Select a tab below to read more about Year 1, 2, 3 or our ongoing work for the Keys to Education Project. You will also find slideshows and videos at the bottom of each tab.
Ongoing Work - Beyond Year 3
March 2105 Fact Finding Trip to Malawi with Heather White, Mike Miller, and Margot McGorman
Our team traveled to Malawi to check in with teachers who participated in the three year Keys to Education program. We are working to define what the next step is to help build early literacy in the Northern Region of Malawi. Meetings were held with government officials as well in the capital, Lilongwe. We toured the schools that have been built with the assistance of First Presbyterian Church, Watertown. We were also able to donate school supplies to the community of Mbowe where a new school block should open within a few months. This project began is 2012 when our team formed bricks with the villagers. In 2013 we laid the cornerstone and the walls began to form! We were able to meet with two of the three Widows groups who participate in the WOGWF. We traveled to Mzenga where the Clint McCoy Community Center provides three meals a week to over 90 children who also participate in lessons games with a representative from the Widows' Fund. Finally, we visited a new school program on the campus of Michengutuwa Church supporting their needs with supplies.
The 2015 fact finding trip included many types of work for Keys to Education: meetings with government officials, The Children's Library Program at Mzuzu University, meetings with teachers, and school visits. Enjoy our pictures, we hope they give you a glimpse of our work.
Heather White's book, The ABCs of Malawi, can be purchased for $7 per copy. All profits from the book support the Keys to Education Project. Donations will be used to provide additional school materials and teacher training. We will continue this project because we feel the work is too important to end. If you'd like to continue to support the Keys to Education project click the link below.
Donations are welcome, please write Keys to Education Trip in the comment section. Thank you for your support.
Below you will find pictures from our recent Keys to Education trip.
Slideshow
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Keys to Education Project 2014 - Year 3
Leader: Heather White
Participant: Carol Stevens
Pictured here are the alphabet book and teachers' edition that were the tools used at this summer's teacher training. Over 2,000 student books were delivered to schools in the Keys to Education program. The teachers were trained in the many ways these books can be used to teach: the alphabet, words, sentences, and more. Heather White and Carol Stevens traveled to Malawi in July. This was Heather's third trip under the Keys to Ed grant and Carol's first trip. Carol is a retired teacher having taught first, third, and has been a reading recovery teacher. Her expertise added so much to this year's workshop!
It is traditional in Africa to give a speech to open and close a meeting. Freedom Chawinga of Monsanto Primary School in Malawi made the following speech during our trip in July:
On behalf of my fellow teachers, I bring you special greetings from Mbowe, the real village where hospitality is our second nature and where warmth of the sun is like smiles on every face.
I stand here tall to let you know that since 2012 this partnership was forged between teachers from Malawi and teachers from the United States of America has accomplished many notable things inclluding the following:
• Sharpening the minds of all teachers and their future.
• Giving us confidence in ourselves.
• Providing us with teaching materials like books, markers, word cards, pocket charts, and wall charts, just to mention a few.
You also act as a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge, and wisdom in all teachers.
I also extend my thanks to Hon. Minister MP Grace Chiumia and Sam Chirwa for making all possible and hope that gift of life sets an example to millions of Malawians.
It was really good time to be part of this training program; we hope we will be able to spread the essence of your effort to our various schools. This course was very wonderful and outstanding!
Last, but not least, it is true that what we have done for ourselves alone dies with us, what we have done for others remains and is immortal. May the good Lord bless you all.
Heather White's book, The ABCs of Malawi, can be purchased for $7 per copy. All profits from the book support the Keys to Education Project. This year was the third and final year of the project, but Women of Grace Widows' Fund has decided to keep the Keys to Education fund open to receive donations. Donations will be used to provide additional school materials and teacher training. We feel the work this project has started is too important to end just because we've reached the final year of the grant. If you'd like to continue to support the Keys to Education project click the link below.
Donations are welcome, please write 2014 Keys to Education Trip in the comment section. Thank you for your support.
Below you will find pictures from our 2014 Keys to Education trip.
Slideshow
Click or tap the play button to view the slideshow.
Keys to Education Project 2013 - Year 2
Leader: Heather White
Participants: Julia Bonisteel, Barbara Eldridge, Julia Gefell
This year we worked in six primary schools: Kanininga, Chibwaka, Michenguatuba, Monsanto, Clint McCoy Center, and Chivumu. One school, Michenguatuba was in the city of Mzuzu; three were far out in the bush, one right outside of Mzuzu, and the last on the lakeshore of Lake Malawi. These schools all had cabinets constructed and chalkboards refinished with Keys to Education funds.
We found that each teacher was using the strategies they had learned in the teacher training workshop they had attended last summer. They are hardworking, creative teachers that are an inspiration. They use the materials they have at hand to create lessons. In the Kanininga School, one teacher had torn cardboard she found to make more words to use in the pocket chart we had given her last year! In another school, a teacher brought tree branches into her school block and used thread to hang the word cards we had given her last year.
Sam Chirwa, the Keys to Education Field Manager, led the introductory meeting with the Head Master at each school. It had come to our attention at a few schools that the materials teachers were given last year were kept under lock and key making it difficult for some teachers to gain access. This is as it is in Malawi, sometimes information is misunderstood. The Head teachers meant no harm; to the contrary, they were "taking care of the materials" as instructed. We assured each Head Master that the materials are for use; it is expected that they get worn and a bit dirty with use.
When visiting each school we broke into two teams to co-teach in a classroom. Each of us taught a specific lesson then we worked on whatever that particular teacher asked of us. The lessons revolved around the new materials each teacher received this year: a pocket chart calendar kit, alphabet linking cards with the 50 most commonly used words on the back, five learning songs manipulative kit, and building sentences using pocket chart materials. First we modeled the lesson ideas then the teacher took over. Many sessions we taught side by side! We were impressed with the students drive to learn, their enthusiasm, and brought to tears as they sang to us when we departed, "This is not good-bye, until we meet again."
We held a full-day workshop modeled in the same format as last year’s workshop: Opening remarks, teachers receive their professional packets, full group lesson in the use of Big Books, two breakout sessions, break for refreshments, two breakout sessions, closing session when teachers are given their new materials followed by Q and A, and a closing dinner.
Materials were delivered this year via 14 trunks each weighing in at 50lbs. The materials include: 70 Big Books, 2,000 ABC linking cards, 1,000 easy readers, pocket chart calendars, pocket chart refill materials (cards, phrase cards, markers, sight words, easy math fact cards), learning song kits, pocket chart lesson guide and materials, sticky tac, scissors, word family chart poster.
The materials alone are a good tool for the teachers of Malawi who work tirelessly in classrooms void of instructional materials after walking two hours to work each morning. Our time with the teachers was invaluable! We worked together, laughed, cried as we learned side by side how to meet the needs of their classes, most of over 80 children.
We are making plans for the third Keys to Education trip in 2014. Donations are welcome, please write 2014 Keys to Education Trip in the comment section.
Below you will find pictures and video from our 2013 Keys to Education trip.
Slideshow
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Videos
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Keys to Education Project 2012 - Year 1
Leader: Heather White
Participants: Rita Gefell, Sue Remington, Renee Waterbury
Women of Grace Widow's Fund received a $34,000 grant from the National Presbyterian Women Thank Offering that spans three years. The 2012 Keys to Education team was comprised of: Heather White, Renee Waterbury, Rita Gefell and Sue Remington. The team spent ten days working with teachers in Malawi, Africa. The team of teachers shared many strategies with Malawian teachers during a full day workshop. The outreach portion of the trip included visiting six schools to work with teachers in their school environment. Sam Chirwa, Field Manager, will visit the Malawian teachers in their schools over the next year. He will distribute additional curriculum materials, as well as work on projects. The 2012 projects include: black board refurbishing, and construction of storage lockers.
We had the opportunity to work with the PTA mother's from various schools as they molded bricks! These bricks will be used to build a kindergarten classroom block this Fall. We were in a rural village named Mbowe where young children do not currently have access to school. The women formed 4,000 bricks the day we stepped in to help. They need 50,000 before construction begins. We joined in the line passing the mold of clay from the mud pit to the drying area; singing songs of joy and hope with the women. The women were surprised to see white women approach their work site, but for us to step in and help with the manual labor is just unheard of in Malawi. Renee said," I wasn't passing the brick mold quickly enough so the woman standing next to me would tap me and say, 'girl, girl.' Well, by the third time she tapped me she looked right in my eye, smiled, and said, 'friend, friend.'" That's how it works in Malawi.
The Teacher Training Workshop specialized in four early education areas: alphabet knowledge, number knowledge, high frequency words/word study and good first teaching using a Read Aloud book. Each teacher had the time to attend all four strategy sessions. At the conclusion of the workshop teachers were presented with large bags containing new curriculum materials they had received instruction in using. It was an emotional moment handing over materials to hard working teachers who have never had a collection of materials in their classroom. These teachers have class sizes ranging from 35 to over 100 students. Many working in classrooms with no books, no desks, using a single blackboard serving students sitting on a dirt floor. Time was taken to do an inventory and give pointers in the care of these materials. Each teacher received: alphabet and number line wall charts, vowel charts, the 100 most frequently used word card sets, a word family card set, using numbers to 30 and operations set, magnetic letters and trays, and a collection of books for their classroom. It was so exciting to watch these teachers become empowered and motivated with their new classroom techniques and materials!
Select the tab above titled, "Keys to Education 2013" to learn about our most recent trip. We are making plans for the third Keys to Education trip in 2014. Donations are welcome, please write 2014 Keys to Education Trip in the comment section.
Below you will find pictures and video from our 2012 Keys to Education trip.
Slideshow
Click or tap the play button to view the slideshow.
Videos
Click or tap a thumbnail image below and press play to watch the corresponding video.
How You Can Help
1. Host a meeting or potluck at your church, home or in your community to share information and raise funds for the Women Of Grace Widows’ Fund.
2. Ask your church to hold a yearly special offering for the Widows’ Fund.
3. Tell a friend about the widows in Malawi.
Learn more...
Background
Since 2004, the Women Of Grace Widows’ Fund has been assisting and empowering women in Malawi, Africa. Malawi is one of the world’s poorest countries with an average per capita income of $170. Life expectancy is age 47 with malaria, AIDS and malnutrition as the leading causes of death. Learn more...