It gets dark at 6 pm every day of the year. With no money for candles or oil lamps, the girls weren’t able to do their schoolwork in the evenings.

120 girls live in the hostel, which was designed for just 80, but those who have a space know they’re lucky to be at All Saints. They know that getting a good education is their best hope of avoiding early marriage, and so they want to work hard at school. Statistics show that girls in Malawi are less likely than boys to get secondary education and even less likely to go to university. So every opportunity for them to learn and progress is important.

Thanks to kind donations from Rotary Club Farnham, Rotary Club Farnham Weyside and their Rotary district who matched the club donations, we installed solar panels in the girls hostel. These charge batteries that run the lights in the evening and also supply enough electricity for two nearby classrooms. As well as making it possible to read and study, they add extra safety and peace of mind for the girls.

Now the girls can do their homework in the evenings. And the classrooms are used for evening lessons, too.

It’s making a big difference, but this is just the start. There’s a lot more we can do to help the girls at All Saints, and we’re planning the next set of improvements.