant at young ages and must leave school. Or they must find an educated husband to make sure they are financially supported in adulthood (or adolescence) as they cannot find sufficient work themselves. Further to this there are many social stigmas surrounding unmarried women, and women can be subject to even more prejudice in the workplace. This dependency on men leads to the objectification of women and violent crimes including rape and domestic abuse. By giving girls education we are opening up an opportunity for them to become financially independent and to grow to become role models for girls in the wider community. They will be able to support their own families in the future, meaning that their daughters will also have the same opportunities as we teach them about the value of educating girls. We want to re-construct the societal expectations of women and provide equal opportunity to women and girls in male-dominant communities, specifically in Malawi, through education. By funding this project you will not only be making a difference to the 10 girls that will receive help covering their educational costs, but also their children and families as well as taking action in removing the marginalizing limitations societies place on girls and women.
Since Lilongwe City Centre Girls School is a boarding school, the costs per term are higher than the average costs in typical schools in Malawi. However the extra cost invests in an environment where the girls are kept away from the risk of exploitation, teenage pregnancies, and underage marriages. The costs of the school fees also include three nutritious meals a day, hygienic environments with flushable toilets, and sinks for washing hands and cutlery, and showers. The girls also have dorms with mosquito nets and electricity so they can do homework in the evenings, and a space to play football after school (a favorite sport amongst them!).
FOLLOW OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR REGULAR UPDATES
https://www.facebook.com/girlsedumalawi/
PLEASE NOTE: all money will be withdrawn personally as this is an independent, 100% non-profit, volunteer based cause. This money will be put into a personal bank and the TOTAL amount that has been donated (as seen on this page) will be written up as a cheque to the school so that they may withdraw the money. You may ask, at any time, for evidence of receipts as we keep them all. Thank you ***
(Donations are regularly withdrawn and used as the school is running on the fees the girls pay to buy food and pay for water and electricity for the boarders. Donations are used to pay instalments over the course of the term to cover the costs of the girl's education)
We have just managed to put 3 fantastic girls through the last term of school this July (2017)! These girls have worked immensely hard this year towards these exams and, thanks to your donations, we have given them the opportunity to finish their education with qualifications to attend universities! These girls have a high chance at receiving one of 25 scholarship places offered to the school by universities in Egypt, an opportunity they would not have had if they had dropped out of school due to lack of funding.
Funwell, The Headmaster of Lilongwe City Centre Girls School, recently said 'we were so worried about the girls having to drop out in the last term of school, they had worked so hard, but then these donations came through, it felt like a miracle!'
Many of the girls attending Lilongwe's City Centre Girls Secondary School are forced to drop out due to many complications of living in an LEDC. They face many financial difficulties and prejudices as young women, with high disease risks and poor living conditions. Most girl's families don't have enough money to feed and clothe their families (with an average of 5 children) and so girls are forced out of school to work in low income jobs with no qualifications (domestic work and vending). The male children often receive the privilege to attend school because of the societal margins that deny Malawian girls the ability to comprehend higher education. Despite the school fees being only £132 (130 000 Malawi Kwacha) per term, families struggle to pay due to the country's very low GDP per capita. Often there is only one parental figure working to fund the household, on a very low income, due to the high death rates caused by diseases ranging from HIV and malaria to cholera. Often the girls must drop out of school due to the death or hospitalization of their fathers, leaving their mothers as the only working parents. Since their mothers more often than not did not go to school, they do not have adequately paid jobs and they cannot provide for the family and so they girls must drop out of school due to lack of funds.
The importance of empowering girl’s education lies not only in their rights as equal humans to the opportunity of well-paid and qualified jobs, but also in reversing the marginalizing societal expectations of women. Women are constantly dependent on men as they fall pregnant at young ages and must leave school. Or they must find an educated husband to make sure they are financially supported in adulthood (or adolescence) as they cannot find sufficient work themselves. Further to this there are many social stigmas surrounding unmarried women, and women can be subject to even more prejudice in the workplace. This dependency on men leads to the objectification of women and violent crimes including rape and domestic abuse. By giving girls education we are opening up an opportunity for them to become financially independent and to grow to become role models for girls in the wider community. They will be able to support their own families in the future, meaning that their daughters will also have the same opportunities as we teach them about the value of educating girls. We want to re-construct the societal expectations of women and provide equal opportunity to women and girls in male-dominant communities, specifically in Malawi, through education. By funding this project you will not only be making a difference to the 10 girls that will receive help covering their educational costs, but also their children and families as well as taking action in removing the marginalizing limitations societies place on girls and women.
Since Lilongwe City Centre Girls School is a boarding school, the costs per term are higher than the average costs in typical schools in Malawi. However the extra cost invests in an environment where the girls are kept away from the risk of exploitation, teenage pregnancies, and underage marriages. The costs of the school fees also include three nutritious meals a day, hygienic environments with flushable toilets, and sinks for washing hands and cutlery, and showers. The girls also have dorms with mosquito nets and electricity so they can do homework in the evenings, and a space to play football after school (a favorite sport amongst them!).
FOLLOW OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR REGULAR UPDATES
https://www.facebook.com/girlsedumalawi/
Organizer
Nina Fitzmaurice
Organizer
England
