Malawi’s First Lady, Madam Monica Chakwera, was all smiles on Monday as her organization, Shape Our Future, received a K94 million donation from the Japanese government for the construction of an 80-bed girls hostel and water facility at Katowo Community Day Secondary School in Rumphi District. Due to several considerations, such as travelling long distances to school, Madam Chakwera claims that girls from rural and disadvantaged homes suffer the biggest school access and retention challenges.
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Improving Safety for Young Girls
According to the head of Shape Our Future Malawi Foundation, Long distances to schools make girls exposed to sexual harassment and assault while travelling to and from school. The same is true if they must live in leased housing closer to school. She explained that she felt obligated to help by contacting the Japanese Embassy for assistance.
Earlier, Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Iwakiri stated that he believes that when the project is completed. More girls will be encouraged to stay in school and complete their educations to become responsible members of their communities and Malawi in general. He said that the project will help reduce the number of females dropping out of school and enhance both girls’ and boys’ school retention. The Japanese government’s contribution is in accordance with Malawi’s Vision 2063. As a result, the award is one concrete example of Japan’s support for Malawi’s human capital development, particularly among girls.
Iwakiri praised the first lady for her dedication to improving girls’ education in Malawi. MacDuff Phiri, chief advisor to the first lady and Acting Executive Director of the Shaping Our Future Foundation, praised the Japanese government for agreeing to fund the project, saying it will help improve enrolment, retention, and completion of secondary school education for girls in Katowo and the surrounding areas. He stated that the program intends to assist girls in becoming productive citizens and contributing to the country’s social and economic growth.
