Educate a girl and you change the world

How a few pounds a month will keep a young women like Colicious in school

As we headed towards the village in Balaka district, in the south east of Malawi, our car suddenly braked.

“The road stops,” laughed Mabvuto. And sure enough there was a huge hole, about 20 metres wide and 20 metres deep, with no way to navigate round it. “There was a bridge, but the typhoon destroyed it,” explained Mark, a project officer for a leading women’s NGO, WOLREC.

I was on my way to spend time with some of the girls who receive scholarships from the McConnell International Foundation, a charity set up by Jack McConnell, who was First Minister of Scotland for six years from 2001. I am an adviser to the charity and was in Malawi last September to carry out an evaluation of the scheme’s first year.

“How far to the village?” I asked Mark. He shrugged. “About 5 kilometres.” “Too far for me to walk in this heat,” I said, and right on cue a bike taxi rolled up.

Kabazas (in Chichewa) are a very popular mode of transport across the country. These basic bikes, with a very narrow padded seat for a passenger, provide an essential service for people without access to a car – the majority of the population. They are invariably ridden by men, who spend their days puffing up and down Malawi’s dusty roads. I felt very sorry for my cyclist, a gaunt middle-aged man, as I heaved myself on to the back of his bike. I am considerable heavier than the average village woman.

Mark and Mabvuto waved me off. Mabvuto to stay behind with the car, and Mark to follow me when another bike taxi turned up. Within minutes of my very bumpy journey a motorbike roared past us, Mark waving from the pillion seat. Chinese motor bikes are increasingly popular as taxis, even though they are more expensive than the traditional bikes and he had been lucky enough to find one. I made sure I got one on the return journey.

A motorbike taxi for my return journey