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Girls Shine Academy Vision Document
Girls Shine Academy Vision Document
Girls Shine Academy Vision Document
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OVERVIEW
The overall objective of the school is to provide educational and leadership opportunities to girls in Malawi by using
a holistic approach. This will be done by building a girls boarding secondary school which will provide quality
education and a safe haven for the beautiful girls of Malawi who are mostly prone to abuse.
50/50 MODEL
Girls Shine Academy will be implementing a revolutionary 50/50 model. This means that half of the girls who
attend will be sponsored, and the others will be non-sponsored. A non-sponsored girl will attend the school
because her parents are in a position to pay for her tuition. A sponsored girl will attend the school with a massive
discount. She will need to pass an aptitude test and show a genuine interest in her own education. An education
for her from GSA will be life-changing.
LEADERSHIP
Girls Shine Academy will be operated by Tiya Dzilankhulani. She has a diploma in Business Administration, a
Bachelors of Arts in Education and a Masters in Christian Leadership. She has taught at both government schools
and private international schools. She has developed curriculum, runs her own business, and handles funds for a
village-based educational initiative that she started. Shes the President of Womens Ministries at her church and is
married with kids. When Dr. Paul Chinchen (President of African Bible Colleges) was asked about Tiya, he said,
Tiya will be the best Headmistress you will ever find in your entire life. Tiya has also invested much of her own
money in helping keep girls in school and her passion and drive is abundantly evident the moment you see her
interact with students.
WHY $105,000?
A school could technically be built for around $25,000. However, after thousands of these schools have been built
all over Africa, its become evident that cheap schools lead to bad teachers and a poor education. Theres enough
bad schools being built in Africa. A quality education starts with quality facilities. It should be noted that quality
facilities also lead to sustainability. When Malawians see a nice school, they will be willing to pay more for tuition
and that will assist in bringing further opportunity to our non-sponsored girls.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
THE PROBLEM
Despite the introduction of the free primary school education by the Malawi Government in 1994, secondary
education remains a challenge for most of the girls in Malawi. Secondary school enrollment is still dominated by
boys and continues to dwindle for girls despite the many interventions on girls education (Malawi Government,
ESIP II, 2013). Malawi has few public girls boarding secondary schools of which entrance is by selection and is
highly restrictive. In addition to poverty, girls in Malawi face innumerable challenges prohibiting them to complete
secondary education than boys (Scharff, 2007). Some of the challenges include:
Girls are expected to help their mothers with household chores both before and after school
Girls face enormous pressure to marry once they reach puberty
Girls are viewed as lazy, passive and inferior hence not proactive in the classroom
Girls are viewed as lower performers in class than boys and often they accede to view
Girls have to travel long distances in order to attend secondary school
Girls are vulnerable to abuse on the way to school
Girls resort to self-boarding schools that are not supervised and are prone to abuse
Girls are faced with serious challenges on sanitary issues due to lack of proper infrastructure in schools
It is under this background that the vision for building a girls boarding secondary school was born. Building an all girls boarding school is essential for the education of girls in Malawi which is instrumental to development. This
vision will therefore contribute to the Malawi Development Goals (MDGs) of promoting empowered women.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS
The school will run the following programs in order to develop well rounded students:
Mentorship
Sponsorship
Leadership
Career Development
Community Service
LOGISTICS
FUNDRAISING
Construction will take place over 12 weeks, assuming the necessary funds come in. A minimum of $75,000 is
needed to build 2 classrooms, an administration building and a toilet. Extra funds will go toward teacher salaries,
classroom improvements, road development and additional facilities.
CONSTRUCTION COSTS
These are the rough estimates of how much will need to be raised per week to build the bare minimum facilities.
Bare in mind that construction in Africa is not as precise as a project in America might be. Things like inflation, oil
and transportation into remote village areas can fluctuate pricing. Fundraising starts on January 24th, 2016.
Week 1: Excavation - $3500
Week 2: Brick Work - $5500
Week 3: Concrete Slab - $7500
Week 4: External Walls - $10500
Week 5: Internal Walls - $10500
Week 6: Roofing Timber - $7500
Week 7: Roofing Iron Sheets - $7500
Week 8: Plastering - $5500
Week 9: Floor Furnishing - $5500
Week 10: Doors, Windows, Fittings and Furnishings - $7500
Week 11: Toilet and Purchasing Books - $7500
Week 12: Toilet Superstructure, Hiring Teachers - $17000
GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS
Government regulations can be some very tricky waters to navigate. Thankfully, Tiya went to school with Mrs.
Chawinga who is an official with the Ministry of Education. Mrs. Chawinga is passionate about this project and the
two of them have been working diligently to make sure the school will be ready to open in September.
LOCATION
The land for GSA was generously donated by the people of Mkanda Village. Its 10+ acres of beautifully flat and
remote landscape. Its the perfect space to begin a boarding school because parents prefer to send their girls
away from the city since it reduces the likelihood of teenage pregnancy and early marriage. Its enough land that
GSA can continue to expand after a few years of operation.
CONSTRUCTION PLANS
SCHOOL PLAN
BOARDING SCHOOL
The schools remote location is ideal for a boarding education. Parents want to send their children away from the
city so they can focus on their education and reduce the possibility of teenage pregnancy and early marriage.
TUITION
Many factors play a role in cost of tuition. Our best estimates are that a tuition of 50,000 Malawian Kwacha ($75)
per year will be the breakeven amount necessary to reach sustainability. This money will come from Nonsponsored students whose family can afford it, or from donors in the States who desire to sponsor our girls from
the rural areas. School expenses will also be subsidized by an on campus farm that both grows maize and raises
cattle.
OWNERSHIP
The school will be owned by HOWMs, Inc. until it can be transferred to its own organization.
CURRICULUM
The school will utilize the Malawi Government school system which runs a four year secondary school program
with two national examinations.
LONG-TERM PLAN
The initial construction fundraising efforts will build 2 classrooms, an administration building and an outdoor toilet.
This will be enough to get the school to sustainability over the first two years. As time goes on, additional buildings
plans include: dormitories, library, dining hall, sports facilities, music and arts facilities, guard tower, and additional
classrooms.