Rotary Becket has supported the development of Chitipi School near Lilongwe in Malawi since 2011, when an initial visit of by club members observed the majority of learners being taught under a tree.
The school at this time had 550 pupils and three basic classrooms.
Funds were raised which facilitated the construction of two additional classrooms and the renovation of 3 existing classrooms and the community room.
A follow up visit to inspect the works in 2014 found learners still being taught under the same tree as the success of the building works had increased school numbers to 1000.
Rotary Becket again embarked to raise more funds, which enabled an additional 4 classrooms and an office for the headmaster to be constructed in 2015.
The school was also provided with two Agrisan compostable toilets in 2022 and a lead farmer toilet, as part of a global grant funded project to provide Agrisan toilets to 20 village primary schools.
A delegation from Rotary Becket visited the school in March 2023, to review use of the Agrisan toilets and undertake an appraisal of current challenges faced by the school, with a view undertake works in the future.
The team found the numbers of learners attending the school had increased again from 1000 to a figure now exceeding 1400 which has far outstripped the classroom capacity.
The school confirmed that in order to avoid the interruption of lessons due to the weather, the school is desperately in need of four further classrooms and a new community room that would have a multi-purpose as a meeting room for village chiefs, village groups, school library and store. It will also be used as a vocational training room, offering sewing, handicrafts and woodworking lessons.
The 2023 Classroom Project Phase 1
Rotary Becket together with the Rotary Club of Lilongwe is keen to continue its proactive support to Chitipi Primary School, with the aim of developing the school to become a showcase of what can be achieved by Rotary International.
It is proposed to build another 3 classrooms in a block to the South West corner of the school site. Each classroom would be 8m x 7.7m internal size, overall length 24m, constructed from concrete wall blocks, concrete floor, timber roof trusses and covered with profile metal sheeting.
Your help in raising funds for this is very much appreciated
Click here for details original build project
Click here to find out more about the potential to improve health, hygiene and cultivation by low cost ECCO Toilets
more March saw the completion of the last element of the Phase 1 works of the Chitipi School Development Programme
more On 16th March members of the Club and guests enjoyed a night of Traditional Jazz in Kislingbury Village Hall
more Rotary Becket launched their Appeal for Funds to Build More Classrooms in Africa
more David & Terry set off to deliver this Ambulance to Ukraine on 4th August and notwithstanding a days delay due to a breakdown in Germany drove through the night to hand it over to the Rotary Club of Lviv at 7.30 BST on 7th August
more Rotary Becket are helping in the funding and building of Agro-Toilets (Eco Toilets) in schools in Malawi in conjunction with local Rotary Clubs
more Rotarians Terry Atkinson, Gordon Roan, John Saynor & David Sparrow set off to Malawi on 15th March2023 (Rotary Becket's 35th Birthday!) Revisit this page for regular updates
more This is the story of our clubs project which built 6 additional classrooms in a rural school
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