The very first notable thing I did after college was starting a non-profit organization called Mind Cure. Among other things, Mind Cure aimed at teaching children after school hours. You see, many kids in Ntcheu where I established the organization did not attend school. Instead, they could be seen moving around drunk at very young ages, some as young as five.
I started the after-school program to accommodate even those that had the opportunity to attend school in the morning. My goal was not only to keep the kids away from liquor but also give them an enjoyable experience while learning. I hoped this experience would last a life time and change the kids’ perspective about school.
I was deeply religious back then so I made the kids recite bible verses and sing Christian songs. It was an enjoyable experience. The kids loved it, the parents lauded it and the chief supported it.
Those were days when I didn’t have a job and every little thing was financed from my pockets. When the financial pressure became unbearable I discontinued the project and got my first teaching job at a private secondary school which paid me K40, 000.00. This was right around the time I conceived and started developing Padziwe Digital Library, the first educational software for secondary school students and teachers in Malawi. This software eventually gave birth to Padziwe, an edu-tech company of which I currently serve as CEO.
I do all these because I believe in education. I think education might be the only hope our planet, let alone our country, has for progress, even survival. We have come a long way in making improvements to our quality of life through innovations that came about as people discovered new knowledge. However, judging from the current state of our nation and indeed the planet at large, we still have so far to go in achieving civilization and development worthy of the name.
So much human potential remains locked up until it goes to the grave without being neither utilized nor recognized. The extreme poverty and suffering which afflicts a majority of the population can be traced somehow to lack of education. Irrational behavior and conflicts are linked to our lack of understanding of how precious a life of a human being is and how beautiful it is to find ways to co-exist with people who have different religious affiliations, social status, sexual orientations, skin color, and other attributes.
Our understanding of the laws of Science and Biology is very limited. That is why we are still helpless when faced with natural disasters and a number of diseases. We have a long way to go.
But I have so much pride and belief in humanity. Just about hundred years ago, we roamed this earth almost naked, hunted animals for food, and lived in caves. Today, we are able to visit other worlds in the solar system. Today, we are able to develop machines that extend our gaze to worlds that are billions of light years away and have some sense (albeit limited) of how the cosmos works.
When I look at every child I know their future is unlimited. They can become anything they would like to be and contribute to the positive progress of this world. But it starts with the right education. They need to realize that potential. They need to realize that there are no limits in the sky. They need to know what others have been able to achieve and how they can structure their lives for even bigger success.
I will use all available resources to help as many youths as I can so that they can educate themselves and become whomever they wish.
