gtirls on he move ripple effects · 2015. 8. 26. · ripple effects four times during speaking...

Winter Edition 2014 www.malawigirlsonthemove.com

Pearson College Students in Malawi

- Pearson College and APU : Two Schools A World Apart Share A Special Connection

- A Word from APU Graduate and Pearson College Scholar Maness Samuel

- A Word from APU Graduate and Pearson College Scholarship Winner Esther Mwale

- APU Primary School Is Born

- APU Seeking Volunteer Primary School Teacher

- Volunteers Head to Malawi

- Rotary District 5360 Conference

- Dawson Creek Interact Club Does It Again

-Outstanding Academic Achievement at APU

- Brick by Brick Construction update

- Donation form

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IN THIS ISSUEA scholarship to attend Lester B. Pearson United World College (UWC) was granted first to APU graduate Maness Samuel in 2011, and now to APU graduate Esther

Mwale in 2014. These two schools have a special

connection through Christie Johnson, currently in her ninth year of house-parenting at Pearson. In 2007, four Pearson students travelled to Malawi with APU Co-founder Christie Johnson, and visited the APU site when the first class block, hostel and teacher’s house were just piles of bricks on land not serviced by a road and with no access to water or electricity. Memory herself has visited Pearson College

PEarson CollEgE and aPU : Two SchoolS A world ApArT ShAre A SpeciAl connecTion

GirlS on The MoVeripple eFFecTS

four times during speaking tours, and many of the unique features of APU, including the scholarship policy, village service and sustainability practices are modeled after those of Pearson College. Maness was the first Malawian student to attend Pearson College. This year, the scholarship to Pearson Collage was only opened to graduates from APU and we are incredibly thankful to Director David Hawley for his initiative to open a scholarship to APU students.

For more information about Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific and the United World Colleges, visit their websites at:

Pearson College Website http://www.pearsoncollege.ca

United World Colleges Website http://www.uwc.org

Atsikana Pa Ulendo Malawi Girls On The Move Winter Edition 2014 www.malawigirlsonthemove.com

Maness at Westminster College

Maness at APU

First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for all the opportunities that I have been given through APU. I would not be where I am today had it been that donors and sponsors did not invest in APU and in me. For that I have no words to express how grateful I am.

a Word from aPU graduate and Pearson College scholar Maness samuel

As a result of the great impact that APU has had on me, my family and community, I dedicated this summer to calling and speaking with donors and sponsors and thank them for their support for APU. It was such an amazing experience more especially with an understanding that I am speaking to people who have made a wonderful positive change in my life, family and community,

the current girls at APU and those yet to come, their families and

communities. When I look at the ripple effect of APU, I see

a new generation, educated hence better standards of living, changing the future of Malawi.

Again, I would like to thank you donors and sponsors for giving me and my fellow

girls a voice, choice and chance through your support

for APU. It was such an honor

s p e a k i n g

with you all on the phone and I really appreciate your time very much. Thank you for your time, your support, the laughter and all the questions that you had for me. I like to believe I have so many parents

because when I spoke with you, some of the questions were just like questions that my parents ask me when I call them and for that I am grateful. Despite the fact that I have not met all of you, still I learned I am very much cared for, so loved and so blessed when I spoke to each of you. Thank you so very much.

Finally, I would like to mention that I am also raising funds with the support of a group at Westminster College and these funds will support girls to go to APU. We are very excited about it and so grateful to have the opportunity to do so.

Thank you all so very much.

Blessings,

Maness Samuel

Maness and her APU sponsor John Davies


Esther at the Pearson College´s dining hall

Esther at APU

I am Esther Mwale from Malawi. I am 18 years old. I did my secondary school at Atsikana Pa Ulendo (Girls On The Move) in Malawi under scholarship. After graduating in July 2013, I was given a scholarship to study at Pearson College of the Pacific where I am currently. In both cases, Canadians have been my sponsors.

I have realized that honesty, kindness, understanding, love, forgiveness among others are the best for an ideal community.

a Word from aPU graduate and Pearson College scholarship Winner Esther Mwale

I couldn’t understand how people from almost all parts of the world could share one community. But I have realized it is possible with people who are virtuous and understand each other.

Pearson College is like a place where I have to define myself. There are so many activities that am involved in which gives me a wide room to check my talents. Nobody controls my life here, which means I am building up my lifestyle without interference.

Though I enjoy Pearson, I miss Malawi and the culture. I wish if I can meet the Canadians who sponsored me at APU and thank them for their help. Very few people help others who they don’t know. My sponsors have helped me to reach this far. They will always be part of my story. I hope I will meet them one day.

Esther Mwale


This brand new primary school has been created for a twofold purpose: 1/ to educate the children of teachers, who currently have to send their children into Lilongwe (boarding with relatives) for their education. And 2/ as a practicum location in the training of future teacher trainees who will be studying at the Teachers Training College beside the high school.

The $25,000 needed for the construction of the first Class Block, was provided by funds raised at the Women Helping Women Garden Party Fundraiser in June of 2014. This group of women, all educators at Saint Michaels University School in Victoria, hosted their fourth annual Garden Party Fundraiser in June. The goal they set for themselves was $25,000 to construct the first Class Block. Before the afternoon was through, they had nearly doubled that amount! Over the past four years, Women Helping Women has raised over $100,000 for APU!

Construction of this building started in August and the children should be able to move in to their new classroom in November.

aPU Primary school opened in september!

Funds have also been raised for the construction of a playground for the children. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Sidney By The Sea for their $4000 contribution to this project!

APU Primary School started on September 7 with 24 students enrolled in two

classes, a preschool/kindergarten class, and a grade 1 and 2 class. Killiness Champion and Letitia Kampalire, both APU graduates and now certified primary school teachers, have been hired to teach the children.

Henry at the primary school construction site

Memory with the kindergarten kids


APU is seeking a qualified and experienced volunteer teachers from Canada to join our APU Primary teachers as they establish a school that will provide students with an educational program enriched with music, art, drama, French and physical education.

This is truly an incredible opportunity for an adaptable, creative, energetic, educator who is looking for a unique teaching experience, in an amazing country, with adorable, and energetic children who are eager to learn anything and everything that you have to offer!

Applicants are asked to send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Please include the contact information for one personal reference as well as two teaching references. Before applying, candidates are encouraged to become as familiar as possible with Malawian culture as well as Atsikana Pa Ulendo Secondary School (www.malawigirlsonthemove.com).

aPU seeking Primary school Volunteer Teachers

Lori Messer, a director on the APU MEF board, and her husband Bob are headed to Malawi mid-January. They are excited about the prospects of volunteering for a month at the school.

Bob, a retired high school teacher is interested in learning and sharing with APU’s teachers and students. “In Canada many students take education for granted, and the challenge is to keep them motivated whereas I’ve heard so much about the enthusiasm and strong work ethic of the girls from APU.”

Lori is looking forward to meeting her counterparts on the APU Trust. In addition, as chair of the new Donor Relations Committee, she says “I’d like to use stories as a vehicle to more closely connect donors with the school. Perhaps to work with some of the girls and their teachers on ways they can share their aspirations and experiences – to put individual faces on the difference donors are making.”

An APU MEF director has visited the school regularly since its inception.

VolUnTEErs froM sookE hEad To aPU in JanUary

Lori and Bob Messer

students in the grade 1 and 2 class

Mannes teaching


In April 2014, Memory, Christie and APU Graduate Maness Samuel, were invited to deliver a keynote speech at the Rotary District 5360 Conference held in Lethbridge, Alberta. Due to a set of uncontrollable circumstances, neither Christie nor Maness were able to be there, leaving Memory to give the presentation on her own.

In her presentation, Memory traced her journey from a happy childhood growing up in a loving home to the despair of orphan-hood, the reality of life in the village, to her awakening to the realization that she must become a tool for change for girls and women in her country. Memory describes joining forces with Canadian teacher Christie Johnson and

aPU dirECTor MEMory MdyETsEni’s kEynoTE PrEsEnTaTion aT ThE roTary disTriCT 5360 ConfErEnCE

her husband Henry Mdyetseni and describes the hardships all three of them face as they

persevere to bring the dream of Atsikana Pa Ulendo to reality.

Now, when people look at this incredibly beautiful school, its determined and

hardworking students and teachers, and the remarkable academic successes being achieved at APU, they say ‘This must be a miracle!’ But Memory tells them, ‘No. This is HARD WORK’.

The presentation is 35 minutes long and will leave you speechless. Memory leaves you with no doubt that she is the driving force behind the miracle that is APU.

Watch APU Director and Co-founder Memory Mdyetseni’s powerful and emotional Keynote Presentation at the Rotary District 5360 Conference on

YouTube at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgbCD15_wgA#t=10

APU girls writing their junior certificate exam

Memory presentation at the Rotary District 5360


APU would like to dedicate this issue of Ripple Effects to the Dawson Creek Interact Club. We feel that this group of young people, along with their teachers and Rotarian advisors, have made a significant and enduring impact on the success of Atsikana Pa Ulendo Girls Education Project in Malawi that needs to be recognized.

The relationship between APU and the Dawson Creek Interact Club stretches back to 2006 when a group of Interacters from Dawson Creek heard Memory speak at the District 5370 Conference in 2006. In 2007, they invited Christie to come to Dawson Creek to speak to their club members. At this time they also hosted their own mini-tour, driving Christie to local schools and

aPU riPPlE EffECTs fall 2014 is dEdiCaTEd To ThEdaWson CrEEk inTEraCT ClUB

hosting their first live dinner auction. Since that time, they have held an annual dinner auction that has resulted donations totaling $180,000 to date. Their donations have been poured into two student hostels, one class block, our cafeteria, and the foundation of our Legacy Building.

How do they do it? What magic do they perform to pull this off year after year? This club is small. Sometimes less than a dozen students in total. But they are passionate and they really do believe in the power of education. They also have the support of a close knit community that believes in investing in and supporting their young people. They have stayed with this project long enough to make a real difference in

the lives of the 700 girls who have gone through APU since it opened in 2008.

These young people and their Rotarian mentors are simply amazing, and it has been a privilege for Memory, Henry and I to get to know them over the years. On behalf of the Malawian girls whose lives you are changing, Thank yoU daWson CrEEk inTEraCT ClUB!

Dawson Creek Interact Club


The 2014 Form 4 class was composed of 86 students. 40% of this class consisted of scholarship students and 60% consisted of private students. Most schools in Malawi with high pass rates on national exams are fully private schools with students selected based on their proven academic achievement in Primary School. Unlike these schools, APU seeks out girls living in poverty, attending a rural public co-educational community day school. The education in these schools is fraught with challenges, including lack of materials, extremely high student/teacher ratio (100 students to 1 teacher), high teacher absenteeism, and a high incidence of sexual harassment and abuse towards girls. For APU to have achieved a perfect pass rate as a rural, all girls’ school, and a 2/3 ratio of scholarship to private students, says a great deal about the quality of education being provided by APU teachers. This pass rate has put APU on the map as one of the best schools in the country.

Each year, Form 4 students across Malawi with the highest grades on their MSCE, are given the opportunity to sit for University Entrance Exams. The government of Malawi offers a position in the University Of Malawi to a small fraction of students who write

these exams. The students with the highest grades in the country are then offered a place in a specific program of study (determined by the University) in one of the five constituent colleges that make up the University. In total, 12,665 sat for university entrance exams with only 1500 students being selected.

In 2011 (APU’s first graduating class) only 2 students were selected for government scholarships. In 2012, 4 APU students were selected. This year, we have just learned that

of the 80 graduates from our 2013 class, 14 STUDENTS WERE SELECTED! It is very rare for this number of students to be selected from a single school.

This good news comes with a grain of bad news, in that this is the first year that government sponsored university students are been required to pay a tuition of 275,000 Malawian Kwacha ($670) per year. In

the past, these students have not had to pay any tuition. As a result, APU Malawi Education Foundation will be contacting the sponsors of the 14 students to invite them to continue their sponsorship of their students through their four-year university program.

oUTsTanding aCadEMiC aChiEVEMEnT aT aPUThe MSce (comparable to Grade 12 diploma exams in canada) reSUlTS Are oUT. The ApU GrAd clASS oF 2014 AchieVed A

pASS rATe oF 100% on Their MSce! nATion wide, 54% oF ForM 4 STUdenTS in MAlAwi pASSed Their MSce.

14 STUDENTS FROM OUR 2013 GRADUATING CLASS HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR GOVERNMENT SPONSORSHIP TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI.

2014 Grad Class


Madalitso Chakwela Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Development Communication

Matilda Mchazime Bachelor of Science in Agri-Business Management

Nancy Masonga Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Ireen Harrison Bachelor of Science in Seed Systems

Esther Mwale Bachelor of Science in Soil Science

Charity Kavala Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Tionge Mbalame Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management

Diness Jasan Bachelor of Education (Language)

Rabecca Chakwela Bachelor of Education (Language)

Christina Chiyenda

Madalitso Chakwela Nancy Masonga

Rabecca Chakwela

Diness Jasan

Esther Mwale Ireen Harrison

Christina Chiyenda Bachelor of Education (Language)

Lucia Nkhoma Bachelor of Arts (Media for Development)

Chimwemwe Chithyoka Bachelor of Arts (Communication Studies)

Matilda Mchazime Bachelor of Social Science – SS

Esther Mwale Bachelor of Science Physiotherapy

Madalitso Chakwela Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Midwifery

Tionge Mbalame Bachelor of Technical Education

Mercy Mndala Bachelor of Electrical Engineering


APU MALAWI EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Canadian Charity Registration Number 808514657RR000

Your receipt will follow by mail. The APU Malawi Education Foundation respects your privacy. Your personal information will be used to prepare income tax receipts and keep you informed of the outcomes from donor’s gifts, funding needs, sponsored student progress, and construction progress.

General information

Mr. Mrs. Ms. Miss Dr.

First Name ___________________________________________

Last Name ___________________________________________

Company Name (if applicable) ___________________________

Address _____________________________________________

City_____________________Province/State________________

Country__________________Postal/ZipCode____________

Telephone _______________

E-mail _______________________________________________

cheques payable To: ApU MAlAwi edUcATion FoUndATion

return form by mail to:

ApU Malawi education Foundation

po Box 434

St. Albert, AB T8n 7A2

How did you hear about us?

Rotary Presentation Existing Supporter

Family or Friend Internet/Website

Newspaper or Magazine Other ___________________

My Gift is …

In Memory In Honour

Name of person ______________________________________

Your relationship to him/her ____________________________

Occasion for gift (e.g. birthday, Christmas) _________________

Group or Team Sponsorship If your donation is part of a larger group donation towards sponsoring an APU student, please identify the other members of your group below OR identify the name of one member of your group to act as Group Leader.

Group Leader ________________________________________

OR

Name of Group _______________________________________

inVEsT in a girl … and shE Will do ThE rEsT!

donation information

$ ___________________ (please enter decimal places)

sponsor a girl’s Education

I am a new sponsor

I am a continuing sponsor for (girl’s name) _______________________________

Partial Sponsorship, please specify __________________________

Donate towards construction of buildings.

Other designation, please specify ___________________________

Donation Type

One-time donation

Monthly donation to commence this month

Yearly donation to commence this month

BriCk By BriCk ConsTrUCTion UPdaTE

project legacy Building phase 1 Cost $90,000

Status 70% complete

Funding

project Staff duplex #4 Cost $55,000

Status 90% Complete

Funding Rotary Club of Lethbridge

project ApU primary School class Block #1 Cost $25,000

Status 75% Complete

Funding Women Helping Women in Victoria

project learning Area composting Toilettes Cost $10,000

Status Not yet started

Funding Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown

project legacy Building phase 2 Cost $120,000

Status Not yet started

Funding $60,000 raised to date

project ApU School Bus Cost $35,000

Status The search for a vehicle is underway

Funding A surprise donation from couple in Victoria that wish to remain anonymous!

project ApU primary School playground Cost $7,000

Status $4000 raised to date

Funding Rotary Club of Sidney By The Sea

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newsletter designed by Berenice Sanders: [email protected]

gtirls on he move ripple effects · 2015. 8. 26. · ripple effects four times during speaking...

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