By Vincent Gunde
A global non-profit organization- Let’s Build says it has constructed a total of 48 double-classroom blocks and 60 pit latrines benefiting 4,800 students in Lilongwe district to fulfill its vision of a classroom for everyone.
Let’s Build, was founded in Norway and is working in sub-Saharan Africa where more than half of the world’s out of school children and youth are living and is currently in Malawi and Zambia and soon, it will be moving to Burundi.
The organization builds classroom blocks in batches to ensure their works are constructed with the required quality, on time and within the cost budget and all of its batches 1, 2 and 3 were completed within the located time.
Updating the District executive committee (Dec) in Dowa, Let’s Build Construction Coordinator Pamela Manondo, said her organization cooperate with Local Government to improve public secondary education infrastructure with works focusing on the construction of classrooms through local contractors and communities.
Manondo said selection of schools is done by the Ministry of Education, the organization verifies the needs of the schools through their assessment criteria and when construction is complete, they handover the classrooms to Local Government for long term use.
She said Batch 1 to 3 has seen construction of 2-twin classroom blocks in Lilongwe district with a capacity of 50 students per room, 2-holed pit latrines disaggregated by gender with menstrual hygiene management facilities and facilities for persons with disabilities.
The coordinator said classrooms are fully furnished with 100 students desks, 2 teachers desks and 2 chairs per block with supervision done by the National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) registered contractors supported by Let’s Build team, and government.
“In Lilongwe, 30 CDSS’s have benefited from the classroom block for everyone project accommodating 100 students, 10 classroom blocks and 20 pit latrines constructed,’ said Manondo.
She said in Dowa district, Batch 4 construction works will construct 13-double classroom blocks in 7 CDSSs selected by the Central East Education Division (CEED) saying the project has been tendered to the prequalified contractors with bids to be submitted on the 15th August, 2025 to benefit 650 students.
However, Manondo said the project has been meeting challenges in the course of implementing all the batches such as site conditions with steep slopes and running water, devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha, price escalation of construction materials, fuel shortages and lengthy VAT exemption approval processes.
In his remarks, Dowa District Council’s Chief Planning Officer Emmanuel Sohaya, called on partners to support the project for the good of the Dowa students saying the project is complimenting government efforts of improving inclusive education.
