Education for children under six
Children aged two to six are invited to be part of the Sparkle Early Childhood Development Programme. We mix the Montessori vision with Malawi’s National Early Childhood Development structure to provide an educational, fun and creative English-speaking environment for the children to begin their journey of learning.
Education for children over six
Children over six attend local primary and secondary schools in the morning and come to Sparkle for our afternoon programme.
This combines specific government subjects from the national curriculum with practical workshops focusing on English, entrepreneurship, sustainability, critical thinking and leadership, IT and trade skills.
Staff training
Sparkle works closely with the Ministry of Education, which have offered intense training to all of our teaching staff. Additionally, with our UK educational specialists and more than 100 years combined teaching experience from volunteers on the ground, Sparkle is currently pioneering a Montessori teacher qualification.
Working hand in hand with the Montessori Centre International in London, this bespoke training is specific to Malawi and concentrates on preparing the teachers to encourage the children to flourish as individuals, promoting the natural desire to learn.
Community outreach
We don’t just aim to educate children. We understand the need to also help adults in our community through our outreach education programme. This programme runs across ten rural villages, with an estimated population size of over 10,000 people.
As education was not free 20 years ago, many Malawians over 20 years old are illiterate, meaning they cannot run successful businesses or support their children’s education.
Sparkle runs several workshops throughout the year to educate communities on human rights, independence, the fight against gender-based violence, adult literacy, hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, infection and prevention, HIV awareness, family planning, entrepreneurship, and permaculture.
PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION
Provision of the only free, high quality Montessori affiliated nursery in the Zomba, Malawi area.
PRIMARY AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMME
A diverse afternoon programme incorporating skills from within our community to equip our 6 – 14-year-olds with life-long learning skills, knowledge and resources.
ADULT LITERACY
This programme aims to eradicate illiteracy among the adults living in our catchment area to bridge the knowledge gap between illiterate and literate adults. As a result, parental involvement in children's education progress increases.
CAPACITY BUILDING
Delivering over 1000 hours of training a year to our staff and partnering with reputable institutes to enhance their leadership skills.
years' combined teaching experience
women trained in tailoring to start up their own business
rural villages within our community education programme
children educated every day