Growing the Campus and Growing the Farm.
But like all good things, summer break eventually ends, and the school year is again upon us. The best way to transition into a back-to-school routine for over 200 students beginning to arrive at the Kuwala campus is to do just that: transition. Routines are the backbone of daily life. They facilitate teaching and learning.
The girls look forward to three balanced meals daily, afternoon tea time, and many sports and activities outside of learning during the school day. The students learn 13 subjects per year, following the Malawian curriculum, and are encouraged to apply themselves to every subject. There is plenty of study time, group work, and one-on-one with their teachers and clubs to promote and enhance learning concepts.
The girls arriving for the new school year are brimming with anticipation. They eagerly shared what they most look forward to, including how they spent their time away from school. All have replied that they had a lovely holiday break; they worked on their studies at home and helped their families with daily chores. They are excited to be back with their friends, and to be at Kuwala allows them to make good friendships and learn different talents.
The Malawi National Examinations Board just announced the results of the 2024 Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations. The representation was a 54.79% pass rate. Kuwala received the summary of their results and a huge congratulations to all for an outstanding 97% pass rate! This high pass rate is a massive testament to the dedication and commitment of Kuwala Christian Girls School, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of all our donors and sponsors, a dedicated board in Canada and Malawi, an exceptional administration team and staff, students who work hard and challenge themselves and kilometres and kilometres of villages and communities who see the shining beacon of light that is Kuwala. It is the result and the reason we continue to provide an outstanding education to girls in various poverty levels, to give a hand up and the opportunity to the girl child with no other option.
Kuwala begins a new school year with a dedicated staff! Nine teachers with the assistance of 3 supporting former students. One assists at each hostel, library, and computer and science laboratory. Two full-time cooks under the supervision of our Head Chef Philius, thirteen security guards, and two store clerks for receiving and tracking all the supplies that come and go from Kuwala. The Farm and Gardens employs six staff members, including the farm manager, Rachel. Six additional staff members round out the maize mill, biogas, on-site plumber, nurse, and campus photographer. Kuwala is committed to providing a robust working environment that benefits the school and the surrounding communities.
Summer was busy at Kuwala in preparation for the new school year. The security team welcomed some new personnel and participated in a security workshop hosted by the Administration team. The presenter was a retired Malawian Military Soldier. The Campus Security team looks after the entire Campus, farmland, and the well-being of the students, teachers and staff. Protocols and systems are developed and implemented for the Campus. One example of the protocols in place is that all visitors, guests and deliveries to the Campus must sign in and sign out at the front entry gates. The second water tower irrigates the farmland, allowing Kuwala to grow crops year-round. Typically, in Malawi, the growing season is the rainy season.
Campus construction
The third hostel is almost complete and will be a welcome addition to the Campus. Part of the orientation for new students includes receiving their new uniforms and being assigned to a room with a bunk bed and mattress. Mosquito nets surround their beds to prevent malaria-carrying mosquitos from getting to them. Many girls come from villages, living in huts with thatched roofs and sleeping on the dirt floor.
The workshop and the new power tools continue to produce quality items for the Campus. Local workers built the desks and bunk beds for the hostel in record time with the latest tools distributed by a Canadian donor. The workshop will evolve to provide learning opportunities for students in trade.
Kuwala continues to transform education. Kuwala has implemented an online student information management system by introducing Starlink and computers. This system will track and store student information and provide timely and consistent updates on marks, exam results, performance, and briefings to parents and guardians. Each teacher will have a portal to track, review, and evaluate each student’s performance. They can keep a record of assessments, which teachers use to assist in helping the students in areas where they may need extra work. As the Campus grows, many students come from villages hours away from Kuwala. Communicating with parents on time is essential; this system ensures that parents are always informed about their child’s academic progress.
Our 2025 capital fundraising initiative was launched at our recent AGM.
As our Campus continues to grow, we’re planning to build a Campus Complex building to house a sewing and tailoring centre, a new computer science lab, a library, a medical clinic, staff development space, and admin and accounting offices.
To make this vision a reality, we’re seeking to raise $170,000 CAD to fund the project. For more information on the building’s layout see the 2023 AGM Report: download it here .
The farm update
From the Campus to the Farm, Kuwala is growing and expanding. The newest addition to the farming program is composting! While on the service trip in June, two delegates introduced composting to Kuwala. Rachel, the Farm Manager, spent a few days learning and developing the procedures with the team, then further implementing the techniques to begin a robust composting program to help reduce the need for costly fertilizer and intensely nourish the soil. Rachel and the Canadian donor devised a plan after the testing of the soil samples.
The compost requires three necessary ingredients: Browns, Greens, and Water. Kuwala can acquire green material from locals who harvest tree leaves and grasses; brown material is any dead plant matter, and the soil is mixed. The Biogas effluent is used as a natural fertilizer as it contains many nutrients and is PH neutral. This effluent can be mixed into the compost or diluted with water and applied directly to the plants. The growth results of the gardens already using the biogas effluent are remarkable! Kuwala also purchases chicken manure from the local villages to mix with the soil for even more nutrients added naturally to the soil. To read more about Kuwala’s bio-fertilizer, download the article.
The cost of fertilizer has skyrocketed, making it increasingly expensive to grow crops. However, Kuwala is committed to finding sustainable solutions. By creating compost and rehabilitating the soil, Kuwala will reduce costs and produce better yields for crops. With the completion of the newest water tower, the growing season will continue throughout the year and not depend solely on the rainy season. The team members in Canada consult with the farm manager regularly to ensure that the process is developing and the results are positive.
The Farm now has a probe tester for sampling inside the compost piles and a heat gun for testing the temperature of the piles so the local workers know when to turn the piles. Kuwala provides these jobs to the local villagers, creating and maintaining the compost piles and teaching them the practices that may, in turn, help them implement for their crops, therefore changing many communities for the better. Once the harvest begins, the next step is to harvest some of the seeds from the crops grown so that Kuwala can sustainably grow these crops without needing to purchase as many seeds each season. The next step will be to preserve techniques to optimize the abundance of harvest.
Kuwala Annual General Report
In September, Kuwala held its annual general report at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 65 Walnut St., Winnipeg. During the event, we launched the latest AGM Report for 2023. The report was posted on our website, but you can download it here.
Bonus images and content
The extended version includes more photographs and bonus content regarding the farm and construction at the Campus; click the button below to own your version of this magazine-style newsletter. NOTE: in this edition, we output the PDF using reader spreads to showcase each story better. Let us know if you would prefer the typical portrait 8.5 x 11 inches instead of the landscape 11 x 17 format!