Dilima Village, Malawi … It was late in the morning and we had been on the road since slightly after the sun appeared over the eastern horizon quite early in the morning. We were now at our final stop for the day, Dilima Village. As we approached the outer perimeter of the village the sounds of children singing reached our ears. Because of the sounds, in the distance, my co-worker noted,
“We must be nearly there.”
He was right. We had been stopping at pre-schools all morning, and now we were at the final stop for the day, Dilima Nursery School. The closer we came to the school the louder and clearer the voices became. Finally they were in sight and pulled to a halt.
Rural Nursery Schools are Free
We learned there were 80 students sitting under a tree that made up the school. One of the unique things about the rural nursery schools is the fact these schools are run by volunteers. Unlike the urban schools where the teachers are paid and fees charged to the families, there is no fee for the rural schools.
This school was on our list as a place where the children were still suffering from the effects of the last two years of severe famine in Malawi. When we arrived and started giving out food we met Scythia Willard, a four-year-old girl from this very village. According to the schoolteacher Mr. Bamusi, this food will help motivate parents to encourage their children to attend classes.
“Many of them do not receive any food in the morning,” said the teacher. “This program will encourage children this age to attend classes, improving the educational standards in this area. This program will encourage many children of this age to attend classes. Hence to feed them will actually improve the educational standards in this area.”
Through the joint efforts of Universal Aid, World Emergency Relief (WER), and the Malawi Project food has been made available to these pupils. Pictures show both Scythia and her entire class after the receive food packages.