60 million girls in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi

We have now arrived, just east of Zimbabwe, in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi. This project with our partner, the World University Services of Canada (WUSC), was two-pronged as it was implemented in refugee camps in two countries: Malawi and Kenya. The project benefited 200 girls and boys in Malawi. It provided remedial education, community mobilization and leadership training. The project sought to increase access, retention and success of girls and boys in school and to help create the conditions necessary for girls to become valued leaders within their communities.

Welcome to Malawi!

A few facts

• Malawi is one of the few African landlocked countries, and one of the world’s most densely populated nations.
• Malawi’s capital city is Lilongwe.
• Deep in the south of the country, the second largest city, Blantyre, was founded by Scottish settlers in 1876. It was named in honour of Blantyre in Scotland, the birthplace of the explorer, David Livingstone, who was born in 1813.

Education

• The literacy rate of children in Malawi is considerably higher than its neighbouring countries in Africa, with 72% of the youth aged between 15 and 24 able to read and write.
• But the state of girls’ education in Malawi is still in critical condition.
• Malawi has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates worldwide. At 141 births per 1000 girls, it is 3-fold higher than the global average.
• Adolescent pregnancy contributes to poor maternal and neonatal outcomes, school dropout, and poverty.
• The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is another barrier that prevents girls from finishing school. An estimated 12%of the current sexually active population in Malawi live with the HIV/AIDS virus.

Before saying goodbye to Malawi…

Let’s enjoy some mandasi, a typical treat from Malawi. It’s a sort of a fried doughnut commonly sold by young women in the market or at the bus stations to earn a little extra income.