Namitembo Montessori Nursery School

The Montessori principles echo the same message as Ubwino Wa Amayi which are the creation of choices and chances for children, girls and young women. It is therefore the ideal model to use in educating children of the young mothers the charity supports as well as other children in the area.

Namitembo Montessori Nursery School will be the first of its kind in a rural area in Malawi. Dr Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952) saw the potential that the education of the young child could have in changing the nature of society; Montessori education can greatly enhance the lives of all the children in any environment, providing them with the joy of learning, a blueprint for the rest of their lives. The method allows for a flexible, successful learning environment regardless of ability, culture and country. Maria believed in the importance of the early years and she stood for the rights of the child. The method is characterized by self-correcting equipment and learning of various concepts such as practical life, sensorial, cultural, sciences, language and math. Children taught in this way learn in a nurturing, kind, structured environment using the positive incentives of pride and achievement, craftsmanship for a job well done, and this will be the ethos of the school. The classrooms are designed to promote self-direction and self-discipline, to allow children to create their own substantive body of knowledge through observation and exploration, following their own interests at their own pace. The result is children who are engaged and interested in learning, and eager to advance.

Ubwino Wa Amayi will facilitate the training of the teachers in the Montessori Method and they will be selected from the local communtiy. The carpenters and tailors in the trade school will also be engaged in producing some of the equipment in natural materials. All in all, the school will be a community effort and bring together the community of Namitembo with other communities throughout the world for the good of the women.