By Agatha Kadzinje

Blantyre, February 4, Mana: Christos Ambassadors Students Ministries (CASM) has organized a conference called Blantyre Secondary Schools Conference (BSSC), scheduled for February 8, 2025 at Blantyre Secondary School as a way of strengthening the spiritual and academic life of secondary school students.

Speaking with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday, CASM Vice Chairlady, Patience Chikwanda, said one of the major challenges secondary school students face is lack of direction in life.

Chikwanda said most students believe Christianity alone will make them excel, failing to recognize that faith must be accompanied by hard work for one to flourish.

She emphasized that the conference aims to enlighten secondary school students on how best they can succeed in academics.

“They will be motivated by representatives from different colleges across the country who will share their experiences on how they succeeded and reached where they are today.

“Students will learn how to achieve their academic goals despite their current academic state. One can easily be inspired when they see and hear from someone who has directly experienced similar challenges,” she said.

Chikwanda emphasized that attendees should look forward to learning new ways of navigating different aspects of life, as the wisdom shared at the conference will be guided by God’s grace.

The conference will include mentorship sessions, awards, music and arts performances, praise and worship and preaching of the Word of God.

In a separate interview founder and guest speaker for CASM, Kennie Mulinde, concurred with Chikwanda saying most secondary school students struggle to differentiate between influences that could impact their future positively or negatively.

Mulinde shared his personal story of how he once abused drugs and alcohol in secondary school until he attended a youth conference that challenged him to change his life.

“That experience inspired me to become the man I am today and establish my own ministry,” he said.

Last year’s conference was attended by over 300 secondary school students. CASM expects this year’s event to attract more participants and have a greater impact.

Mulinde called upon different ministries to initiate programs that guide students not only intellectually but also in various aspects of life, helping to build responsible citizens who can contribute to the country’s development.

CASM is an interdenominational, campus-based ministry and a branch of Christos Ambassadors Ministries International founded in 2023