Vincent Gunde 
By Vincent Gunde
ActionAid Malawi will support the implementation of the School Readiness Initiative (SRI) Programme in Dowa District, targeting 124 Community-Based Childcare Centres (CBCCs) with a total budget of MK150 million.
The School Readiness Initiative is a six-year programme implemented in three phases, aimed at improving access to quality pre-primary education and addressing gaps affecting children’s readiness and transition to primary school.
The programme is now transitioning into Phase 4, with Dowa District becoming part of the initiative, th the next phase will focus on strengthening government ownership and ensuring that the interventions are implemented and sustained through government structures.
Presenting the programme to the District Executive Committee (DEC) in Dowa, ActionAid Malawi Project Officer Bertha Kapapa, said the district’s target is 124 CBCCs, which are centres supported under the Government Mentorship Programme.
Kapapa said Dowa was not among the original implementing districts for the School Readiness Initiative but benefited under the Government Mentorship Programme, where 3,000 tablets were provided across all 28 districts in the country.
She said mentors were trained to implement the same activities being promoted under the School Readiness Initiative, adding that Dowa District received 66 tablets.
The officer said the programme aims to ensure that vulnerable children access quality pre-primary education for a smoother transition to primary school.
She said the programme has specific objectives such as establishing processes of joint responsibility for early learners, scaling up access to age-appropriate early learning facilities, and enhancing the competency of caregivers in early learning.
“Implementation of the initiative has been guided by three phases over six years, and as the programme moves into Phase 4, government will take the lead in implementing and sustaining the interventions to ensure that children continue benefiting from quality early learning services,” said Kapapa.
In his remarks, Dowa District Council’s Principal Environmental Development Officer Yusuf Laki commended the School Readiness Initiative Programme as one of the important interventions being implemented in the district, particularly in Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres.
Laki urged ActionAid Malawi to regularly provide the DEC with progress updates on the programme to enhance cooperation, transparency and accountability.
