We had to do something...

EDUCATION adviser Iain Mills spent a week in Malawi and was shocked by some of the sights he saw, including young children forced to walk barefoot for miles to reach their school.

Some attended lessons because it was the only place they could go to get food. Others were forced to sit on the floor of tiny classrooms crammed with nearly 200 children.

Yet, despite the obvious poverty, the children were all desperate to learn about maths, English and agricultural studies — and they never stopped smiling.

On returning to Inverclyde, Iain and his colleague, enterprise development officer Robert Lamb, vowed they would do everything they could to help.

Having established contacts in the Chiradzulu district of Malawi, they are now building the foundations for links with schools in Inverclyde.

Already, seven primary schools and three secondary schools have been paired with schools in Chiradzulu.

Iain said: “We’re hoping the links will be enterprise links, rather than charity links, with the emphasis being on helping schools there to help themselves.

“We hope to have fair trade events in Inverclyde with goods made in Malawi on sale and all the profits will go back to the Malawi schools.”

Inverclyde kids will also be encouraged to collect goods such as flip-flops and baseball caps to be sent to Malawi for children to sell at local markets. Again, all proceeds will be channelled into school projects decided by the African children.

Iain said: “We would want their pupils to have a say on the projects. They might want to build new toilets, improve water supplies or buy text books.

“What we saw in Malawi had considerable impact on us. Conditions in the primary schools, in particular, were very poor. None of them had electricity, and sanitation and water supplies were very basic.

“Most classrooms had no furniture, other than a blackboard, and pupils sat on the floor in semi-darkness. Some classes had 170 to 180 pupils. They were so crowded you could hardly see the floor. Resources for teaching were almost non-existent.”

HIV and AIDS are causing major problems, with the Malawi Government estimating 14.2 per cent of the population is infected. Unofficial statistics place the adult infection rate much higher, and it is believed more than 30 per cent of the adult population is affected in some areas.

Each school Iain and Robert visited during their Scottish Government-funded trip had an Aids committee battling to provide education on HIV and prevention of the disease.

Their efforts are hampered by witch doctors in the area who all claim they can cure AIDS.

Iain said: “We came away with a feeling we had to do something. If Inverclyde schools can do even a small amount to help their partner schools, it will make a real difference. In a country where people may only earn a few pence a day, what doesn’t seem like a lot of help to us can seem massive to them.” While in Malawi, Iain and Robert handed over luminous bibs that will be worn by pupils during team sports.

THE bibs will also be worn by children who have to walk miles along dark dirt tracks to get home and are in constant danger of being knocked down by car drivers who cannot see them.

Councillor Stephen McCabe, the leader of Inverclyde Council and education convener, is keen to encourage Inverclyde youngsters to do all they can to help.

He said: “Our Malawi Schools Partnership is a fantastic initiative.

“Our pupils will develop social and cultural links with children from the Chiradzulu District, and this will build awareness of global issues and citizenship. The links will be enterprise-based with schools exchanging goods to sell, sharing ideas and working together.

“Inverclyde Council is delighted to support the national agenda of encouraging educational links between Scotland and Malawi. I look forward to seeing our Malawi Schools Partnership develop.”