The Zawadi School

The Zawadi (“gift”) School began as a collection of desks in a tiny room attached to Felistas Kalomo’s house. Through fundraising and tremendous support in London, a school comprising two classrooms, a caretaker’s room and a small office was opened 1999. A new classroom was added in 2006.

Set in an acre of land, the Zawadi School provides nursery education for over 120 children between the ages of four and six. One of the extra benefits of the school is that the children are fed a meal of enriched maize porridge every day, and fresh vegetables when available from the school garden. In times of drought (which can be frequent), this food is vital. For some of the children, it is often their first and sometimes only meal of the day.

At school the children receive basic education in reading and writing. There is also a big emphasis on singing and dancing, and more creative education is also encouraged. The teachers are being sent on annual training courses. Recently, a link has been made with the Montessori organisation, which runs education courses for teachers. In addition, the school employs a nurse who gives all children a monthly health check and accompanies them to hospital when necessary.

The presence of a nursery school in the village plays an important role beyond the education of children. It is also enabling mothers to spend time earning money unencumbered by children too big to be carried and too small for primary school.