WHO WE ARE
St. John Nursery School is a nursery school or kindergarten for children between 3 and 5 years old. We established this kindergarten by looking at the low rate of literacy and poverty of the area where we are operating.
In Traditional Authority Chimwala in Mangochi, the majority of men and women, boys and girls of the 25 villages that benefit from the different projects we have been able to start have a very high challenge of illiteracy.
To support these efforts, some other projects in favor of parents of these kids were initiated. For example, Women Promotion and Adult Literacy Centre. Many adults especially women do not know how to read and write. They mainly belong to the Yao tribe whose people historically never took interest in sending their children to school. Partly because they live along the lake and find it easier and profitable to go fishing than to go to school.
WHAT WE DO
St. John Nursery School was designed to accommodate 300 kids in its 6 classrooms and a very big dining hall. But as the school offers free education, breakfast and lunch, the numbers of children grew up every day until at one time in the past it reached an overwhelming number of 1,200.
The current registration is about 700 children per school session. Out of these, the daily attendance ranges between 450 and 500 kids. Every day two minibuses start at an early hour to fetch the children from their villages. In the afternoon they are brought back to their villages.
Nursery School kids arriving at School
Each village has a mothers’ committee that work hand in hand with our staff members to enhance security. Since we have 6 classrooms, the children get the lessons according to their age in these classrooms. To ease congestion, plans are underway to construct another nursery school amidst five or more villages.
WHAT THEY DO
For those who live far from the nursery school and use one of our two minibuses, we ask the parents to pay MK1,000 a month. We regard this as a symbolic gesture of their participation in the education of their children which is practically free.
At St. John Nursery school, apart from the free education and food, the 700 children registered are also assured of free medical care.
WHY HELPING US
Running a nursery school with so many kids for free is a very big challenge that calls for a strong belief in the divine providence. Looking for funds for transport, food, electricity, water, medicines, salaries for the teachers and the other support staff members becomes our monthly preoccupation. Any assistance from well wishers will be highly appreciated.