Help Malawian student with education fees

Patuma is an aspiring business professional from Nkope Hills, Malawi; one of the poorest countries in the world. To achieve her dream of becoming an accountant, she is enrolled in a Business Administration program in Lilongwe. She works as a playschool teacher five days a week to support herself and cover her post-secondary expenses. Patuma attends university classes during the weekends, and completes her assignments during the week after work.

Attending university creates many financial challenges for Patuma. Along with tuition expenses, she is responsible for covering her transportation costs to the city of Lilongwe every weekend (3 hours from Nkope Hills), internet access, textbooks, and all of her living expenses. Although she is working, her current wage is not enough to support herself and her educational goals.

COVID-19 has also caused more significant challenges. Playschool classes were cancelled from March – September, causing her weekly wages to be cut in half. Her university classes were moved online. Patuma does not own a laptop and has to borrow one from the organization she works for. She now has to pay for internet bundles once a month to attend online classes, which is more than she can afford with her current wages.

I have had the pleasure of working with Patuma during my time volunteering in Malawi. She is one of the most kind, hard-working and generous individuals. It is my goal to help alleviate some of her financial burdens and support her in completing her program. All proceeds will be sent directly to Patuma and I have been granted her permission to organize this gofundme page.

How can you help?

I have listed the cost of Patuma’s post-secondary expenses below in Canadian dollars. Even a contribution of $17 would make a huge difference!

Transportation to Lilongwe (weekly) $18 CAD

Internet bundle (monthly) $17 CAD

Textbooks (annually) $10 CAD

Tuition (annually) $1,587 CAD

All contributions are greatly appreciated. Thank you!