During a visit to the Mchinji district in Malawi, Minister Mary Navicha highlighted the importance of the Community Learning Centres (CLCs) supported by DVV International. She emphasised the contribution made by the CLCs to promoting self-reliance and overcoming poverty.
Since 2017, DVV International has been supporting the development of sustainable structures for adult learning and education (ALE) in Malawi. At the heart of these efforts are Community Learning Centres (CLCs) – educational centres in rural areas that offer vocational training courses for graduates of literacy schools (Sukulu ya Chitukuko).
In collaboration with the National Centre for Literacy and Adult Education (NACLAE), DVV International has now established nine CLCs across five different districts. Many of the centres have already succeeded in generating their own funds through income-generating activities, such as livestock farming or rice cultivation, with the aim of becoming less dependent on external funding in the medium term. Above all, however, the courses at the CLCs have helped people escape the cycle of poverty by providing them with important skills that they can now use to establish their own small businesses. These include tailoring, solar installation, bricklaying as well as essential skills for working in a beauty salon.
Minister Navicha visits Community Learning Centre
Two of the CLCs supported by DVV International are located in the far west of the country, in the Mchinji district. The Minister for Gender Equality, Children, People with Disabilities and Social Welfare, Mary Navicha, travelled there on 25 August to see for herself the benefits of the CLCs. In Malawi, responsibility for ALE lies not with the Ministry of Education but with the ministry headed by Navicha. First, Navicha was shown the work produced by graduates of the vocational training courses. She then spoke with current students and was able to see for herself the strong commitment of the local community to the CLC.
Self-reliance as a path out of poverty
During the celebrations that followed, the Minister emphasised that self-employment can offer many people a better way out of poverty than waiting in vain for formal employment or casual work. The CLC courses provide concrete opportunities for this. The Minister also praised the substantial support provided by DVV International. DVV International received equally warm praise from Rachel Mazombwe Zulu, Member of Parliament for Mchinji, and from Susanne Meltl, the BMZ representative at the German Embassy in Lilongwe.
The support for CLCs in Malawi forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s entire adult learning and education system through a holistic approach. Successful pilot activities at the CLCs are intended to demonstrate the positive results that ALE can achieve with limited resources. These successes can be used in dialogue with development partners and the national government to ensure that ALE is given greater consideration in development plans and public funding.