Suluku Malawi!

ActionAid launches ‘Suluku Malawi!’ to unite schools in the UK and Malawi over climate change

ActionAid is launching an educational fundraising project that is designed to make a permanent difference to a local community in Malawi.

The aim of the brand new ‘Suluku Malawi!’ project is to help children living in the Nsanje district of Malawi back into school by enabling the community to better protect themselves from the effects of climate change.

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Primary schools in the UK will be encouraged to fundraise for the project, receiving free lesson activities, a PowerPoint assembly on the project and plenty of fundraising ideas and resources.

Malawi is a country particularly hard hit by the effects of climate change, partly for geographical reasons and partly due to lack of resources and wealth. The worsening impact is felt through increasingly frequent and intense floods and droughts and communities in the low-lying Nsanje are very vulnerable.

‘Suluku Malawi!’ will be working with four primary schools in the district - Mchere, Chikali, Namiyala and Chikonje - to ensure the changing climate does not stop the local children getting the education they need to work their way out of poverty.

Currently, only 20 per cent of children who enrol in primary school in Malawi will complete their primary education. When the local rivers flood, bridges and roads are washed away, making the journey to school too dangerous for many children. Flooding also damages the school buildings, resulting in some having to shut down for months at a time. In 2008, all of the four schools were forced to close for three months as floodwater eroded classroom walls and desks and books were swept away.

Climate change is also significantly reducing food supplies and clean water. As families lose their crops, the source of their food and livelihoods, they cannot afford school uniforms or resources such as books or pens. Without enough to eat, children struggle to concentrate at school and a lack of clean water means children miss out on class while walking long distances to collect it.

ActionAid is encouraging all primary schools in the UK to get involved with this ground-breaking and interactive project. By holding fundraising events, schools here can help these Malawian schools adapt to the devastating effects of climate change.

Money raised will go towards improving the structure of school buildings so that they can withstand flooding and improving access to school, including building bridges and improving roads.

In addition to funding sustainable feeding programmes (ensuring children have at least one daily school meal) and the installation of safe water sources, the project will aim to increase local awareness of the effects of climate change and to teach children and their families how to better prepare for the future. It will also look to make rivers less prone to flooding by supporting river dredging and de-silting schemes.

Children can interact with their fellow children in Nsanje by sending letters. ActionAid will also send letters and photos from children in Nsanje, and project updates so that they can learn exactly how they are helping to protect the children of Nsanje from climate change to get the education they need to change their life, for better, for good.

Get further information and a fundraising pack or call 01460 23 80 47.