K450m boost for needy students, Nsanje school
President Lazarus Chakwera yesterday presented K450 million from the Presidential Charity Initiative (PCI) to support needy students in public universities.
The other part of the funds will go towards reconstruction of Mpatsa Primary School in Nsanje, which suffered damage from the impact of Cyclone Freddy in March 2023.
Presenting the cheques at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, the President said the initiative was an investment into the country’s future.
“The funds we present today are crucial. They will ensure that no child is left behind due to circumstances beyond their control,” he said.
The beneficiaries are students from Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, University of Malawi, Malawi University of Science and Technology, Mzuzu University, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Kamuzu University of Health Sciences.
Each university was handed K37.5 million while K225 million went to Mpatsa Primary School which, according to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, was reduced to rubble during the 2023 Cyclone Freddy crisis.
According to PCI committee chairperson Vizenge Kumwenda, the funds will be used to construct school blocks.
In his speech, needy students’ representative Japhet Kapalepale hailed the support, saying that without it, many would have dropped out of school.
The funds were generated through the 2023 Presidential Charity Golf held in Lilongwe last October which raised K421 million, but rose to K450 million following bank interests.
Meanwhile, PCI has announced that this year’s Presidential Charity Golf tournament, the third edition, will be held at Country Club Limbe in Blantyre.
