New school turns vision into reality

A school block taking shape at Thitimira Secondary School, 66 kilometres north of Mzuzu City, mirrors the surrounding community’s vision to provide safe and accessible education for every child.

The block under construction in Mzimba North is part of a new school designed to remove obstacles to education. When complete, it will take 250 students from 18 villages.

The project was conceived to improve the learning experience, health and well-being of future generations, with a focus on equitable access for girls.

Environment consultancy RSK is funding the construction of two classroom blocks in partnership with the Action for Sustainable Communities (ASC) Foundation.

Following three years of work by the community, their committee requested the foundation for further funding and support.

RSK chief executive officer Alan Ryder is excited that the children will soon have a safe space for learning.

 “Nothing is more important than education, but there are many reasons why some young people don’t have the opportunity to attend school. This has been an important focus of this project,” he says.

To Ryder, working closely with the local community to create a school that creates a favourable environment for girls and boys to learn, has been a rewarding experience.

He states: “We know that armed with this education, the pupils from this school will go on to make their community proud and contribute to it with all they have learned and go for further studies and training.

“We hope that this approach to school building can be replicated to allow everyone to learn and realise their full potential, their dreams.”

Work is underway to build additional classrooms, sanitation blocks and dormitories accessible to learners on wheelchairs.

The dormitories and sanitation blocks will help students who come from far.

The planned sanitation blocks include space where girls can wash and dry sanitary pads so they can remain in school during menstruation.

The hostel will include a kitchen and a volunteer-run cafeteria to provide daily meals for students.

The contractor has drilled a borehole and installed a hand pump for improved access to safe and clean drinking water.

Many people in the rural locality walk long distances to fetch water.

ASC Foundation trustee Newton Matupi says: “The Thitimira School project has been entirely conceived by the local community and its ambition of supporting its children to attend school.

“Overcoming the obstacles that many children in the region face in attending school was a priority for the community, especially for young girls.”

In Malawi, children often walk long distances to fetch water and access education.

Menses too remain a challenge. Official figures show that on average, girls miss three to four days of school each month due to menstruation and lack of facilities at their school.

“This school provides them with the facilities they need and funds have also been raised to provide sewing machines so that a team of their mothers can make sanitary pads. These things all make such a difference,” Matupi says.

Creating an inspiring outdoor learning environment was part of the community leaders’ ambition.

The architectural designs include ample spaces for outdoor learning and vegetable gardens to supply the school kitchen.

The design has set aside spaces on campus for women-owned businesses to inspire girls to dream big.

A team at Nicholas O’Dwyer provides civil engineering technical support on demand.

The new buildings are being constructed using stabilised soil blocks, a shift from red bricks which consume stacks of firewood and emit deadly fumes. Traditional brick-making scrapes topsoil, leaving deep pits that expose riverbanks to flooding and crop fields barren.

Nicholas O’Dwyer director Michel Davitt Nicholas said they are delighted to support this sustainable initiative.

“Realising the vision for a safe and equitable learning environment is vitally important for the community here. It is planned that the new school block will be ready during the new school year, in November this year,” he says.

Nicholas O’Dwyer was founded in 1932 as a family business.  Over the past 87 years, the firm has transitioned into one of Ireland’s largest independently owned engineering consultancy.

It provides water, environmental, civil and structural engineering services to public and private institutions.

The company has a strong presence in the UK and worldwide.

It has worked in Africa since the 1970s.