Sarah’s blog 25/10/26
This is part two of My Ball Project – Bola Yane. My previous post was about teachers from 13 schools having two days training at Bright Futures Campus. This blog is about Bola Yane Project going to schools.
I’m writing this blog listening to the wind and rain as we (in Scotland) are in the middle of a storm. I am extremely grateful that I am wrapped up warm and that one of my dogs is curled up next to me keeping my feet warm. In Malawi, as they await their rainy season, they are experiencing a heatwave.
Jack Mphande, Senior Rugby Development Officer for Malawi Rugby Union, has had an extremely busy week. He has been teaching touch rugby in the thirteen schools in the Chisenga Zone in Chitipa District. He’s been mindful of the temperatures & ensured students weren’t out in the high temperatures for too long.
This week’s coaching followed up from the work Jack did with teachers from these schools for two days the previous week. The teachers were able to put into action the training they had received with Jack’s support and it looks like everyone did a great job and Jack had passed his enthusiasm to everyone else.
Jack wanted me to share three thoughts with you:
- Rugby has taken me to places where I have discovered meanings of life.
- What we take for granted is someone else’s prayer point.
- I enjoy when I put a smile on someone’s face because of Rugby. (Jack Mphande)
He also told me ‘I stressed much to the students on Values of Rugby – which is Respect, Discipline, Honesty, Teamwork, as some of the values which make a good person in the community.’ Jack Mphande
The thirteen schools in the Chisenga Cluster are :Chirambo, Kakasu, Kabanje, Nsato, Mulembe, Malawa, Chisenga, Kayilizi, Madunda, Kavomolo, Mbalizi, Chambo and Kalanga. I have enlarged the relevant area on the map and hopefully you will be able to pick out where some of the schools are. Bright Futures Campus (secondary school & nursery) is beside where Chambo Primary is on the map.
Some of the schools are not as remote as where Chambo Primary and Bright Futures Campus are situated as they are in more populated areas. However, there are some schools that are even more remote; Mbalizi Primary School for example. The students were absolutely delighted with Jack’s visit as they aren’t used to seeing many visitors. And the fact that he had come all the way from Lilongwe to spend time with them teaching them how to play a new and exciting sport was something new for these children. They don’t usually have visitors to their schools, especially not one from the capital and in charge of rugby development for the whole of Malawi. Jack’s visit has meant a great deal to teachers and students and we are so pleased that Jack has been part of the Bola Yane project and is committed to touch rugby being played in all schools.
Jack was very grateful that we had paid for a motorbike and driver to take him to all the schools he needed to get to….he certainly wouldn’t have managed without the motorbike or the valuable local knowledge of the area. Reaching the outlying schools is difficult and I certainly hadn’t appreciated just how remote some of these schools are.
‘When they heard that I will come back on the final tournament day, they were very happy. And some of them were inspired by me when I was telling them that sports is my career. I told them they should work hard to do both school and sports, but school first and then sports.’ Jack Mphande, Senior Rugby Development Officer, Malawi Rugby Union.
Jack’s photos show some of the issues students face trying to walk to school and back safely. Also, these streams are at their lowest now, as rains are expected and, during the rainy season will be unsafe and impossible for children to cross to get to school. You will also see from one photo, the puddle the children at one school are drinking from. Lack of sanitation and safe drinking water is another big issue for children living rurally and attending these remote schools.
We are very grateful to Chitipa District Council for supporting My Ball Project – Bola Yane and allowing us to support sports development in rural schools in the Chitipa Zone with The William Stewart Foundation (NGO). Thanks also to Patrick Simwayi, Education and Sports Officer, for making time to attend Jack’s teacher training event at Bright Futures Campus. It was good that he was able to see the programme of what Jack would be sharing with teachers and students at the thirteen schools.
As you can see, some schools have received preloved sports kit already. Those that haven’t yet, will be receiving sports kit that has been donated to us and we have boxed up and sent via The Bananabox Trust Container. Two schools so far have also benefitted from receiving boxes of books as part of our School Literacy Project. These are Chambo Primary and Kalanga Primary. Primary School exam leavers pass rates have risen by 19% in these two schools. We will be sharing boxes of books with these other schools as we have more preloved books donated to us.
These are the children that are benefiting from the help of our supporters. Having matching sports kit makes a difference to self-esteem and confidence. Playing team sports helps develop skills and children can forget about their problems and the extreme poverty in which they live whilst they are concentrating on the game with their friends. Children can have dreams whilst wearing a sports kit. A student said to Jack ‘In my life I didn’t ever dream that I will find a sport which I can play but I think this one I can play’. (rugby) Quotes like this are powerful.
‘I was enjoying coaching them because they were all paying much attention and open to learn the sport. And hearing that I am Senior Rugby Development Officer for the whole country, that also meant something to them.’ Jack Mphande
One of the teachers told Jack, ‘We are very happy that we have added another type of sport. Everyone just knows football and netball so the coming of rugby will help our students to have more varieties of sports to choose. But I think rugby is easy and full of fun and many will go for it.’
I hope you will agree that Jack has done an amazing job with delivering touch rugby training to teachers and students at 13 rural schools over the past week and a half. Obviously there are costs involved in providing quality sport in schools like this as part of the Bola Yana project. We intend to have a school league and also a tournament in May or June next year. If you would like to help us with the financial costs of this project you can either email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com for bank details or give to our fundraiser on our new fundraising page https://localgiving.org/fundraising/changinglivesmalawisportstournaments
So now that you’ve got to the end of my blog, please enjoy the photos and videos! If you like our projects then please do sign up to receive the blogs, follow us on social media and share with your friends. Thanks everyone, Sarah x
