SOS Schools in Malawi

SOS Nursery School Blantyre

In the past year the enrolment for the SOS Nursery School rose from 12 in 2007 to 53. This represented 88.33% for the budgeted 60 children in 2008.  Of these 16 were children from the SOS Children's Village Blantyre.

The nursery school provided information and guidance to centres near SOS who wished to begin or develop Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres.  The Association of Preschool Playgroups in Malawi which coordinates ECD activities in the country, referred  trainees in ECD at their Training Centre to our nursery school for practical observations.  This was an achievement for the Facility to be recognised for offering quality ECD services which others can emulate.

Three very successful Open Days took place during the past year.  There was 100% representation of parents during all the events.  Information about SOS, the SOS Nursery School Concept, and SOS Nursery School Routine were the major subjects of discussion at these fora.  The last Open Day in November saw the first 14 graduates of Blantyre SOS Nursery School.  It was a very memorable occasion to witness the first graduating children clad in beautiful graduation gowns receiving their ‘diplomas’ in front of ululating parents and some people from the neighbourhood.  Of the 27 awards presented to outstanding children in various categories during these functions 6 went to SOS children.

 

Stimulation sessions reached 10 SOS babies who are still at home.  SOS mothers were also targeted during these sessions for them to have more meaningful interaction with their children to enhance early stimulation to learning.  This had a great impact to SOS toddlers who had not yet started nursery school because they learnt to interact with their friends and practice their social skills outside the family house.

Two stimulating holiday programmes took place for SOS school going children.  These were greatly enjoyed by the children because they provided them an opportunity to practice some of the skills they have which are not emphasized in the normal school setting like singing, handicrafts, art and that there was no pressure on excellence as is the case in a school setting.  A very competitive Treasure Hunt was mostly enjoyed by the children; 56 school going children per intake went through this programme.

The children sowed, tendered different crops during the year like maize, carrots, vegetables, fruit trees, and took some home!

Our teachers constantly got In-service training which enabled them to widen their knowledge in ECD and got oriented in new innovations in Child care.

In a climate where most non-profit making  ECD centres in the country close as soon as they start, the popularity of the SOS Nursery School Blantyre continues to grow because of the provision of quality early childhood development programmes and the sound foundation upon which SOS as a whole is set.  Compared to other centres our Nursery School facilities are very conducive to the offering of quality care and education to young children and surpass by far the minimum standards set by the Government for the operation of such centres.  The construction of our play ground equipment which we really needed for the holistic development of our children, has made an impact.

The SOS Nursery School Blantyre continues to enjoy a lot of popularity and the demand for places is rising by the day.  There are 63 children on the waiting list; more than the children currently enrolled!  2008 was a great year and hopefully 2009 will be even greater.

SOS Primary School Blantyre

The school opened its doors on 7th January 2008.   At the end of 2008 it had an enrolment of 269 learners; this figure includes SOS children who are currently 43 in total.  There are 12 teachers including the Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher, all employed by the Government of Malawi.  Apart from the learners attending regular classes, there are 6 learners with learning difficulties who attend a special class full time and 7 have been integrated in the main stream classes.  Some learners with learning difficulties are coping very fast in the integrated classes.

The school has registered some successes and achievements in the year under review.   It has now been registered with the Malawi National Examinations Board as an examination centre for Primary School Leaving Certificate Examinations (PLSCE).   For the year 2008, we had 34 PSLCE candidates who sat for examinations, and all of them passed registering a 100% pass rate.  Out of these, 23 were selected to various secondary schools and of these 9 were boys and 14 were girls.  Being the first year of operation, these results were a great achievement and we have made an impact within the surrounding communities.

We also participated in the National Day of Education events and performed different dances at the function.  There was a stakeholders’ sensitization meeting where stakeholders were informed of the existence of the school.  The school also opened a library and had some books donated from the National Library Service.

During the year 2008, the school organised open days and cultural activities which were successful events.  The school was also registered as a member of the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi.  It also established Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) and a School Management Committee.

Being a new school, we had some challenges within the year, e.g. shortage of teachers, delayed supply of books and high expectations from teachers coming to teach at the school.

Generally, the year was good and we look forward to yet another wonderful year.

 

 

SOS Nursery School Lilongwe

A total of 180 children were enrolled in our nursery school, of which 8 are children from the SOS Children's Village Lilongwe.

 

In June during SOS Day, the SOS Nursery School children did the singing.   Our school was invited by the Ministry of Women and Children Development in July 2008 to take part in “Child Participation” at the Crossroads Cresta Hotel in Lilongwe.  The school was one of the best among the invited nursery schools.

 

Our children are able to converse in both English and the vernacular, Chichewa.  A total of 56 children graduated for standard 1 for the 2009 academic year, the graduation took place on 20th November 2008.  Amongst those graduating were three SOS children.

 

We were privileged to receive 195 books, crayons and other small items like pencils, skipping ropes, 3 balls, puzzles, 2 packets of cow seeds and a creative paper pad for activities from Susan Booth of the United Kingdom.

 

In April 2008, children made Easter eggs and Easter cards, which they gave to their parents on open day.  Parents were invited for the open day and children danced and recited poems and rhymes.  Parents were really delighted and encouraged teachers and children to keep up the good work.  Parents presented some gifts to their children in appreciation of what the children are doing at the nursery school.  We have our little garden of maize where children harvested and carried home two cobs of maize each.  On creativity, the children did some colour painting, collage, cutting and sticking papers.  We went on a tour around the city with the children to make them see various environments so that they can compare them.   Children also learnt about people and different places.   They were oriented on the post office and posted letters to their parents.  They also visited the library at the SOS secondary school to learn exactly what happens in a Library.

 

On Mothers Day children made baskets of flowers and cards for their mothers as gifts.

 

We had an Open day on 20th November 2008, and on this day children made Christmas cards, trees, bells amongst others. Children performed the Christmas play and sang Christmas carols.   Many parents and guardians visited the nursery school and as usual they were delighted to see their children perform.   A lot of children received gifts from their parents and teachers were also showered with gifts from most of the parents in appreciation of the work they are doing.

 

Before going on the Christmas break, children with the help of their teachers prepared their garden and planted maize seeds.

 

Though the year was generally good for the nursery school, we however, were saddened by the death of an Assistant aunt, Mrs Lucina Chavuta, who passed away on 13th March, 2008.

 

 

SOS Primary School Lilongwe

The SOS Primary School opened in 1994. There are currently nearly 700 pupils. There is a Special Needs/Learning Difficulties Unit, which caters for children with special needs, including those who suffer from hearing impairment, and remedial classes. The unit has eight teachersand also runs an itinerant teaching programme for local schools.

Update from 2008:

The school had an enrolment of 750 learners, 640 for the normal classes and 110 for Special Need Classes.  Some of these learners (110) are partially integrated into the main stream mainly for socialisation.  Twenty learners are in the Hearing Class and some of them attend speech lessons daily, the remaining learners are in the Learning Difficulty Classes which is categorized into four classes namely:  Academic, Pre Academic, Behaviour Class 1 and Behaviour Class 2.

 

The school had 32 teachers, eight specialists’ teachers (Three Hearing Impaired and five Learning Difficult Specialists).   The remaining twenty four are for the normal classes.

 

The school participated and achieved in a number of activities such as sports, Bible Club rallies, AIDS Toto, learners’ performance in all the classes improved.   In Sports learners participated in Nabanda’s Trophy and were number two in football and number one in netball and they received the Trophy.  The Bible Club participated in several Bible Club rallies within the district which involved Choir festivals, retreats, Bible sharing etc.   Twenty learners accompanied by two teachers attended the regional retreat rally at Robert Brake Secondary School.  During the 2008 Primary School leaving Certificate Exams the pass rate was 100%.   Eight learners were selected to Boarding National Secondary Schools and SOS is one of the top three schools in the district that sent more learners to National Secondary Schools.

 

The school has a special unit which is the best in the district.   The unit received a lot of teaching and learning resources from Sue Booth which made the teaching and learning process effective.   More Special Needs Learners were integrated into the main stream (partial integration).  Sixteen Special Needs Learners participated in the Regional Special Olympics activities which were held at Lilongwe Community ground.   Educational Visit to the lake – Salima was made for twenty eight Special Needs Learners and was accompanied by Specialist teachers.  The school (Special Education Unit) had a workshop targeting Teacher’s records which was facilitated by Tutors from Montfort College.   Hearing Impaired Teachers went to Mua School for the deaf for a familiarisation trip.

 

SOS Secondary School Lilongwe

The SOS Secondary School opened in 1998.  The school is located in a semi-urban area about 4km south of the capital Lilongwe.

The school had an enrolment of 325 students, of which 44 are SOS children and the rest are from the community.   Of the 325 students, 119 are girls 206 are boys.   The School currently has 22 teachers: 14 male teachers and 8 females.

 

In June 2008 the school elected 9 new prefects and their deputies.  The positions of School Head Boy, Head Girl, Entertainment, Librarian, Assembly, Laboratory, Sanitation, Sports and Class Prefects and their deputies were all contested.  The total number of the prefects came to 18.  Chrispin Chikuse (an SOS Child) was elected the School’s Head Boy.  Jailosi Tambala, another SOS Child was elected a Sports Prefect.   Both these students command a lot of respect from the students.

 

Best Practices (Action for Behaviour Change-ABC) Club had a number of activities in 2008.   On 21 April 2008, the Partners in Hope organised a workshop for HIV/AIDS Prevention Clubs which Mr Mbasa Mwawembe, the School’s Club Patron, attended.  Some of the activities that were discussed were: Basic Information on HIV/AIDS and Testing, Role of teachers on HIV Prevention in schools, Action Plan for facilitating HIV/AIDS prevention clubs in schools, Life Skills, Drama, Debates and assisting the needy in the nearby community.

 

From 23 to 25 May 2008, Mr Mwawembe attended an AIDS Club Patrons and Matrons Training Working at Kamundi Motel in Area 36.  The Workshop was organised by the District Education Manager.  The School has more than 30 registered students for the ABC Club

 

Of the 77 candidates who sat for the Junior Certificate of Education Examinations, 68 passed representing a pass rate of 88.3%.   Of the six SOS children who sat for the examinations, three passed, representing a 50% pass rate.

 

Of the 80 candidates who sat for the Malawi School Certificate of Education Examinations (MSCE), 49 passed representing a pass rate of 61%.   Of the 15 SOS children who sat for the examinations, 8 passed, representing a 53% pass. For year 2008, out of those who passed MSCE, more of them did extremely well, and will be able to write the University Entrance Examinations.

 

In sports the school also participated in various sporting activities and registered the following results:

Athletics: In field events, Jacqueline Kazombo (a Form 4 student) was the best in the district.

 

Shot put: Jacqueline Kazombo again the third best player in the district.

 

Track events: Martha Swafi scooped fourth place for the females in 400-metre race.

 

Handball; on 7 June 2008 SOS defeated Kaliyeka by 32 baskets to 18; on 14 June 2008 SOS drew with Kaning’a 6 baskets each and on 28 June 2008 SOS defeated Chiwoko by 16 baskets to 12. 

SOS Nursery School Mzuzu

In 2008, the total enrolment of children at the nursery school was 90.  It consisted of 9 SOS children, 2 sponsored children and 79 community children.

In January, the nursery school identified two needy children from the Masasa area in order to provide the community access to pre- school education.  In March, nursery school children participated in tree planting within the Children's Village.  This activity enabled children to learn the importance of caring for the environment which is one of the SOS Nursery School principles.

Birthday parties for children were celebrated in the group rooms.  Some parents brought birthday cakes and refreshments for their children to celebrate with friends.  Birthdays are special occasions for children hence the need for celebration.  Gardening project and nature walks were intensified during this period.  This also encourages the principle of environment.

On July 17, 2008, the nursery school conducted an Open Day for parents.  Children performed different activities such as songs and dances, the National Anthem and poems.  Many parents attended the function.  The following awards were presented to outstanding children: Best performance, good grooming and Most disciplined.  An SOS child won a good grooming award.

A holiday programme for SOS children (Standard 1-3) was conducted from 21-25 July, 2008. The children were involved in different activities such as painting/drawing, story telling, mural making, HIV/AIDS, folk tales, making picture books and nature walks.  On 13 November, 2008 there was a Graduation Ceremony where 35 children graduated to primary school, 4 of which are children from the SOS Children's Village Mzuzu and one sponsored child.

All in all, 2008 was a prosperous year for the nursery school.

SOS Primary School Mzuzu

The SOS Primary School opened in 2005. At present there are 320 pupils mainly from the local community.  The primary school is a single streamed, located at a low-density area, which is very quite, creating a conducive learning environment.

The primary school opened its school year on 7th January 2008 with 316 learners and twelve teachers.  Out of 315 learners, 165 were boys and 151 were girls.  To cement the relationship between children from the SOS Children's Village and those from the community the school encouraged social outings through sporting activities such as football, netball, games, debate and quiz competition with neighbouring schools.

On academics the school excelled. This was proved by the 2008 Mzuzu City School Mock Exams and the Zonal Examinations, which the standard 8 learners had written.  Out of the 40 learners, all learners who entered passed in these two examinations.  To crown it all on the pupil’s performance, the 2008 standard 8 MANEB results came exactly as the mock results.  All the 40 learners managed to pass; representing100% pass rate and 27 learners were selected to start form 1 in various secondary schools in the region, representing 68%.   Among the selected learners 19 were girls and 8 were boys.  Out of the selected learners 3 girls and 2 boys went to National Secondary Schools.

The school also took part in the SOS Day activities at Village level.  In sports, the girl’s netball team reached the semi-finals in the Mzuzu Mayor’s Trophy.

The stakeholders also worked hand in hand with the school.  The PTA and the School Management Committee helped a lot.  They assisted in maintaining the chairs and tables, which were not in good shape and they also fenced the grass lawns with a wooden fence, which was painted.

The school received visitors from Nottingham Preparatory School in London, which wanted to sister relationship with our school.   In the meantime correspondences between learners from SOS Primary School Mzuzu and Nottingham School in London are underway.

All in all 2008 was another good year for the school.