First Lady Madam Gertrude Hendrina Mutharika through her newly launched Gertrude Mutharika Beatify Malawi (BEAM) trust has offered scholarships to 20 young girls to study at Bedir International School.
Speaking during the official handover ceremony which took place at School in Chinyonga where she also presided over the official opening of the school, Mutharika urged the student to work hard in their studies.
“My dear young ladies, this is a chance of a life time; utilize it to the fullest. Consider yourselves as very special girls to be given this chance at such a prestigious school. I am impressed by what I saw when they took me around the school premises. The facilities I have seen here are very ideal for quality education and I want to encourage Bedir Schools to maintain these standards.
“I will personally be checking on your progress and I do not want to be disappointed. You should be our pride as pioneers of this relationship with Bedir International school”, said Mutharika.
She further said the scholarship is in line with the Gertrude Mutharika-BEAM trust.
“One of the pillars of the Gertrude Mutharika-BEAM trust is the education of the Girl Child. This pillar was specifically chosen looking at the plight of the girl child’s education in this country but also looking at the role a woman plays in the development of this country. The girl child is facing different challenges both in the urban and rural settings as far as education is concerned.
“Most of our girls are dropping out of school because their parents cannot afford the cost of education. Some are literally forced into marriages so that their parents and guardians are relieved from taking care of them”, She said.
The first lady said she believes that through this initiative of educating the girl child her dream of making the country beautiful will be easily achieved.
“At Gertrude Mutharika-BEAM Trust, we believe in the saying that “when you educate a girl, you educate the whole nation”. We believe that our goal of making Malawi beautiful will be easier to achieve if our women and girls have an education”, said Mutharika.
Mutharika also thanked Bedir International school for the gesture and she urged other well will wishers to do the same.
