Malawi Crisis: Hunger fuels high School dropout in Nsanje

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Over 1,000 primary school learners in the lower Shire district of Nsanje are reported to have dropped out of School this year alone due to hunger problem, Malawi24 can reveal.

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Dropouts on the rise in Nsanje. Google image

Speaking to this publication on Tuesday of October 18,2016, Nsanje District Education Manager,Hendrix Likeke says most learners are leaving school to do the piece works for food in their homes.

Likeke said the district had an enrollment of 91,200 learners last year but the number has drastically dropped to 90,000 this academic year owing to hunger situation that has hit most parts of the country.

This is happening while the World Food Program(WFP) is committed with their school feeding program across the country.

Meanwhile a women’s rights organization in district – Kuchene Women Forum has embarked on a year-long ‘go-to-school’ campaign to lure more children back to school.

In the project, the organization has engaged the police to pick all school going children that are found loitering about the streets and markets,meet with their parents and guardians to sensitize them on the importance of supporting kids to be in school.

Apart from being affected by the looming hunger,Nsanje has also been seriously hit by a number natural disasters such as floods and drought that displaced and left them crop less a year ago.