The Kalipeni Foundation was created on January 7th, 2015 in Blantyre, Malawi with the assistance of Western University of Malawi’s, Thompson Mjiku. It is currently operating as a limited by guarantee NGO in which property is being searched so that the first stage of building a home for street children would be completed. The foundation has been focusing mainly on children that have been orphaned, or children that are considered street kids. The foundation will be creating literacy based programs with a housing facility in order to assist these children succeed. It has been observed that in Malawi there is growing demand for accessible education for all children with an emphasis on children whose families believe in cultural practices, such as children taking care of their families and the child bride. There is a big gap between the number of places children are able to go and the public educating them about the places. There is need to increase access to education with an emphasis on literacy. The Kalipeni Foundation has come to help by increasing access to education in Malawi, with a holistic approach, as well as providing a safe haven for children. Malawi is currently ranked number 8 of 20 nations in child marriages, and has a literacy rate of 26%. This means that 74% of the population has a literacy problem. It is through these significant issues that The Kalipeni Foundation was created.
