Chiraweni Primary School Projects
The trust worked on many varied projects at Chiraweni Primary School between 2011 and 2019. This page describes the projects we did in our last year at the school (2018 to 2019). You may be interested in our Previous Projects at the school and in the Picture Gallery.
Chiraweni Primary School, 1,380 pupils. Copy these coordinates 15°42'17" S 35° 2'38" E into Google Earth Search box and click Search. This puts a placemark to the right of school buildings.
Chiraweni (pronounced "Chilaweni") Primary School is in a rural location north of Blantyre. Chiraweni was described in 2011 by someone working locally in the charity sector as being in the worst physical state they'd even seen at a school. Improvements have made it almost unrecognisable since we became involved. With a dedicated Head Teacher (well known to us), enthusiastic teaching staff and keen pupils, exam results have improved tremendously.
Primary Schools in Malawi receive almost no funding for structural maintenance or repairs and the Government has stopped funding for exercise books, pens and chalk except for one exercise book per pupil per term. Head Teacher says nine per term are needed in the upper classes.
April 2017 - November 2018
Regular items:- termly funds for educational items, painting of chalkboards, servicing water harvesting tanks
Menstrual Hygiene Project. A new toilet block for girls with more spacious toilets and a changing room
4 cubicle ladies staff toilet block
Purchase of CharChar readers + dictionaries Std 4 & 5
Purchase of more textbooks and books for the library. Shipment of a total of 33 boxes of wonderful quality books for the library from U.K.
Funds from a parish collection to purchase textbooks for Std 5,6, 7 at book fair in October 2018
Another 60 two-seater desks, 20 benches and repair of broken desks
Solar system in teachers' office for charging of mobile phones, additional solar power for Head Teacher house, 20 more solar lamps for Standard 8
Horticulture project - a very important subject as most people grow their own food. We bought tools, seeds and plants; a keen forest officer provided advice, instruction and support.
Landscaping & drainage in front of new library block
Girls’ urinal rebuild + painting
Boys’ urinal rebuild + painting
Notice boards HT office & teachers’ office + painting
Removal of large stones Assembly Area
Two “Tables” for single file queueing for porridge
240 plastic chairs
Contribution to enable the “Space library” at Chiraweni Primary School (Joshua Orphan and Community Care)
Termite treatment of all classrooms and teachers‘ houses
Teacher house - rotten roof timbers to be replaced
Steel doors to replace rotton wooden ones for nine classrooms
Electricity wiring for seven teacher‘ houses
Purchase of more Chichewa books for library
Purchase of CharChar readers and more dictionaries
Purchase of mops, brooms and pails
Painting of murals on toilet walls.
Studying the newly completed library block
The first books for the library
Water harvesting tank
Headteacher admiring lovely shelves...
Chichewa books for the library
Library being well used (Dec 2017)
All ready to plant and grow vegetables