A new school for Malawi

We recently blogged about the Humanitarian Action Report that UNICEF just published. In the report, UNICEF identifies 39 countries that are undergoing man-made or natural emergencies, and whose children desperately need help. We wanted to talk about a few of the countries that are mentioned in the report to highlight the tremendous obstacles that children in these countries face.

Malawi has been suffering under the strains of severe poverty and an HIV/AIDS crisis for years. This small nation is also regularly besieged by flooding, when its largest river, the Shire, rises above its banks. Thousands of families get displaced during these floods, losing their homes, livestock, and fields.

Twelve-year-old Bina Amadu’s school was one of the buildings that was washed away during the most recent flooding. When Bina was treated 3 years ago for malaria, he was so inspired by his physician that he decided he wanted to become a doctor. Bina has been studying hard ever since, and was of course devastated that his school was destroyed.

When UNICEF came to his town to erect a temporary school, Bina watched with bated breath. “If I don’t go to school,” he said, “I cannot become a doctor. Now that we have a new school, I can work hard to become one.” The school will teach 400 children from up to 40 km away, so that the kids who have lost their schools can go back to living a normal life--and like Bina, can fulfill their dreams.

To read more about Bina’s story, you can go here. And if you’d like to donate to UNICEF’s emergency fund, please visit our donations page. Check back here for more stories from the Humanitarian Action Report, and let us know if there’s a region you’d like to hear more about!