CHISOMO BACKPACK PROJECT

Beginning in 2019, BY GRACE looks to expand its efforts to Lilongwe, Malawi in Central Africa and partner with Chisomo, an organization that provides public education for 30 students. Only 35 percent of children in Malawi complete primary school and just 8 percent of students complete secondary school.

 

More than half of the country’s population lives below the poverty line. Many children drop out of school due to employment responsibilities at home or illnesses. Especially for many young girls, discontinuing education is common due to young marriage, pregnancy, and contracting HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, Malawi faces one of the world's worst teacher shortages.

 

Though the students’ public tuition at Chisomo does not require financial support, BY GRACE aims to provide each child with adequate learning materials through The Chisomo Backpack Project. Each backpack will be filled with the necessary school supplies for the school year. Furthermore, we look to fund the salaries of Chisomo's two teachers. This initiative will provide a 1:15 student to teacher ratio, compared to the Malawi's average ratio of 1:130.