Literacy rates in Malawi are very low: only around two in three adults are able to read and write. Girls and women are often expected to take care of children and the household. This means that women have lower levels of education and only 3% have completed secondary school. Low education levels affect people’s future lives and employment opportunities, making it harder to break out of poverty.

Early Childhood Education 

Temwa’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) project is supporting communities to set up and run community-run preschools. By providing access to well-managed, properly resourced preschools, children will be better prepared for primary school and more likely to complete their early education.

Read more on our ECD project in our latest report here.

Community literacy

Temwa’s Community Literacy project, which ran from 2020-2023, improved reading and writing skills of primary-aged children through weekly after-school Reading Camps. Temwa also continues to support the running of the Usisya Community Library so that the wider community has access to books, educational materials and a quiet place to learn.

Read more on our literacy project in our latest education report here. 

Secondary school bursaries

Whilst primary school in Malawi is free, secondary school is not, meaning that only 25% of children go on to receive a secondary education. Through Temwa’s bursaries, we enable secondary school-aged children to continue with their education. The bursaries are awarded annually to gifted students from the most vulnerable families who aren’t able to afford school fees. 

Read more on our bursary project in our latest report here.

Girls’ education

Almost equal numbers of girls and boys start primary school in Nkhata Bay North. But girls often drop out due to long distances, lack of safe places to stay, poor sanitation, and menstruation. 

Temwa works with local governance to raise awareness of the importance of girls’ education. We have built a girls’ hostel at one local secondary school, and run Village Reading Groups for young women.