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FAS Program Helps Provide Qualified Teachers in Malawi

Posted by Kate Snipes, Agricultural Counselor, U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Kenya in Initiatives Food and Nutrition Trade
Dec 27, 2012
Two teachers currently training at the new Dowa Teachers Training College that opened in Malawi Nov. 30. The college was built with the help of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Food for Progress (FFP) program, and more than 250 qualified primary school teachers will graduate from there annually. The teachers will instruct children in the rural communities throughout Malawi. (Courtesy Photo)
Two teachers currently training at the new Dowa Teachers Training College that opened in Malawi Nov. 30. The college was built with the help of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Food for Progress (FFP) program, and more than 250 qualified primary school teachers will graduate from there annually. The teachers will instruct children in the rural communities throughout Malawi. (Courtesy Photo)

School children in the rural communities of Malawi will soon have access to more qualified primary school educators, thanks in part to the Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Food for Progress (FFP) program.

The Dowa Teacher Training College opened its doors on Nov. 30 and was built through a unique public-private partnership led by Planet Aid, a non-profit international development organization, with the help of FFP funds. Future primary school teachers will board at the college and learn core subjects, nutrition and health education and community development with a focus on the skills needed to teach in resource-limited schools. More than 250 teachers are expected to graduate from the college annually.

“This college stands as a testament to the strong cooperation and growing partnership between the United States and Malawi,” said U.S. Ambassador to Malawi Jeanine Jackson, during the college’s opening ceremony. “It reflects our shared commitment to quality education and the promise of a bright and prosperous future.”

A staff member walks through the Dowa Teachers Training College courtyard. The college helps satisfy an urgent need for qualified educators in Malawi and brings the country closer to meeting the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education. (Courtesy Photo)
A staff member walks through the Dowa Teachers Training College courtyard. The college helps satisfy an urgent need for qualified educators in Malawi and brings the country closer to meeting the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education. (Courtesy Photo)

More than 3,000 community members were in attendance, including the Honorable Vice President of Malawi, Khumbo Kachali, and the Honorable Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Eunice Kazembe.

In addition to the college, FAS supported farmer community groups throughout the country to provide education, training and resources in order to boost the income of rural communities and agricultural development in Malawi. FAS also donated 30,000 metric tons of wheat over the past three years through FFP to support Planet Aid and the organization Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) in Malawi on various capacity building projects.

The Dowa Teacher Training College helps satisfy an urgent need for qualified educators in Malawi and brings the country closer to meeting the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education. Helping fund the college showcases USDA’s commitment to assist rural communities worldwide through rural development and education in Africa.

There are currently more than 100 active FFP projects underway in developing countries worldwide. To learn more about FFP, visit the FAS website.

The Honorable Vice President of Malawi, Khumbo Kachali (right), cuts a ribbon during the opening ceremony Nov. 30 for the Dowa Teachers Training College in Malawi with the help of the Honorable Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Malawi, Eunice Kazembe (far left), as Marie Lichtenberg (second from left), Director of International Partnerships at Humana People to People/Planet Aid, and Kate Snipes, FAS Agricultural Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, watch. (Courtesy Photo)
The Honorable Vice President of Malawi, Khumbo Kachali (right), cuts a ribbon during the opening ceremony Nov. 30 for the Dowa Teachers Training College in Malawi with the help of the Honorable Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Malawi, Eunice Kazembe (far left), as Marie Lichtenberg (second from left), Director of International Partnerships at Humana People to People/Planet Aid, and Kate Snipes, FAS Agricultural Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, watch. (Courtesy Photo)
Category/Topic: Initiatives Food and Nutrition Trade
Tags: Africa Education FAS Food for Progress Program Jeanine Jackson Malawi