The Imago Foundation - Build a school in Malawi

Over the last few months here at The Imago Foundation we have been very busy. As you may remember for our last report, we have raised the money to start building out nursery; the only thing holding us back is waiting for the rains. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for those blessed ‘rains down in Africa’ as Toto described. Nonetheless, we have had much to do.

Back to where it began...

In July, we attended a very insightful training week at Bolera Palms School, where Hanna initially volunteered in 2014. It was great to spend time with the teachers and be a part of reforming their curriculum. The headteacher's passion and drive is incredible and really keeps the school going. We have visited so many schools over the last few years and Bolera Palms School is still by far the best we’ve seen! We certainly wouldn’t be in Malawi and making plans for our own school without Rita and her school. We are absolutely honoured to be a part of it

Braai Time

On 29th August, we hosted a braai (like a BBQ) for Chief Namaso, Chief Zapanga, Samuel, and our staff - George, Dalitso, George and Donald - to say a HUGE thank you for looking after our land and house for the 9 months that we were in England. Together they have helped us to turn a patch of bushland into a fabulous home and the beginnings of a permaculture site. They have kept the place safe from fires (and there has been a lot!) and thieves, and have even donated trees & crops We are so lucky to have them as part of our team and family.

Lake Malawi National Park...

On September 5th, we had a very welcomed spontaneous visit from Lake Malawi National Park rangers Wilson and John. They came to patrol the surrounding areas for anyone cutting down large trees for firewood or making charcoal. We were very glad to see them taking action and we’re feeling more positive that we can try to combat this issue of deforestation

Our first volunteer!

In September, we also recruited our first volunteer, Naomi. Here's what she had to say...

"I first became interested in volunteering when I heard about the opportunity. It gives me the chance to help make changes that can only have a positive impact on others lives. I grew up in Lincoln, but now reside in Worksop with my partner, Charlie. I enjoy being creative and making things, such as clay creations, resin arts and the list goes on! I will be assisting with the marketing side of things to ensure that everyone can see the fantastic work made possible by your support. Volunteering with The Imago Foundation has let my creative side flourish and I’m excited to see what is next.”

Raffle Success!

A very busy month for us... we also held a raffle in September to continue our fundraising efforts and to keep The Imago Foundation at the forefront of everyones minds. We managed to raise a fantastic £207! Many thanks to all of those who donated prizes, including The Barns, Midlands Indoor golf, Wagamamas, and friends & family. Of course a massive thank you goes out to the kind and generous people who purchased tickets

Preparing for the Rains...

The right education can have a transformative impact on a child's life. I believe that quality education is the key to a better future for everyone, especially for children in marginalised communities. That's why I founded the Imago Foundation, a charity in Malawi that provides children with quality education and nutrition.

Across ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’ (Malawi) many children face challenges in accessing the high-quality education they deserve. Often, they find themselves in overcrowded classrooms with limited resources and insufficient teaching staff. Furthermore, some children are taught in languages that are not familiar to them, making the learning journey more challenging.

This is something I quickly realised when I first came to Malawi in 2014, but was inspired by the potential for positive change. In 2016, after 20 months of teaching, I returned to the UK and met my now-husband, Martyn. After a month-long visit, he too felt a strong connection to Malawi and so we decided to commit our time to helping the people there.

 In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, we had a lot of time to think about our future. We both quit our jobs and decided to move to Malawi for two years to do research and work with local organisations. We visited a total of 22 organisations, and it soon became clear that the same issues were cropping up time and time again:

• Lack of access to quality education
• Malnutrition
• Poverty

We learned that the current education system in Malawi is not meeting the needs of the people, especially those who are marginalised by wealth. Children from poor families generally attend free government school, starting at the age of 6 or 7; often taught in overcrowded, underfunded classrooms by government teachers. Children from wealthy families on the other hand, attend private schools that tend to follow an international curriculum and are taught by English-speaking international teachers. This creates a huge disparity as children from poor families are at a disadvantage when it comes to learning English, which is essential for getting a good job or even just progressing to secondary school.

That's why the Imago Foundation aims to run a nursery and a full primary school for local impoverished children, enrolling them at the age of 3. We will deliver a tailored holistic curriculum, teaching children practical skills that they can use in their everyday lives in a fun and engaging way. This curriculum will be taught in English from the age of three, giving local children a platform to progress to secondary school and a chance to compete with those children from privileged backgrounds. Throughout the curriculum, we will incorporate permaculture to help students understand the world around them and to provide them with the skills to maintain a sustainable lifestyle. This will also allow them to understand the issues with poor nutrition that they suffer from everyday.

So far, the Imago Foundation has taken many steps to achieve these goals. We have:

• Purchased 6.5 acres of land

• Met with chiefs at multiple levels to discuss development and our plans

• Started teaching English and permaculture on a small scale

• Visited National Parks to discuss the issues associated with deforestation, burning and nutrition

• Written a Memorandum Of Understanding between ourselves and The Ministry of Education (Malawi) 

• And fundraised the finance to start building the nursery.

Our next steps are to have a borehole drilled, as this is essential for building and running a safe and hygienic nursery; plus to maintain the permaculture gardens. During the heavy rains between November - February, we can observe the land to see which areas may flood and which area is therefore best to build the nursery on, so as to avoid any issues with flooding in the future. We will then start to build the nursery!

We know that by running our nursery, primary school and permaculture gardens, we will undoubtedly fulfil our mission to ‘educate, nourish and empower marginalised communities in Malawi through atypical education and outreach; by challenging the status-quo of inequality, in order to break the cycle of poverty'. Through education, water access, and sustainable practices, the foundation stitches together a narrative of hope, resilience and progress; proving that small changes can in fact lead to profound outcomes.

Yours sincerely,

Hanna

Links:

• Website