Women build hostel to keep girls in school
Women in Traditional Authority (T/A)Khosolo in Mzimba District have teamed up to construct a hostel at Ng’ombechinda Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) to keep girls in school. The facility is designed to accommodate 60 girls who used to travel long distances to school, which discouraged them from continuing with their education. Khosolo Women Forum director … The post Women build hostel to keep girls in school appeared first on Nation Online.
Black News 
Women in Traditional Authority (T/A)Khosolo in Mzimba District have teamed up to construct a hostel at Ng’ombechinda Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) to keep girls in school.
The facility is designed to accommodate 60 girls who used to travel long distances to school, which discouraged them from continuing with their education.
Khosolo Women Forum director Joyce Mwale said in an interview on Tuesday that the structure, which is 90 percent complete, will ensure that girls have a proper accommodation instead of walking long distances daily.
She said: “We decided to build the hostel because many learners were walking long distances to school, a situation that affected attendance and performance.
“Our initial cost was K105 million, but it could rise due to other factors. Once completed, the hostel will accommodate about 60 girls.”
Mwale said the project is also expected to address key social issues affecting adolescent girls in the area, such as early marriages and abuse.
“We are hopeful that the hostel will also reduce cases of child marriages and abuse. When the girls are within the school premises, they will be protected from exploitation,” she said.
The school’s head teacher Timothy Mabaso said some girls dropped out because they were covering 20 kilometres to school.
He said: “The long distance exposes girls to risks and makes it difficult for them to arrive on time and participate fully in school activities.
“The hostel will, therefore, motivate girls to work harder knowing they have a safe to stay.”
On her part, the school’s head girl Mines Shaba said learners are happy with the the hostel.
“The hostel will motivate us to focus on our studies,” she said.
With support from ActionAid Malawi, the forum has supported a number of social activities, ranging from girls’ education, fighting early child marriages and gender-based violence, empowering women and promoting environmental issues in T/A Khosolo in the district.
The post Women build hostel to keep girls in school appeared first on Nation Online.
