By Beni Bamusi

Thyolo, October 28, Mana: Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) in partnership with Education Above All Foundation is implementing Educate a Child (EAC) programme to improve education for the vulnerable children in Thyolo District by providing essential learning materials.

Senior Data Analyst from Education Above All Foundation, Joshua Maina expressed satisfaction over the programme when a district level monitoring team toured Mkaombe Primary School where it interacted with teacher mentors and other education stakeholders too appreciate EAC progress.

"The practical work on the ground is more reassuring than what we read in reports. The dedication shown by learner guides, teacher mentors, and other stakeholders is truly impressive. The programme is having a real impact," said Maina.

Maina acknowledged some challenges as the programme had resource constraints, limiting its ability to reach more learners.

Chief Education Officer for Thyolo, Rabecca Misili, hailed the two organizations for jointly implementing EAC in the district, saying the programme helped to improve enrollment and retention of learners in the targeted schools.

"The introduction of entitlements, learner guide sessions, study circles, and home visits has brought significant impact.

"Since its introduction, Educate a Child has enabled 545 learners (296 girls and 249 boys) to get selected to secondary school. This is a clear sign of improved performance," added Misili.

She noted that other schools borrowed a leaf to introduce child protection guidelines, including the use of complaint boxes to address concerns in their respective schools.

Teacher mentor at Mkaombe Primary School, Asireni Jeffrey, said EAC has a psychosocial support component that helps to address challenges such as child abuse and other negative factors that affect child education.

She also acknowledged that EAC programme reduced absenteeism, particularly among girls who previously missed classes during menstruation, saying the programme introduced ways and means of addressing menstrual health and hygiene among girls in schools.

Standard eight learner and programme beneficiary, Deborah Magalasi, expressed gratitude, saying the programme brought positive impact on both retention and enrollment on top of improving menstrual health and hygiene.

"The support we receive encourages us to stay in school despite the economic challenges in our families.

"The entitlements help us focus on our education and motivate us to work hard," she said, and appealed for continued support to ensure that most girls stay in school,” she added.

Launched in 2022, the EAC targets 103 primary schools in Thyolo, providing students with essential learning materials such as uniforms, shoes, and sanitary pads for menstrual health and hygiene.