Educate a girl and you develop a country

Meeting the future of Malawi

Girls at Kankao CDSS, Salima district

In the past week I have:

• Travelled 1000 kms

• Visited four secondary schools

• Met 72 young women, ranging in age from 14 to 19 years old

• Chatted with 60 of their mums, and a couple of dads

• Talked to a dozen teachers

My visit to Malawi to meet some of the young women in the McConnell International Foundation scholarship scheme is nearly at an end.

I have listened to girls tell me they sometimes have to miss school to do “piece work” on local farms to earn cash for their families.

I heard lots of girls talk about the distances they have to walk to school, sometimes as much as seven or eight kilometres, and they have to get there by 7.30 am for their first class.

Many leave home without breakfast, and some struggle to afford even the most basic lunch.