Our Philosophy

Phunzira strongly believes in harnessing the power of education as a means of helping individuals and communities to develop, both socially and economically, while preserving the culture and traditions of their surrounding environment.  We are hopefully beginning to realise that over-simplified ‘do this’ solutions do not have nearly enough impact on the kind of long-term, structural and abject poverty that is so prevalent in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Phunzira believes in spreading and sharing information, know-how and resources, through the implementation of grassroots projects that have been inspired by looking at the fundamental needs and aspirations of the communities they are designed to serve.  

Our projects focus on:

implementing COMMUNITY-DRIVEN initiatives
if a project is being designed to serve a community, we must surely include that community in the design process; if we fail in this, all we will be doing is designing initiatives to serve what ‘we think’ are the communities’ requirements

which are…SUSTAINABLE
a huge part of the success of community initiatives lie in the ability of the community itself to take social, cultural and - in time - financial responsibility for its own ongoing development; Phunzira implements community income-generating schemes associated with its projects so that after a period, the community will be able to take over management

and towards which the community feels REAL OWNERSHIP
being involved in the aims, objectives and operation of ongoing initiatives will only ever enhance the sense of ownership which a community feels towards it; Phunzira strongly believes that community development has the greatest effect when local members feel part of the journey

Educational Aims and Objectives

»   To construct a centre where secondary school students from nearby schools can receive activity-based tuition on selected academic subjects covered at JCE and MSCE level (equivalent to GCSE and A-Level), as well as access study aids such as learning rooms, a library and a basic laboratory.

»   To construct a support centre whereby local primary and secondary schools can access or borrow spare educational materials belonging to the centre.

»   To establish a social space that places emphasis on the awareness of the benefits of education and learning on a collective level.

»   To initiate a forum in which English schools and colleges can donate unused school books and laboratory equipment directly towards the educational needs of children in Africa.

»   To maintain an environment that promotes the development of long-term financial and social connections between English schools/ethical businesses and the Malawian schools involved in the centre.

»   To offer an approachable environment where members of nearby local communities who are not registered at school can freely access a library and crop gardens, as well as receive information and advice on fishing, crop cultivation and AIDS awareness.

»   To promote income generation in the local communities by providing help with agricultural skills and encouraging the growth of crops that are in high demand from nearby consumers.

»   To focus on socioeconomic development as a function of learning and reasoning, and applied and shared knowledge, and to encourage collective growth as a community.

»   To create a non-profit venture that focuses on achieving long-term sustainability, both economically and with regards to the long-term demand of the local communities.

»   To sustain a space that is attuned to the surrounding environment, with links to other support centres in the northern region of Malawi.

What the Centre Will Offer

»     A library with 1000 books for adults, students and young children »     A basic laboratory for students »     2 learning rooms with weekly tuition classes on: *MATHEMATICS   *PHYSICAL SCIENCE    *ENGLISH »     A youth centre with toys, games and art materials »     An adult learning room, with life skills classes on: *CROP CULTIVATION    *HIV/AIDS AWARENESS    *FISHING    *BUILDING »     Gardens, where crops and fruit trees will be grown »     Basic housing for staff »     2 solar panels for basic lighting and plug sockets in the library »    Income generating activities for disadvantaged groups within the community  »     An IT room with training sessions