FAWEMA Competition Promotes Youth Empowerment, Awareness in Rural Malawian Schools

LILONGWE, MALAWI — The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWEMA), funded by Global Affairs Canada, has introduced competitions among seventeen rural schools in Malawi to promote youth empowerment and address social challenges, writes Judgement Katika.

The competition project aims to minimize early pregnancies and marriages by encouraging students to share creative ideas and engage in activities that foster knowledge and interaction.

Loyce Tembo, the project officer for the Innovations in Health, Rights, and Development (iHEARD) Project in Lilongwe, highlighted the importance of the competitions in tackling the challenges faced by youth.

“We have introduced the competitions so that the youths should share their creative ideas, and our aim is to tackle the challenges that they encounter in their daily lives,” she explained.

The competitions not only benefit the students but also the teachers, as they promote knowledge sharing and the development of life skills.

“In those competitions, the questions that we are asking are about life skills, and they will learn from each other,” added Tembo.

Gabriela Paliani, the Primary Education Advisor for Malingunde Zone, praised the project for its positive impact on students’ behaviour and moral development.

“Because these students have been oriented in their clubs, they have managed to conduct themselves with good morals and start behaving,” Paliani said.

Essimy Njoka, the representative for Malingunde and Secretary for the iHEAD club, expressed gratitude for the project’s support.

“We are happy to see that we have won the trophy, and we thank FAWEMA for helping us,” Njoka said.

The FAWEMA project, implemented over a five-year period, aims to empower thirteen primary schools and four Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSs) in the Malingunde zone.

Through competitions and club activities, the project seeks to bring about positive change and improve the lives of students.