Valuing Education for the Poor

Our neighbors,  Harry and Maria, are a somewhat typical Malawian family. They  have five children ranging in age from 6 to 17. When we first expressed an interest in their education, the children had almost no parental support or encouragement, and all of them were very far behind other students their age and grade level. 

At the time, the boys were attending school when they wanted and staying at home when they wanted. We asked, "Why are your children not in school?"  Harry said, "They don't have school uniforms."  So, we took them all to a taylor in town and had new school uniforms made, then we took them to a shoe store and bought them all new shoes.  The children were so used to going barefoot that wearing shoes took some adjusting. Nevertheless, they were very proud of their uniforms.  We purchased each of them notebooks, pencils, pens, and other school supplies.  They were happy. 

Over time, the parents' commitment to their children's education faded, and the same old patterns reemerged. Then, in October 2015, an intern came to work with us for three months.  What a blessing she was for our children's ministry out in the villages.  She gladly took the task of tutoring Harry's children and made it a time the children looked forward to.

When she began to teach them, we soon learned how needy the children were. The  8 year old couldn't count past 10. The 6 year old couldn't name colors and didn't know the alphabet.  

The youngest girl, Margie, who is 16 had already dropped out of school, pregnant and unmarried. The oldest girl, Rose, 17, an eighth grader, was also on the verge of dropping out. Her parents routinely kept her from school to run errands and to do household chores. We knew that the  school the children were enrolled in is a dangerous and chaotic learning environment with low expectations for students. 

First, we insisted that the parents take the children out of that substandard school and put them in a free local private Christian school. We had more support from the mother, but the father initially resisted; so, we became Harry's nagging headache.  We brought the children's need up to him over and over, and eventually he relented.  We also insisted that the parents begin to model for their children the importance of education by sending them to school every day. 

I am sure that if we had not persisted it wouldn't have happened, but I am happy to say eventually we succeeded in getting the children the support they needed. The parents promised to regularly send their children to school, and they were moved to a much better learning environment. 

Now, after several months of their being in a better school and our tutoring them, we are now seeing positive changes in the children, both in their academics and their outlook. A few days ago, little Stephen proudly showed us his report card marked PASSED!

Rose is now getting support in Math, English, Vocabulary, and Reading Comprehension which will help to prepare her for end of term exams. Now, she is more determined to stay in school, to stay focused, and she is confident she will complete her education. It is so rewarding to see her feeling good about her future and moving forward.

Sometimes when conditions are so bad, small interventions make a tremendous difference in the lives of the poor. I feel very blessed to play a part in bringing some hope and encouragement into the lives of these children.