In Malawi, a stark reality unfolds: only 27% of girls are enrolled in an education system, and a staggering 5% actually attend. These numbers shadow the aspirations and goals of young women as they face the challenges of gender inequality that continue to persist in different ways, in different areas in the region. Without education, women's intellect fails to be liberated as they are tied to their domestic responsibilities starting at a young age - this is true not just in areas of Malawi, but across communities worldwide where barriers to education based on gender exist. In efforts to combat this deeply entrenched issue, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides a ray of hope through their 4th goal: to provide Quality Education. With this Global Goal, the aim is that equitable and inclusive education that promotes lifelong learning opportunities is made a reality for all - girls and boys, in all communities. This goal is a categoric reminder of the transformative effects of education, to lift women and propel communities, and the world, towards greater equality. 

Hon. Agnes Nyalonje, the Minister of Education for Malawi expressed her concern for women’s education in a recent interview conducted by Dr. Hanan Khalifa for the University of Cambridge. The Minister expressed the need for positive role models within any education system, to help provide girls and boys with a compass in life. She believes that role models serve a key role in helping school-aged girls develop their self-confidence and encourage personal development. Hon. Nyalonje emphasises that not only is there a need for leaders, but that educational institutions should be stimulating environments which aim to provide the space and resources for students to flourish. 

At The Sparkle Foundation, Hon. Nyalonje’s vision has been sprung to life. Based on a belief in the power of education, Sparkle Malawi has successfully integrated their education programme into two facilities in Zomba, Malawi - the Sparkle main (and first) site, and the Mulunguzi Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre in which programmes are delivered in partnership with the Passion Centre for Children. Both sites are run by our Sparkle team of impeccable educationists and leaders, whose focus has been, since the start, on fostering a flourishing environment for the youth in surrounding villages. Not only does Sparkle Malawi inspire young minds, but its mission drives the team's efforts to empower women - in the communities surrounding our sites, and ultimately, across Malawi. With our established 'women's group', we have provided a safe space for women to connect, learn, and engage in educational and recreational activities - our goal is to foster a sense of unity within the community and equip women with the knowledge, tools, and resources to uplift themselves. 

As part of this larger goal to empower women and encourage self-sustainability, The Sparkle Foundation has also created a Village Savings and Loan (VSL) initiative, in which 75 women from Sparkle's women's group are active members. The principle of the VSL initiative is this: to provide a platform in which the members of the group are able to learn about collective savings, and the ways in which members can make small loans to support each other's business ventures and livelihoods. At Sparkle, the VSL initiative is comprised of three groups, each of which is made up of 25 women. Falling under our Community Support pillar, the aim of the VSL project is to demonstrate the ways in which women can shift away from traditional domestic roles, and support their own families' needs.

Through the encouragement of the VSL project, some of the members have ventured into business ownership, enabling them to enhance their own and their families' economic status.

We'll end this article on a community spotlight, a little story about one of the participating members: Takondwa*, a women in her late 50s/ early 60s who, in partnership with her husband, invested in a commercial farming project to grow and sell cabbage in her local community. Our Community Officer, Frances, and Communications Officer, Chim, described the parents' challenges to support their family through their respective efforts to earn money through laundry-washing, bricklaying, and carpentry piece-work. Furthermore, they describe their relentless "desire to provide a better future for their two children". With the support of the VSL project, as well as the couple's small earnings from their piece-work, Takondwa was able to fund both her household purchases, as well as begin their farming project as an additional and consistent source of income. Today, Takondwa and her husband have successfully farmed over half an acre of cabbage, and have dug a four and a half meter well to ensure her crops have a more reliable water source.

An empowering environment that encourages one to believe in their projects, and the resources to take them on - that is what Sparkle Malawi aims to do, through equal access to education for girls and boys, and upskilling opportunities for adult women in the 17 villages surrounding it.

*For safeguarding purposes, all names referring to children or community members attending Sparkle Malawi are changed to protect individuals' anonymity.