Malawi

The Jim and Nancy Wright Scholars

Led and managed by Antoinette Holland, the Foundation’s agent in Malawi, the program is focused on providing youth, and especially girls, the opportunity to continue their education despite their lack of resources.

The Jim and Nancy Wright Scholars Program (named in recognition of the Wright family’s long-term support of Antoinette (Toni) Holland’s work, and to honour Jim’s memory) continues to be the model on which new Paré Foundation projects are based.

Due to the nature of schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa, the chosen approach is to holistically support beneficiaries, covering both direct and indirect costs of education: tuition fees, textbooks, school supplies, mid-day meals, and transportation costs, if need be. This last item is particularly important when supporting girls’ education, given their vulnerability when traveling long distances in remote areas.

The high school students we supported are now all enrolled in university:

• Tamandani and Judith (pictured above) are headed into their second year at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, for 5-year Bachelors degrees in Science of Nutrition and Dietetics and Biomedical Science, respectively.
• Jane (pictured below) is headed into her 3rd year of a 4 year bachelor of Arts at the University of Malawi in Zomba studying Media for Development.

Loyola Jesuit Secondary School

This is our sixth year working in partnership with Loyola-Malawi, in memory of Donald Paré, former President of the Paré Foundation, who was deeply committed to the Foundation’s mission, as well as the Jesuit ideal of forming “Women and Men for Others”.

Our current group of five students – all girls – are in their 2nd year of high school. Despite the many challenges Malawi has endured over the past year, all five students managed to successfully complete Form 1 and are now advancing to Form 2. Our support gives these girls from disadvantaged backgrounds access to career possibilities that would otherwise have been impossible.

Loyola-Malawi is a Jesuit run school located in Kasungu district, a few hours north of Lilongwe, the capital. The school boasts beautiful grounds and a new building to welcome its students. Admission is based on merit alone. Run by the Zambia-Malawi Jesuit Province, Loyola strives to offer a ‘preferential option for the poor’* – in this case, high quality education to those that otherwise wouldn’t have access to such schooling. We at the Paré Foundation are thrilled to participate in that mission.

*The term ‘preferential option for the poor’ is attributed to the Jesuits of Latin America, in the 1960s.