By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima. May 22, Mana: As one way of bridging educational gaps and encourage consistent school attendance, Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) on Thursday distributed essential school resources to needy girl students across Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS) in Salima District.

The distributed materials included exercise books, pens, and sanitary pads.

A teacher mentor at MAFCO Battalion CDSS, Esther Chimpeni, said the aid empowers students to participate in education without worrying about affording school necessities.

"These girls come from families that cannot afford to provide such materials, and such aid saves them from worrying about accessing these needs," she said.

Chimpeni also highlighted the school’s methods of ensuring that the resources are used effectively to bring about a positive impact among the beneficiaries.

"At MAFCO CDSS, we implemented a proactive follow-up strategy. We conduct periodic meetings with beneficiaries to motivate them to excel academically.  We also engage their parents to encourage their children to fully utilize the opportunity," she added.

 A teacher mentor at Parachute Battalion CDSS, Ethel Gondwe, underscored how the support directly tackles barriers to education.

"Most children come from families that cannot afford school materials and sanitary pads. This contributes to their absenteeism and poor performance. This initiative helps tackle such issues," Gondwe explained.

Principal Education Officer for Salima, Eliam Banda, commended CAMFED for their continuous support to enhancing girl's education in the country.

"Girls face numerous challenges to stay in school and there is always a high number of dropout rates in girls education, such interventions help to keep girls in school," he said.

Desire Ngoma, a Form 4 student at Parachute Battalion CDSS, expressed her gratitude for the resources, highlighting how they keep her education afloat.

"The resources make it easy to complete tasks that we get from teachers, which would be difficult to achieve without books," Ngoma stated.

CAMFED's initiative provides crucial support to vulnerable girl students in Salima, fostering an environment where they can focus on their studies and pursue their educational aspirations without the burden of lacking necessities.