TL;DR:
Education changes lives in Chinthowa by giving children the chance to learn, grow in confidence, and build a better future.
- 📚 Around 1,500 pupils now attend Chinthowa Primary School
- 🏫 The Trust built a primary school and eight teachers’ houses in 2012
- 🌱 Support helps remove barriers like uniforms, books, and school materials
Support education today and help a child in Malawi discover their future.
Education – Changing Lives in Chinthowa
Education is one of the most powerful ways to change a life. In rural Malawi, it gives children the chance to learn, grow in confidence, and build a better future.
The Chinthowa Development Trust works to make this possible by removing the barriers that keep children out of school.
Our School in Chinthowa
In 2012, the Trust built a primary school and eight teachers’ houses for the village of Chinthowa and the surrounding communities. This project transformed access to education for children who previously faced long walks to distant schools or had no realistic opportunity to attend at all.
Today, around 1,500 pupils attend the school. Children who once had limited access to education now arrive each day eager to learn, guided by dedicated teachers who work hard to support their progress and encourage their ambitions.
The teachers’ houses have played an important role in this success. In rural areas it can be difficult to attract and retain skilled educators. By providing suitable housing, the Trust helps ensure that qualified teachers are able to live within the community and provide stable, consistent teaching for the pupils. This continuity helps children learn more effectively and strengthens the school as a whole.
Breaking the Barriers
For many families in Malawi, the cost of uniforms, books, and basic school materials can prevent children from attending school regularly. Even small expenses can become significant obstacles for families living with very limited resources.
The Trust helps remove these barriers wherever possible so that children are able to attend school consistently and focus on their learning. When children have the materials they need and a supportive environment around them, they are far more likely to remain in education and succeed.
Building a Brighter Future
Education does more than teach reading, writing, and mathematics. It builds confidence, encourages curiosity, and gives young people the tools they need to shape their own futures.
Chinthowa Development Trust is committed to nurturing the whole child by supporting both academic growth and physical well-being. Through the provision of sports kits and equipment to young learners at Chinthowa Primary School, the Trust is helping to create opportunities for children to build teamwork, confidence, and healthy lifestyles. This holistic approach to education ensures that every child is empowered not only in the classroom but also on the playing field, fostering well-rounded development and brighter futures.
Children who receive an education are better equipped to make informed choices, support their families, and contribute positively to their communities. Over time, this creates lasting change that benefits entire villages.
When a child is educated, a whole community grows stronger.
Through continued support, Chinthowa Development Trust can help ensure that children in this rural community have access to the education they deserve and the opportunities that come with it.
For over 25 years, the Chinthowa Development Trust has been dedicated to supporting young people who have successfully passed their secondary school examinations by covering their school and examination fees. Over time, these fees have risen significantly—from 10,000 MWK ( £4.37) to 55,000 MWK (£24) per term —making this support more vital than ever.
CASE STUDY: “Amazing Grace”
When Grace wakes each morning in Chinthowa village, she knows she has an important journey ahead of her.
After helping her family with a few morning chores, she sets off for school, walking along dusty paths with other children from the village. Like many pupils in rural Malawi, Grace knows that education is her chance to build a better future.
Before the Chinthowa school was built, children often had to walk long distances to attend lessons. Some could not go to school at all.
Today Grace is one of the 1,500 pupils who attend Chinthowa Primary School. She loves learning to read and especially enjoys mathematics. Her dream is to become a teacher so that one day she can help other children learn, just as she is learning now.
Each school day also brings something very important. Thanks to the school feeding programme, Grace receives a warm bowl of maize porridge. For many children it is the only meal of the day. It helps them concentrate, gives them energy to learn, and encourages them to keep coming to school.
Life is still challenging. Classrooms are often crowded, one hundred plus pupils per class, with many families struggling to afford even the most basic school materials.
Yet every morning Grace and her classmates arrive eager to learn, hopeful about the future.
With continued support, children like Grace can stay in school, receive a daily meal, and keep moving closer to the dreams they carry in their hearts.
A Transformational Moment for Education in Malawi
The Chinthowa Development Trust warmly welcomes the Malawi Government’s decision to abolish public secondary school fees nationwide, effective from 1 January 2026. This important reform marks a major step towards making education more accessible and removing one of the greatest barriers facing young people across the country.
Under the new policy, tuition fees, School Development Fund contributions, and exam-related charges for students in public day secondary schools have been removed. The Government has also confirmed that boarding fees in government secondary schools are being phased out from 1 April 2026. This change has the potential to make a real difference for families who have long struggled with the cost of continuing education beyond primary school.
Expanding Opportunity for Every Child
For many years, the transition from primary to secondary education has been one of the most difficult stages for young people in Malawi. Primary school attendance is much higher than secondary school participation, and financial pressure has often prevented capable and motivated students from continuing their education.
By removing school fees in public secondary schools, the Government is opening the door to greater opportunity for thousands of young people. For many families, this reform could mean that secondary education is no longer out of reach, but a realistic next step.
Why this matters
- Secondary school costs have long prevented many children from progressing
- Rural families are often hit hardest by financial and access barriers
- Girls face additional risks of leaving school early
- Free public secondary education could help widen opportunity across Malawi
Addressing Deep-Rooted Challenges
The need for this reform is urgent. Malawi continues to face major educational challenges, including low secondary school enrolment, limited infrastructure in rural areas, overcrowded classrooms, and shortages of trained teachers. Girls are particularly vulnerable to dropping out because of social and economic pressures, including child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
Removing fees will not solve every problem on its own, but it creates a stronger foundation for progress. When financial barriers are taken away, more young people have the chance to stay in school, build confidence, and work towards a more secure future.
Our Commitment
At the Chinthowa Development Trust, we celebrate this historic step forward while recognising that access alone is not enough. Children and young people still need encouragement, practical support, and the right environment in which to succeed.
We remain committed to helping students with the tools, guidance, and opportunities they need to make the most of their education. Together, we can help ensure that this policy delivers lasting change for young people in Chinthowa and across Malawi.
Education gives children the knowledge, confidence, and opportunity to build a better future.
Donate today and help us support children and young people in Malawi through education.