Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Karonga (Agenzia Fides) - "Helping a child in the field of nutrition and education is a concrete gesture that gives life and builds the future", says Sister Franca Zonta, Superior General of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate of Agen (Marianists). "A child loved and supported in his/her growth becomes an adult capable of acting for his/her well-being and that of the community", she underlines in her invitation to collaborate in the educational emergency of the children of Karonga. "In this rural area of Malawi, the little ones are totally ignorant" , in fact there is no educational center for children between 2 and 5 years of age. The missionaries want to help them by creating a kindergarten for 60 children from vulnerable families, marginalized due to sexual discrimination or stigmatized because they suffer from diseases such as HIV (AIDS).
In the country, children represent nearly half of the population and most of them are often deprived of essential rights: food, water, health, education.
"Primary education from 6 to 14 years old is compulsory, but only half of the pupils complete this cycle of studies. Furthermore, the overcrowded classes and the lack of teachers mean that many children still cannot read and write when they reach the fourth year. Very few children finish secondary school and girls drop out of school because of early marriage. It is in this difficult context that the Marianist Sisters operate, committed to the education children, girls and boys, from the villages of Karonga. The Congregation is present in 16 countries on four continents. It reaches out to the excluded, the marginalized, the forgotten by society through gestures of solidarity and sharing. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 2/3/2022)
