July 21, 2012

Learning from Namitembo

We arrived safely in Malawi on Friday, and were greeted by our friends from Dwankhozi.  After a wonderful meal, we set off for the six-hour drive to Namitembo, in rural Malawi. Leaving close to sunset made for quite an interesting journey – it’s not easy to find a rural school down a dirt road, in pitch darkness, without ‘google’ maps.

We arrived safely in Malawi on Friday, and were greeted by our friends from Dwankhozi.  After a wonderful meal, we set off for the six-hour drive to Namitembo, in rural Malawi. Leaving close to sunset made for quite an interesting journey – it’s not easy to find a rural school down a dirt road, in pitch darkness, without ‘google’ maps.

Traveling to Namitembo were Brad, Mark & myself, along with our Project Manager, Moses Masala, and the PTA Chairman from Dwankhozi Community School (DCS), Godfrey, who is a local farmer from Dwankhozi. Our purpose was to visit a Parish school that we had heard about from some friends in the states, establish connections, and learn how they have developed a trade school and agriculture program.

Our host Father Philip greeted us in the morning with breakfast and an insightful tour of their facilities – specifically their agriculture project and trade school. We were so impressed with their accomplishments that we hope to emulate both of these initiatives at DCS in the near future.

One of the most interesting things we learned about their agriculture program is inter-cropping. It’s a technique where you intersperse nitrogen-producing crops such as chickpeas and groundnuts, with staple crops such as maize along with a nitrogen-producing shrub call gliricidia. Yields have increased three-fold and they have enough food for the hungry season. With Godfrey’s help along with other local farmers, we hope to bring this technique to DCS.  We believe this can provide enough food during the hungry season to feed the kids, which was an issue we discovered during our last visit.

The trade school focuses on teaching brick building and carpentry.    Because so few students at DCS are able to go to high school or college, providing them with a trade will enable them to earn a living.  Building a trade school is now on our list of future projects.

Thanks for your continued support throughout our journey.  This is only the beginning – we have so much more to look forward to.

Blessings,

Matt

 

  1. So awesome! Great pix and description of what God is doing in other places (closeby!) and where He could be leading the Dwankhozi community. So glad to read and see these glimpses of your trip!

  2. Wow, fantastic photos! These are such exciting developments! I can’t wait to hear more details when you all get back! Keeping you all close in heart and mind. Blessings!

Leave a Reply

Related Blogs

Image
Student Housing Underway
May 2
Currently the school has a girls dormitory that houses around 40 secondary students. But it is not nearly enough to house all of the promising students who are...
Read More
Image
Hoops for Hope Recap
April 19
As we take a moment to reflect on the remarkable success of “Hoops for Hope,” it becomes evident that this event was far more than just a day...
Read More
Image
State of Education System in Rural Zambia
April 12
Non-state educational institutions in rural Zambia play a crucial role in bridging the educational gaps where state resources are limited. These institutions work tirelessly to provide essential educational...
Read More