Educating and empowering youth

As in many developing nations, larger cities and towns in Malawi have experienced significant economic growth and development this century even as rural areas remain largely dependent on subsistence agriculture, with few opportunities for self-improvement and continuing acceptance of cultural traditions including child marriage and having children work on family farms instead of attending school.

Crossroads’ partner group started work in one remote area by both building a small school and drilling a borehole so children could be released from collecting water from the river and have time to attend school.  Since then, the NGO has continued to build classrooms, adding one grade level each year, finding teachers willing to work in the countryside, funding students’ education and establishing a vocational training facility teaching such subjects as agriculture, building trades, business & computer skills, soap making and tailoring.

Hundreds of their graduates are now gainfully employed or running their own businesses and have established a community fund to expand the reach of these projects.

This shipment will include school furniture, computer equipment, electrical and hand tools for the building skills workshops, crutches and wheelchairs for handicapped students, as well as stationery supplies and sports equipment.

Friends Magret, Esimie, and Agnes went from unemployed and unskilled to successful entrepreneurs after completing a tailoring and entrepreneurship course. With the help of a microloan, they purchased sewing machines and opened their own shop. Their wide range of services attracts customers from neighbouring areas, boosting the local economy. These women are now able to support their families and are seen as an inspiration in their community.

Chikondi Batson’s education would have finished at primary school level if our partners had not established a secondary school in his community. He deeply values the financial support he received, which allowed him to complete both secondary and tertiary studies, culminating in his recent Bachelor of Business Administration degree. But even more than that, he credits the extracurricular projects run by our partners as being truly transformative: “We learned to be reliable citizens and stand firm in making our community better. Voluntary work in primary schools and hospitals really helped me understand that I have a great role to play in my community.”

The new classrooms allow students to attend class year-round – even in the rainy season – but having desks and chairs will make life even more comfortable and convenient! This shipment will include a lot of classroom furniture and equipment.

Crossroads’ partners have the goal of fund-raising for materials and providing labour to construct at least one double classroom each year.

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Neighbours help neighbours

There are few places in the world where the difference between rich and poor is so clearly visible as in the Philippines capital, Manila. Plywood and tin shacks sit cheek by jowl with middle class gated communities and luxury shopping centres.

Crossroads’ partner works in just such an area, providing goods, services, and opportunities to their neighbours in need. Their projects include feeding programmes, community facilities with after school and weekend activities and even establishing schools.

“These supplies are more than just tools – they are gateways to opportunities.” NGO programme coordinator

“Proper chairs and tables allow students to focus better during lessons. Positive feedback from both students and teachers has been overwhelming!” wrote a school principal.

This shipment contained a wide variety of goods.  Because most of the slum dwellings are built of flimsy materials, on low-lying land subject to flooding during the frequent typhoons, we included a lot of emergency relief kits, such as tents, mosquito nets and tools for reconstruction as well as solid shoes and clothes to replace those which had washed or blown away.

Furniture, books, computers and kitchen equipment have gone towards extending and improving two schools that are also used for afterhours tutoring and leisure activities.

Individual students in need were also provided with school bags, pens and toys.

BEFORE: Neighbourhood feeding programmes run by our partners always needed to budget for disposable plates and cutlery, meaning that fewer needy children could be served each day.

AFTER: Crossroads’ shipment included hundreds of unbreakable plates along with utensils, allowing many more children to receive a nutrition meal each day. Lacking money, parents of the children happily wash up after the meal as a form of payment.

Teachers are thrilled to unpack more than 70 cartons of books from the shipment in order to establish a school library.

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