Lilongwe District, Malawi … We are near the Dowa Valley on the north side of Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. As we turn off the dirt and gravel road, we enter the grounds of a relatively smart looking primary/secondary school complex. This is part of the government system of schools, and the administration comes out to greet us, as we pull into the make shift parking area. With so little vehicular traffic we have available to us as many parking spots as we wish it use.
We are given a great reception. It is obvious the staff is excited to see us, and they are ready to show us the entire complex. We enter the administrative offices and meet the staff. It is amazing to realize there are no computers; little in the way of desks and file cabinets, and very little paper, pens and pencils appear on any of the desks. This is not unusual when you enter a rural school in Malawi. You often even find the students sitting on the floor. This is because so many schools do not have desks, libraries, or other supplies needed for a school. On top of this many of the students do not have pencils or paper with which to take notes of what the teacher is trying to convey to them. However, to see the administration without even the bare necessities to do their jobs is appalling.Each year the Malawi Project sends thousands of pencils, pens and paper to the schools of Malawi on the medical shipment trailers. Contributions of pens, paper and pencils can be sent to:
Malawi Project3314 Van Tassel DriveIndianapolis, Indiana 46240-3555
