Education Malawi Project #18693

Educate and Nourish 50 Students in Rural Malawi

by EKARI Foundation

Educate and Nourish 50 Students in Rural Malawi

Project Report | Mar 14, 2017
Tutoring: Study Cycles and Science Experiments!

By Carly Anderson | EKARI Foundation Volunteer

Students conduct a science experiment.

EKARI Foundation students have been busy the last few months, so we wanted to send an update on the most recent tutoring session that your donation has helped to make possible. You might remember that a few months ago, EKARI Foundation purchased new lab equipment for students to be able to conduct physical science and biology experiments. Not only can EKARI beneficiaries now test hypotheses safely, but they can operate equipment that opens their minds to technical work that is a needed skill in the job market. Additionally, the students worked in groups, which they enjoyed.

EKARI’s In-Country Director Elias described the small group practical work in detail. He said that during tutoring time learners are put in small groups to discuss a certain problem and then find a solution. When they go back in class they present their findings in front of the entire class. Finally, they come up with a better solution together with the teacher.

These small teams are what we call study cycles: formation of small groups where students can discuss about past examination questions in order to make everyone benefit from the right answer to the question and best approach to it. Innocent, a student at Phalombe Secondary School told us that “study circles help us to bring different perspectives to class, and better inform how we understand a topic more effectively than other teaching methods.” Additionally, because there is a serious lack of proper materials for students at school, they could not previously see these experiments in action. Linda, another Phalombe student, said that the "discussions helped me to learn arrange of skills, improved my motivation, and drive my learning."

The group sessions were also open to other students in the community beyond EKARI beneficiaries, including 55 seniors who joined to prepare for the upcoming senior exam. The exam is the sole factor that determines if they get accepted into college. The last update we have for you is that in light of student feedback, we are currently considering adding Geography as another subject to our tutoring sessions because it has now been added as a required subject in many schools.

As always, we truly appreciate your support for EKARI Foundation’s Tutoring Program.

Students conduct a science experiment.

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Dec 14, 2016
Tutoring Program Student Spotlight: Stella

By Carly Anderson | EKARI Foundation Volunteer

EKARI Foundation Beneficiary - Stella

For our latest report on EKARI Foundation's Tutoring Program, we are focusing on a special student of ours: Stella. Stella is from a family of six children. Both of her parents are alive, but they are subsistence farmers who cannot afford to pay for school fees or even basic necessities for their children. Stella is now a sophomore in high school. Before she attended secondary school with assistance from EKARI, she told our Malawi In-Country Director that she "struggled to understand math and English. But now, thanks to EKARI’s Tutoring Program, my comprehension is increasing."

The Tutoring Program is essential because it provides students support outside of class, especially for difficult subjects including math, English and biology. Stella was also having a hard time with biology, but after attending multiple tutoring sessions, she scored an 87 in biology.

The Tutoring Program provides critical small group and private tutoring assistance to students who are sponsored by EKARI. Typically, students do not get 1:1 attention in their classrooms because there are an average of 75 students or more per class. As one of six children in her family, Stella is grateful for the opportunities EKARI has provided her. Her goal is to become a medical doctor, and she said that her and her fellow students "can now learn to improve our communities, and that I can be a role model for my community, so others will look up to me and achieve their own goals." With EKARI’s support, Stella will continue her education.

Additionally, Stella had the chance to visit another EKARI program that supports adult literacy classes. After she saw the impact that the classes have on that village, Stella approached the directors of EKARI several times and asked that EKARI opens an adult literacy class in her village. She understands the importance of education and adamantly wants her family and community to receive an adult education.

We are so grateful to you, our supporters, who give Stella the hope she needs to thrive. EKARI Foundation cannot exist without you, and we hope that you have a joyous holiday season.

Links:

Stella's Story

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Sep 21, 2016
Malawi's Hunger Crisis Thankfully Not Affecting EKARI Students

By Carly Anderson | EKARI Foundation Volunteer

In the Spring of this year, Malawi declared a state of emergency and disaster due to a food shortage caused by severe droughts spreading through Malawi and much of Southern Africa. In April, the government of Malawi estimated that 2.8 million Malawians faced food insecurity, which makes Malawi the number one country affected by food insecurity and drought. Severe food insecurity outcomes are expected to persist in 24 out of the 28 districts in Malawi through March 2017, including the Phalombe District (where EKARI operates). These drought and food insecurity levels are the worst that Malawi has experienced in 35 years.

Thankfully, EKARI students are staying nourished through the 3 Meals a Day Program. Michelle, EKARI's USA Executive Director, visited Malawi in August. She verified that while EKARI's students stayed at the EKARI home in August during their school holiday, they continued to eat 3 nutritious meals and 2 snacks a day, which adhere to Malawi's 6 food groups. Jenipher, a student beneficiary of EKARI and the 3 Meals a Day Program told Michelle, "The 3 Meals a Day Program greatly improves our health and allows us to focus on our studies. We see a complete difference when we eat nutritional meals and understand the importance. Without the program, we could not focus on our studies."

Michelle also assessed the students' satisfaction rates, and found that they are very happy with the 3 Meals a Day Program. Students ranked the program 4.5 out of 5 during assessments (meaning that they had little criticism). Sarah, a beneficiary of the Program told Michelle that "A majority of us do not want to go home during school holidays. This is not because we do not want to see our families, but it is because we feel that we will be a burden to our families. We will be another mouth to feed and this will cause additional stress to our families. Our families have very very little food and cannot feed our brothers and sisters and other family members more than one meal a day and sometimes not even the one meal. We are very grateful for the nutritional food we receive from EKARI."

If you would like to learn more about the food crisis, check out this in-depth article from The Guardian that expands on the history behind this reoccurring disaster. Thank you for donating to EKARI Foundation's 3 Meals a Day Program and allowing our beneficiaries to continue their studies by getting the proper nutrition to thrive.

Beneficiaries of EKARI's 3 Meals a Day Program

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