09/10/2026
We live in an area of Malawi where people speak Chiyao. When children go to school, they must learn to read and write both the national language, Chichewa, and English. What a daunting task! Often children will drop out of school by Standard 5 because they haven’t learned either language well enough, and they are lost in class. Several years ago, two Standard 4 boys came to our door. I had just posted a sign outside saying that I didn’t need any more tomatoes, so I asked the boys to read it to me. They couldn’t decipher a word. As a result, we started the Reading Club. This year we have 37 kids from grades 2-7 coming five days a week for extra tutoring in Maths, Chichewa and English. It’s a joy and a challenge, but praise God, their success rates in school are improving. The two boys are still in school, and one dreams of being the very first boy in his village to successfully finish Form 4.
"The benefit of the Reading Club is that children get the personal attention they need. We have some children with dyslexia who cannot be helped in a classroom with over 100 children. This personal attention means more at-risk children are staying in school." - Molina Bora, tutor
"I am a teacher at the local school where I have over 200 children in my Standard 1 class. I spend most of my time in classroom management which makes it impossible to pay attention to the needs of each student. I am thankful for the Reading Club because children are getting the help they need, and we are seeing the results in their exams." - Mrs. Ntepa, teacher with 25 years of experience.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14
