Moni nonse

Moni nonse—Hello everyone! My name is Ben Chambers, and I’m the Program Director for The Advancement of Girls' Education (AGE) here in Malawi. This is an exciting time for AGE as we look to significantly increase both the number of scholars we support as well as the quality of the support we provide, and I’m excited to share our work as well as our lives in Malawi with anyone who wants to know about them!

(AGE Scholars with Mt. Mulanje as Backdrop)

I live at Providence Secondary School in Chisitu, a trading center in Mulanje, which is a district in the Southeastern part of Malawi. We’re in the shadow of Mount Mulanje, Malawi’s tallest mountain, which is around 3000m high and is in the background of the picture I've posted (in the foreground stand some of our scholars!). We’re heading towards the end of the rainy season here, so everything is green, wet, and a little muddy… often times a lot muddy. My aim here is to develop a mentoring program for AGE scholars starting with those at Providence Secondary School which is here in Chisitu.

I joined AGE this past January after working in Malawi for the Peace Corps, and it’s already been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me and our scholars. I’ve visited all of the schools we partner with (5 at present), met with the administration of each school, and gotten to know all but one of the scholars which was incredible. I’ve also been in the national capital, Lilongwe, getting into the registration process for NGO’s and taking care of a couple of program issues there. Tragically, we’ve also had to begin to cope with the loss of a student at Providence Secondary School, though not one of the AGE scholars, who passed away from malaria while at school. Working with AGE has already brought me into contact with the joy, tragedy, tediousness, and moments of beauty that I’ve found characteristic of life in Malawi.

We at AGE would like this blog to be much more than a series of one person’s reflections about living in Malawi. We intend this to be an interactive tool, allowing the scholars as well as myself to share news about AGE’s program in Malawi, the kinds of lives we lead here, and to establish dialogue about whatever topics both the scholars and their readers are interested in discussing. All of that is a long way of saying ‘Don’t be shy!’ If you have questions, comments, or any message at all, please feel free to pass it our way.

As you read this blog throughout the year, it is my sincere hope that you come to know something of the challenges girls go through in Malawi, and the resolve that often allows them to thrive in the face of such challenges.

Tsalani bwino (Stay well),
Benja
(Ben, AGE Program Director on-site in Malawi)