Program Updates

Thank you all for your continued and dedicated support of our growing programs over the months. Your support continues to be meaningful to us and our partners, as together we work toward a "better life" for all. We hope you enjoy reading the stories below and staying connected to the amazing women and youth who find community and hope through our programs.

Sincerely,
Dustin & Cara, Co-founders

Bola Moyo Youth Centre

The House of Many Stories Youth Centre has experienced unprecedented growth in the past few months. Last year we had about 20-50 youth attending per day, but recently we've often had more than 150 youth in attendance on any given day! The youth continue to experience our multi-faceted curriculum - including music, drama, art, debate, sports, and agricultural training - which is designed to engage them in creative problem-solving and critical thinking. Our recent growth indicates that our programs continue to fulfill a great need within the community.

Our Board Secretary, Desirée, recently took a trip to Balaka and had fun traveling to Najuchi in east Malawi on the train with a group of our youth. On this trip, Desirée, two Bola Moyo staff members, and many of our youth had the opportunity to see the Malawian countryside and even briefly visit Mozambique! This was quite the exciting trip for the youth, as many of them had never before had the opportunity to leave Balaka.
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ALiCE (Adult Literacy and Continuing Education)

ALiCE is proud to announce our first graduating class of Adult Education students, who passed their Standard 8 exams in Fall 2008! This year we continue to support Katherine, an ALiCE 2008 graduate (age 25 and married with two children), as she pursues her education at a secondary school in Balaka. In the future we hope we can support more students as they continue onto secondary school. Our new class of Standard 8 adult students can only be described as studious - perhaps even nerdy(!) - as they eagerly devour lessons in English, Mathematics, Chichewa, and Health Education every weekday at the Bola Moyo Center. The Adult Literacy School has also recently been flooded with new attendees, who came as a result of an announcement at the Balaka Muslim
Association. In Malawi there has traditionally been some animosity between Christians and Muslims. This is the first time for many of the women of these two groups to work together so closely, as they learn every day at the Bola Moyo Literacy School.

Visit Balaka Via Youtube!

Check out some new videos of our Youth Centre here.

These were recorded by Desiree Cooper on her last trip to Malawi.

You can read more about her trip in the post below.

Letter from Desiree

Moni Kwaonse!
Greetings to all!!

You may remember me from newsletters in previous years, first as an Intern and then as the Executive Assistant. Although I moved to England in summer 2007 to pursue a Masters in Development Management at the London School of Economics, my dedication to Bola Moyo has grown even stronger in the years since I left the Portland office. Now I serve as Secretary on Bola Moyo's Board of Directors, a role I have filled since Fall 2008. I've had the wonderful opportunity to take three trips to Malawi in the past year and a half.

I first visited Bola Moyo in Malawi in late 2007 during a break from the internship I had at that point in Kenya. Then I had the privilege to spend summer 2008 in Balaka working with Bola Moyo's staff to strengthen our Adult Education programming. Most recently, in March and April I had a five-week break from my graduate program in London, and I took the opportunity to spend a month in Balaka assessing all of our programs.

I'll admit that I was a bit nervous, since it was my first time without Dustin and Cara also there to hold my hand the whole way. But I'm happy to report that the trip turned out to be a rousing success. I had a wonderful time bonding with our Malawian program staff and participants. The youth centre and the adult education program are not only doing well, but are vibrant, alive, and kicking! More than ever before I am inspired by the dedication of our Malawian staff and participants, who have made our work in Balaka a continuous success.

Now I am back in London where I am busily writing my thesis on primary education in Malawi, but I'm already looking forward to the day that I can once again return to Balaka!

Lero Labwino
Have a great day!
Desiree Cooper

Rose Mbendera

A Profile of our Adult Education Manager

Mrs. Mbendera is one of our newest employees, having joined Bola Moyo in Balaka in January 2008. Rose leads the adult literacy classes that take place in the afternoon every weekday at the Bola Moyo Center. The lessons she gives to our adult students include English, Mathematics, and Chichewa (the local language). Her students are generally women aged 16 to 65 who either had to drop out of school around 2nd or 3rd grade, or who never had the opportunity to attend school at all in the past.

Rose originally hales from Mchinji district in the far west of Malawi, although she spent many of her formative years in Zambia. She moved to Balaka in 1972 when she married her husband, who is a retired police officer. She has five adult sons.

Bola Moyo WomenRose was a housewife for 32 years, but after her children left home she decided to dedicate her life to promoting adult literacy and education in her community. She developed her own adult literacy program and curriculum, which she taught in Balaka with spirited dedication solely on a voluntary basis for six years. In early 2007, we decided she was so talented that we would swoop her up and give her a job to continue doing what she does best.

She also manages the Adult Education portion of ALiCE, where women who have reached at least Standard 5 can study a more formal curriculum to eventually take their Standard 8 exams. In the future we hope to expand the program to support students who want to go onto secondary school and beyond.

Rose is an invaluable employee who has been instrumental in the success of our adult education programs. Zikomo kwambiri (thanks very much), Rose!