Vanier College students: offering a hand-up to Malawi

The mission focuses on a learning experience where the students will work with the inhabitants of a Malawian village. They will teach in local schools and investigate the issues that are affecting the educational development of the country.

On their return to Vanier, these eight students will develop solutions to help improve the quality and efficiency of the country’s academic conditions. They will also inform other students, as well as the general public, about what is actually happening in Malawi and how, by getting involved, Canadians can bring about change in that country.

Doug Miller, the leader and coordinator of the program, thinks the experience is definitely going to be a challenge for the Vanier students, because they realize that they will not make a big dent among the 110 million African children who do not attend school, or on the large number of girls who drop out at an early age. On the other hand, they will try to seek the reasons for these statistics, in order to better understand the situation. “What we are going to do is try to answer the question ‘Why is it like that?’ This way we can be more active and develop strategies. Our job is to learn about what the situation is in one specific country,” says Miller.

Indeed, the low enrolment of girls in schools is a case that is particular to Malawi, and the team will focus on finding the solutions that may apply to their circumstance. “We’ll be working in the schools, so we’ll be looking specifically at the situation of girls in these schools, and in the village where we’ll be staying. We’ll also try to see how what we have learned applies to these children as much as it applies to someone else. In some cases the girls seem to be behind in their studies. Why is that? Plus, what has been the impact of AIDS? Many of these children are now orphans because of AIDS.”

Moreover, the team will be working with three local institutions: a school for the blind, a primary school and a secondary school. One of the biggest issues is that there are only 16 teachers for 900 students. These conditions make it almost impossible for educators to guarantee an effective learning environment so that the children can continue their studies.

This is why the team will try to get a better picture of the situation, to understand what the conditions really are and avoid making general statements. “Our role is to say, ‘Let’s go and find out what is happening in Malawi’. We have a general idea, but we are going to go as social scientists into a small community, and we will try to get an accurate picture of the highs and lows. Then, when we get back, we will talk about what we can do to help bring that change. We will be able to help by taking action here, because we will be better informed. Our strategy is to tell other Canadians about what is it like, what is needed and how we can initiate change from here,” says Miller.

Another important objective for the group is to make sure they are going to Malawi with a balanced and unbiased perspective. These students want to help the community without imposing their solutions, because the ultimate goal is to help the people become as autonomous as possible, so Malawi can stop its dependency on aid from developed countries. “The slogan I created is ‘Solidarity Not Charity’. Solidarity means that we are working on an equal plain with them, while charity means that there is always a hand that is higher than the other. What we want to do is help these people set up enterprises, schools, clinics, anything that would allow them to be self-sufficient. We have to give them the tools, so they will not need us to send any more money. Solidarity is giving people independence, not keeping them dependent,” explains Miller.

The best way to fight the current reality is by providing education and solutions that can be applicable to Malawian society. Indeed, the real work will start when the students return to Canada and spread the word about what they have seen and learned, in order to sensitize others about becoming involved. It is crucial for Canadians to take action, to give their help back to the world and offer, as Miller points out, “a hand up, not a hand-out”.

(By: Patricia Vasquez Lopez)