I love visiting schools in Malawi. I try to plan my visits so that I arrive just before school is released for the day. As soon as we arrive we are a distraction. I love the way they welcome and greet us. I always feel at home and wish I could stay all day. My favorite experiences are when the teacher allows us to sneak in as she continues teaching.

The students are generally required to wear uniforms. This is such an expense for many families, one that actually prevents some children from attending. This particular school does not require uniforms to make learning more accessible.

I asked the students to please stand so I could see the floor. The floor was filled with giant holes. In the rainy season, these holes fill with water. Unimaginable for me, but they don’t seem to complain…it’s life as they know it and they are grateful to have school.

This particular school is in desperate need of a new floor. It is common practice for contractors to provide inferior products and cut corners to save money. It definitely shows in the results. I know when they built this school, they had enough money for one school block building. By cutting corners, they were able to build additional classrooms. Unfortunately now it is in need of renovation.

Repairing the floor in this school is on my bucket list. A little bit of money would go a long way here and would make a significant impact on their learning environment.