SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL FEEDING & AFTER SCHOOL INITIATIVE
Creating sustainable education and eliminating child labor in Malawi's tobacco-growing communities
Project Overview
• Duration: September 2019 – August 2027
• Target Areas: Mchinji, Kasungu, Dowa
• Partners: Philip Morris International (PMI), Limbe Leaf Tobacco, Alliance One Tobacco Malawi
• Goal: To improve school attendance, reduce child labor, and provide sustainable solutions for school feeding and recreation in Malawi’s tobacco-growing regions.
Key Benefits to Communities, Children, and National Development
1. Empowering Communities
• Increased Community Involvement:
o Parents, chiefs, and local leaders actively participate in project activities like school meal preparation, farming, and maintaining play centers.
o Income-generating activities (IGAs) like vegetable growing and winter cropping empower communities to sustain school feeding initiatives post-project.
• Capacity Building:
o Training sessions equip community stakeholders with financial management, farming techniques, and project sustainability skills.
2. Transforming Children’s Lives
• Reduced Child Labor:
o By engaging children in after-school recreational activities and ensuring consistent school attendance, the project drastically reduces the risk of child labor.
• Improved Education:
o Our School feeding program is combating hunger, enhancing concentration and academic performance.
o Establishing play centers and extracurricular activities keeps children engaged after school, fostering holistic development.
• Gender Equality:
o Feeding programs improve school attendance, especially for girls, helping bridge the gender gap in education.
3. Advancing Malawi’s Development Goals
• Improved Education Systems:
o We are Enhancing enrollment rates, retention, and performance in target schools, contributing to SDG 4 (Quality Education).
• Economic Empowerment:
o Through IGAs and local resource generation, the project strengthens rural economies.
• Child Labor Elimination:
o Aligns with Malawi’s National Action Plan to eliminate child labor by 2025 and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
