Supporters of the Go! Malawi Library Project. (Photo courtesy Lisa Genthner Gunn)
Beautiful Malawi, in southeast Africa, is the world’s second poorest country, according to a 2017 24/7 Wall St. report. Even though it is a democratic nation, its school system is much different from the American school system and there is no free public education after eighth grade.
The children are eager to learn and the teachers want to teach them, but they are in need of supplies, assistance, and fees to attend school. They also lack something very valuable to an education — a library.
The Medomak Valley community has been working together with Go! Malawi, an organization founded in 2006 by Medomak Valley High School aluma Janet Littlefield to make positive change.
Melissa Barbour, an English teacher at the high school, and Krisanne Baker, who teaches art there, recently made a trip to Malawi to work with the teachers, college prep students, and staff in Mpamila Village in Ntchisi.
Leading the Go! Malawi Library Project, which is a collaborative effort within the Medomak community, is Medomak Valley High School sophomore Sadie Cohen. Cohen is hoping to make a difference in students’ educations in Malawi by fundraising to build a library structure in Mpamila Village to help the youth realize their dreams.
On Tuesday, May 22, starting at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Medomak Valley High School, there will be a potluck dinner for $10, and a silent auction, followed by a presentation in the auditorium of Barbour’s and Baker’s work and experience in Malawi. The event will conclude with a presentation by Sadie Cohen and the Medomak Valley High School students’ efforts and hopes for the library project.
All proceeds from the event will go directly towards the Go! Malawi Library Project. This is truly a community collaboration by an alumni founder, current staff members, and students who are making a difference to better the lives of youth and their families in Malawi.
