A School They Built Themselves!

Sometimes we tell our children, “When I was your age, I walked __ miles to school.” But few of us can say what Chavula and Thambo tell their children. “When I was your age, I walked 12 miles.” But with the help of Outreach International, they made sure their own children didn’t make that same long trek. Now there’s a school for the community of 300. 

A long walk for a short time

When Chavula was a little girl, she walked 12 miles to school in a village far from her community of Mjuma, Malawi. It was too far for her younger siblings to walk. But her friends came—brothers Watamba and Thambo. And Thambo held her hand all the way. Until they grew a little older, and the children were needed at home to help with family chores. So the children dropped out of school without completing their education. The walk took too much time out of their day.

When Thambo and Chavula grew up, they married and had children of their own. But the same issue emerged:  an education that was too far away. “This is the way it’s always been,” Chavula said. “There hasn’t been a school in Mjuma for 40 years.”

“It should be different,” said Thambo. And that’s the belief he carried into the meeting with the Outreach International facilitator John Munthali. John had been working in the community of 300 families for a short time, but was already impressed with the hard-working group. They were ready for change. Especially Thambo, Chavula, and Watamba.

“We want a school here,” Fred said in the meeting. “Yes,” agreed Watamba, “So even the youngest children can attend.”

A school for Mjuma

The school project began, and the brothers enlisted others to mould 100,000 mud bricks for the two-room classroom. Iron, timber, and nails were acquired from the Catholic Church. And just a year later, the school building is a reality.

Mjuma’s schoolhouse holds classes for 40 children in grades 1-2 (ages 6-8). But the project isn’t finished. The community group plans more classrooms for grades 3-4, to add 10 more toilets, hire two more teachers, build teacher homes, and construct football and soccer fields. With your help, a full educational program will be available to the 300 families of Mjuma.

Now Chavula and Thambo walk past the new school, bustling with activity, teachers, and children. It’s a start. And they are thrilled.

“Remember when our walk to school took us hours?” Thambo grins. Chavula nods and smiles, taking his hand just as she did as a little girl.