From our beginnings, the main objective of Active Africa has been for young people to have access to a better quality education.
In Malawi, our challenge in the last 14 years has been to improve education in the poorest areas of the country. For this, we have restored and improved the infrastructure of some of the public schools in the Dowa area. In each trip, all the schools that have received help over the years are visited and meetings are held with the educational community and with a representation of the parents of students to know their needs.
The granting of scholarships for the two best students of each class has become a great incentive for these students without resources.
Our most important project has been the construction and rehabilitation of 14 buildings, with two and three classrooms each, in eight primary and secondary schools in the Dowa area: St. Mathias, Dowa I, Kanjenje, Mvera, Chankhungu Secondary, Lovimbi, Chankhungu Primary, Dowa II, Chingondo, Mgona Secondary, Chimbang'ombe.
Throughout these years we have realized that we had to bet on secondary education because in this way, the entire education cycle is guaranteed.
Our action has been extended to guarantee the safety of the students and for this, we have financed the construction of three boarding houses for girls in the Secondary Schools of Chankhungu, Mwera and Chimbang'ombe.
As a result of our support for education, our SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM was born, where we support students who for various reasons deserve help to continue studying. We believe that this is the best investment for a better future.
Chimwang’ombe
Kasumba
Chingondo
"We cant stop working we will have all the eternity to rest
Conmstruction time
Last March, following our priority to improve education and during our annual project supervision trip, we had the opportunity to check out and inaugurate new classrooms in three schools in the Dowa area, central Malawi. Chingondo and Kasumba elementary schools sponsored by Mango and
Chimwang’ombe, a high school that was born from an agreement between parents, the school committee and Active Africa which we are particularly proud of it.
Thanks to these new buildings, the number of academic spaces will double, allowing all the surrounding elementary schools to send their selected students to this center.
In this way, not only the number of students increase but also the safety of the students is boosted because being closer to the school, young women are not exposed to the usual dangers of long trips and the need to rent houses away from their families.
Thank you, Barceló Foundation, for your support
Purchase of an Electric Generator for the Likuni Hospital
The Likuni hospital was founded in 1940. Currently, the hospital serves 45,000 patients per year in its own facilities and through the eleven mobile clinics.
Sister Lungu wants to ensure that the most in need have access to adequate health care. Likewise, she wishes to improve the quality of the attention provided. During 2016, the reconstruction and equipment of the maternity wing has been her priority in order to increase control in the stage of pregnancy and delivery, thus ensuring a greater survival rates of newborns.
However, the hospital continues having significant shortcomings. Malawi suffers from a chronic power shortage. The power cuts are constant and lasting, which affects especially certain areas of the hospital. As it is a very large center, it is very difficult and expensive to install solar panels and there are areas of it whose equipment is not sustainable with this alternative energy. On our last trip, Sister Lungu confirmed that the purchase of an electric generator that kept the supply in the most vulnerable areas of the hospital (operating room and laboratory) was her main priority. Thanks to Mango, now this generator is a reality.
Thank you
Scholarship program, in Malawi:
From our beginnings, we decided to implement a project whereby two scholarships per school are annually. This scholarships are awarded to the most outstanding boy and girl from all primary schools that have taken part of our program. These students continue with our support during Secondary and higher studies or University. The program was extended to other areas and territories and today, more than 1,000 young people have benefited from it. Numerous scholarships have also been given to girls and boys recommended by people who we trust and who are in a situation of extreme need. Finally, of course, we have supported all the orphans of the Dzanja and Chezi orphanages.
Many young people in Malawi deserve this opportunity and it is a pride for our association to be able to help some of them to achieve their dreams.
There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that the small Melody, Salomé or Mphatso, daughters of simple farmers, have been able to change their future and become teachers, electricians or nurses, thanks to the support of our donors.
Water for the village of Lodung 'okue
Lodung'okue is a village located in the Samburu Desert, in northern Kenya. The people who inhabit these lands belong to the Samburu Tribe.
Life in these lands is very hard. The climate is extremely warm and the land very arid. The people are dedicated to the raising of the cattle and the women are the ones who take care of searching for water. Normally, in the dry season they have to walk several kilometers until they reach a river where they dig wells to get the water out. Then they return to the village loaded with more than 20 liters of water. Sometimes they take advantage of the watering holes of the animals with the consequent risk of contamination.
This is why the Javerian Fathers proposed this project which will considerably improve the living conditions of the inhabitants of the area and mainly the women, who are in charge of the water.
The Project consists of the installation of tanks and solar panels to collect the rainwater and distribute it among the locals.
Night school for children shepherds, Lchekuti:
Tuum and Barsaloi are two small villages in the Samburu desert. They are located about 500 kilometers from Nairobi. These arid and inaccessible places are the habitat of the Samburu and Turkana tribes.
Both the lack of rains and the fact that grazing is the main activity of these tribes, make the care of the flock the main objective of these families, a task that falls on the children who are considered the smartest.
They are children who can not go to the official school, since their work as shepherds forces them to spend the whole day taking care of the cattle and looking for new pastures. The feeding of these children is based on tea and some milk. Without academic training, they have difficulty integrating into the official educational system and even, the development of an adult social life. The goal of the lchekuti is precisely to overcome these impediments. They go to class at dusk, usually from 7pm to 9pm, when they have returned from the pastures. For their learning they use a basic program integrated into the educational system in which they are taught to read, write, Swahili, English, religion, science and basic mathematics. These are simple notions so that they can unfold into society in their near future. In addition, they offer a very nutritious food called UJI that reduces malnutrition and controls their health. Without these centers, all these children would be doomed to illiteracy.
Active Africa currently supports five Lckekutis in the villages of Tuum, Parkati, Larelok, Waserongai and Naimaralal.
Thank you. Ache Ole.
Benga Mission:
A young mission but with great force.
It was born 5 years ago and from the beginning we have supported them in various projects
In a short time they have set up a daycare center for children under 6 years old, an elementary school, women's training programs that include eating and hygiene habits, support programs for the elderly and a program helping the albino population, a group of people especially vulnerable in Africa.
The mission has built more than 50 wells that contribute to improving the quality of life and hygiene of their entire population
The organization of various advisory programs to local farmers has been prioritized to improve crop yield and diversification.
Thus, new plants have been introduced, improving the breed of animals in the area. Rafts have been built by way of fish farms, the distribution and planting of mango trees has been increased. All this devoted to produce sustainable development in the area, involving the population
Finally, many schools located in the limits of the Parish are supported.
This year, thanks to the help of ‘your solidarity salary”, “Zikomo” Active Africa has been able to build several buildings of the Mkhula school.
Mkhula school
In this rural public school hundreds of children receive lessons in the shade of trees. It seems like an idyllic place to study, but in the rainy season the classes are simply suspended. There is no space to accommodate more than 1,526 students.
It is located in Nangawira, near the town of Benga. It was founded in 1964 as mixed-gender school. It currently has 10 teachers. Only two of them are women.
In Mkhula, the eight primary years are taught. The earlier years are overcrowded. However, there are no students in 8th grade. The dropout rate is very high due to early marriages, excess students per class, lack of teachers, lack of infrastructure, lack of awareness of family members and lack of interest from the students.
The school has eight classrooms, two in good condition and six in poor condition. It is a clearly insufficient infrastructure to accommodate all students.
It is located within the area of the Parish of Benga and they receive advice and care from the Missionary Community of San Pablo Apóstol (MCSPA), in charge of the Mission of Benga. These Missionaries have promoted the improvement and growth of the schools in the area but they continue to struggle to provide them in decent conditions.
This project is part of the objective of integral reform of this school, in all of its aspects: classrooms, well, latrines and implementation of a daily feeding program are the bases of a continuous development.
The project consists of the construction of a single-story building, with a total area of 150 square meters, spread in two classrooms of 75 square meters each.
Support program for the AIDS patients of Kaggwa Parish:
This project is aimed at the promotion of women.
The implementation area is located in the central west region of Malawi, specifically in the Kapiri Mission, under the supervision of Malawian nun, Sister Patricia.It is a very poor area with a very high percentage of illiteracy.Women are the most unprotected and vulnerable part of Malawian society.
For these reasons, Sister Patricia asked us to start this project in which women receive sewing classes, notions of economics and agriculture but above all they have the opportunity to meet, share experiences and train to lead a more dignified life and to be able to give a better future to their family and themselves. We want to thank Comercia Global Pay for supporting this project.
Hostel for girls at Nanthomba Secondary School
Nanthomba is a Public School of Secondary Education in the rural area of Dowa, in Malawi. It accommodates 600 students and has a radius of influence that includes 36 villages and 7 elementary schools, with an average of 1,300 students per school. It does not have a boarding school and students who live far away must rent their own rooms in homes near the school, which do not meet the minimum standards of safety and hygiene. All this increases the cost of schooling to the point that it becomes unaffordable.
Girls are the most vulnerable group in terms of dropping out of school. AIDS forces them to deal with sick parents and grandparents. However, 80% of school dropouts are due to lack of financial means, followed by 11% of early pregnancies and 9% of marriages. Families that can not afford the cost of renting a home near the school risk their daughters´ lives whom travel several kilometers every day in unsafe roads, in which they are frequently assaulted. This situation prevent them from continuing with their studies and closes the doors to a future where they would integrate into the world of work. The best solution is to build a boarding school for girls in the school itself. The fee that students must pay is much lower than the cost of renting a home nearby and the school itself organizes surveillance and dining services, allowing the girls to have more time to study and live safer. When Active Africa learnt about this situation, It looked for a donor to be able to make our first boarding house a reality which in March, 2017 we have been able to inaugurate. Thanks to Mango, Nanthomba already has a safe place for 90 Secondary Girls. Zikomo Kbambiri
Support program for the AIDS patients of Kaggwa Parish:
Since 2006, our association collaborates in the maintenance of the special attention program for AIDS patients (Kaggwa Community Home Based Care) that takes place in the parish of Kaggwa, Lilongwe. The objectives of this program have been to improve the quality of life of AIDS patients group and their closest family , to stop to increase the number of AIDS patients through training and prevention and also to achieve the patients social reintegration. The activities that are developed annually in order to support the AIDS patients groups are designed to take care of their health and nutrition and offer them the tools necessary to lead a dignified life.
