Reporters on the Job

August 15, 2007

Learning in Malawi: Correspondent Danna Harman, whose story about an effort to send girls from Bowa, Malawi, to secondary school appears here, says that she warmed immediately to Dyna Tambali, the wife of the primary school headmaster in Bowa. "She is bright and funny, the kind of person you want to get to know better."

But Danna says that Mrs. Tambali can't get a teaching job – there is only one teacher at the school. "She would love to work, not only to help her family but to have something more to do."

Finding ways to build on an education can be difficult, especially for villagers. "Women in Bowa say that to get a job, you must go to the city. But you can't go for a day – you have to go for a week or two. But to do that, you need not only bus fare but the funds to stay – and the bus alone would use up many people's resources," Danna notes. "If you do manage to get an education, you're often hampered by a lack of money to take the next step."

If you are interested in knowing more about the effort, please contact:

AGE Scholarship Fund
P.O. Box 53085
Medford, MA 02153 USA
www.ageafrica.org

– Amelia Newcomb
Assistant World editor