Vocational skills are an essential part of Malawian life. In a country so poor, there are many who don’t have the possibility or the capability to get to higher education. Earning a living becomes then a daily struggle.
Still today, the possibility to earn a profession is mostly offered only to those who have successfully completed secondary education. Luckily there are exceptions. Bandawe school for the hearing impaired and Stepping Stones International are two of them.
At Bandawe there is the possibility to learn Tailoring and Carpentry. Unfortunately, there are still many challenges even here. As of this year, the school finally got a teacher for Tailoring and one for Carpentry. However, there is not dedicated room for these activities. Tailoring is normally done within a classroom and every time sewing machines are brought in. There is room for Carpentry but tools are not available yet. Despite this the teachers are putting a lot of effort in supporting the students.
At Stepping Stones International instead they just established rooms for these activities and they are ready to start course too. The courses can be attended by anyone who has primary education. Joyce and Ulemu (Ramos’s sister) are going to start the Beauty course soon. Wit will most probably start the carpentry one. Also in this case teachers are very motivated and, since this is a private school, tools are available too.
Opportunities like this will definitely give a chance to many.
