While many people wait for government or well-wishers to fix the struggles facing needy learners, one local driver decided to use his own farming money to put 236 children in school uniforms.
Ministry of Health driver Paul Maundi donated 236 school uniforms to needy learners at Lulanga Primary School in Mangochi, with 130 girls and 106 boys benefiting from the initiative.
Maundi said he became interested in helping after discovering that some learners were struggling to report for lessons because they lacked uniforms.
Maundi said he and his wife have been financing the initiative with money earned from farming, adding that they have not received outside funding for the charity work.
He urged the beneficiaries to take their education seriously and remain focused on achieving their ambitions.
Lulanga Zone Primary Education Advisor Rodrick Chiumba thanked Maundi for supporting the learners.
Chiumba said the donation will help motivate learners and reduce absenteeism, but added that many parents still can not afford school uniforms.
He appealed to other well-wishers to support learners facing similar challenges.
Lulanga Zone Primary Education Advisor Rodrick Chiumba welcomed the support, saying it will encourage learners to attend school more regularly.
However, Chiumba said the school still faces a shortage of uniforms because many families can not afford to buy them.
He therefore appealed to other people to support learners facing the same challenge.
Senior Chief Lulanga also welcomed Maundi’s intervention but used the occasion to raise another education concern in the area.
The traditional leader said more than 15 primary schools operate in the zone, but there is no secondary school for learners who complete primary education.
One of the beneficiaries, Fatima, thanked Maundi for the uniforms and appealed for further assistance for learners who were not included in the donation.
