UNICEF hands 33 motorcycles to Malawi

Kasaila (left) shakes hands with Unicef's Kimanzi Muthengi at the ceremony at BNS

Functional literacy and complementary basic education instructors working under the UN Joint Programme on Girls Education (UNJPGE) will have their mobility challenges eased following the handing over of 33 Yamaha motorcycles to Malawi by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) at the Bingu National Stadium (BNS) Thursday September 28, 2017.

Speaking when he received the motorcycles on behalf of his ministry, Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Francis Kasaila thanked UNICEF for the timely intervention, noting that government cannot provide all resources on its own but relies on such partners. Kasaila also urged other development partners to emulate UNICEF’s gesture.

Minister Kasaila trying it out

Kasaila pointed out that the functional literacy and complementary basic education programme targets adolescent girls who seek a second chance at education and is consistent with both medium term goals under the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) spirit of leaving no one behind.

The donation is meant to “enhance literacy and numeracy of adolescent girls, most of whom drop out of school before they attain literacy”, said Mr. Patrick Chakholoma, who spoke on behalf of UNICEF.

According to Chakholoma, the nine-month-long functional literacy programme, which has modules such as nutrition, health and hygiene, “empowers the adolescents to be useful citizens in the society”.

The complementary basic education programme seeks to enable girls to attain literacy and numeracy over three years after which they can rejoin school in standard 5.

The programme is being implemented in the districts of Dedza, Salima and Mangochi by Nchalo-based nongovernmental organisation Adolescent Girls Literacy Plus (AGLIT+) and has reached over 30,000 adolescent girls, largely teen mothers, with various forms of educational and life skills empowerment.

Over the past two years, UNICEF has also provided three vehicles to the programme implementation districts, three to the ministry headquarters and three that are used by three different implementing agencies and partners.

The functional literacy and complementary basic education programmes have over the years led to significant transformation in the lives of the participating adolescents, some of whom have even gone further to pursue university education.

Ready to go places: The A4AY-branded motorcycles that Unicef has donated to Malawi.

The programme is earmarked for scaling up in the next few years and would reach up to the districts of Chitipa and Likoma, according to Kimanzi Muthengi of UNICEF.