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in Action in Malawi<br />
We also visited Kabuthu Secondary School, where EGG is funding the construction of a girls’ boarding house for more than<br />
60 pupils. While at the school, we were shown the girls’ current living conditions. It is hard to put into words how appalling<br />
the state of their accommodation is. We walked into rooms no bigger than a hen house, where as many as five girls slept<br />
cramped on the floor. The huts were leaky, dishevelled and had no privacy or security. Furthermore, the girls live in close<br />
quarters with animals, and they feel unsafe using the inadequate bathroom facilities at night, as they are positioned off school<br />
grounds. While it was heart-breaking to see first hand the true struggle that girls face in order to receive an education,<br />
it was uplifting to visit the construction site where the new hostel is almost complete. The girls will soon be moving into<br />
safer, more hygienic and more comfortable living conditions. We spoke to the principal who explained how much this project<br />
means to the community. Since construction began, enrolment for girls at this school has already greatly increased.<br />
One of the most confronting experiences of our trip to Malawi was our visit to Dzaleka Refugee Camp, which houses over<br />
32,000 displaced people. It is easy to feel disconnected from the refugee crisis, but we met many people who like us, had been<br />
educated and were excited about the opportunities of the world – only to have had no choice but to run from true horrors<br />
and seek refuge in a crowded camp. Worse still, there was nowhere for the thousands of young children to go to school. The<br />
experience was eye-opening and we see great potential for EGG to build classrooms at Dzaleka in the years to come.<br />
We often forget how privileged our lives are in New Zealand. Our time in Malawi was a real reminder of why we started EGG<br />
and the importance of girls’ education. We have come to better understand the many cultural, social and economic barriers<br />
preventing girls from attending school and are now more motivated than ever to fight for girls’ education. We cannot thank<br />
the St Margaret’s College community enough for continuing to actively support Educating Girls Globally and allowing us<br />
to empower girls through education.<br />
AUTUMN <strong>2017</strong> 7.