Nansenga Girls Hostel

About this Project

School-aged children in the Mangochi district of Malawi travel long distances to and from school every day, up to 15 to 20 kilometers. In the 2016-2017 academic year, 18 girls dropped out of school and in 2017-2018 another 23 girls stopped attending school. The long distances to school are contributing to young girls' risk of pregnancy and thereafter child marriage. The Parent Teacher Association was concerned and mobilized the communities to find solutions to this problem. With the support of this World Connect Grant, the community will build a girls hostel for 50 students within the school campus. This will increase the girls' safety and academic performance and reduce the number of drop outs.

Three months after funding Nansenga Community Day Secondary School, the Parents and Teacher Association (PTA) has reported 50% completion in the construction of the 80 bed girls hostel. The main activities that remain include roofing, flooring, drainage system, glazing, door fixing, and painting.  Once completed, the hostel will house 80 girls who mostly travel seven kilometers each way to attend classes daily. The committee is confident the project will increase and sustain girl enrollment levels, reduce school dropouts, and contribute to improved performance by the girls in both local and national exams.  

Nansenga Parent and Teachers Association used $4,550.20 in additional Mudzi Connect funding to build toilet and bathroom facilities at Nansenga Community Day Secondary School in Mangochi. Although completed in 2020, their operation was delayed without proper sanitary facilities. The four-room toilets and bathrooms now serve 156 girls, enabling 52 to live on campus for the first time. This eliminates daily 10 km walks, allowing girls to focus more on their studies. Headteacher Joseph Chingoma noted that the facilities have improved attendance to 100%, enhanced safety, and benefited all students by improving sanitation.