Plan Malawi on Wednesday launched the construction of a MK40 million girls’ hostel at Emvuyeni Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in the area of Senior Chief M’twalo in Mzimba, to ease girls’ problems that currently walk up to 10 kilometres to access education at the school.
The country’s First Lady, Getrude Mutharika, laid the foundation stone for the first ever hostel at the 15 year old community day secondary school.
Mutharika, who is patron for Beatify Malawi Trust (BEAM), said the objective to beatify and clean the country can be met if girls get better education.
“Cleaning and beautifying Malawi can be achieved only if a girl child gets sound education,” she said.
She told the gathering that BEAM and Plan Malawi have reached an agreement to construct several girls’ hostels in various community day secondary schools in the country to lessen the challenges they go through in course of accessing education.
The first lady cited tiredness after walking long distances to school and the girls’ vulnerability to ill-minded men who take advantage to rape them on their way to or from school, as some of the problems the girls go through.
Plan Malawi Country Director, Lilly Omondi, said his organization is committed to working with BEAM, not only to beautify Malawi, but also maintain the country’s environment, as such, asked communities in the area to fully participate in maintaining environment at the school.
By maintaining the environment at the school through the creation of a woodlot, Omondi observed it would make the school look beautiful in addition to providing firewood for preparing food at the school’s kitchen.
Minister of Youth Grace Chiumia, MP spoke on behalf of the Education Minister. She called for unity among Malawians, saying it is the most important catalyst for the country’s development.
Inkosi Mtwalo also expressed gratitude both to BEAM and Plan Malawi for working together in a drive to alleviate girls’ problems by constructing hostels in the country, saying he sees a bright future for girls in his area.
Emvuyeni CDSS has 117 students. 61 of them are girls. It has three classroom blocks two of which were also built by Plan Malawi. The other was built with funds from European Union.
Before laying a foundation stone for the girls’ hostel at Emvuyeni, the first lady handed over a girls’ hostel, two teachers’ houses and a classroom block to the Ministry of Education at Baula Community Day Secondary School also in Chief Mtwalo’s area.
She also visited the new damp site for Mzuzu City.mana
