FIT FOR LEARNING AFRICA PROMOTES

WBS

KAVIWALE WORDT FIT FOR LEARNING AFRICA

De school in de Northern Region van Malawi, in de hoofdstad Mzuzu, is gebouwd en biedt onderwijs aan meer dan 3000 leerlingen in het basisonderwijs. Die uitdaging is klaar en de volgende biedt zich weer aan: geen gebouwen maar de kinderen zelf worden onderwerp. De Foundation Fit For Learning is een in Malawi geregistreerde stichting die zich sinds 2014 richt op de gezondheid van basisschool kinderen middels 3 preventieve interventies, te weten handen wassen en tandenpoetsen op school en jaarlijk ontwormen.

We doen dit onder het moto: gezonde kinderen leren beter en vergroten daarmee hun toekomst perspectief.

Ons doel is dat dit programma wordt geadopteerd door de overheid van Malawi en geïmplementeerd wordt op alle basisscholen van het land.

Fit For Learning is op 18 december 2014 geregistreerd in de Companies Act onder nummer: 14122.

Address: Area 47/3/168, Lilongwe-Malawi

Country Director: Mr Oliver Ndhlovu, Cell: +265 999 92 53 38

Adres Nederland

S.M. Fluitsma, Mob: +31642303234

Oudegracht 343

3511 PD Utrecht

The Netherlands

RSIN: 8151.71.171

Beleidsplan Fit For Learning Africa

FFL Strategic plan 

2016-2024

The Fit For Learning Pilot Project in Lilongwe urban and rural, Malawi

Fit for Learning

Fit For Learning (FFL)1 is a foundation established in December 2014, Company Registration no: 14122, in the Companies Act. The Registered Office of the Foundation shall be situated at Area 12/2, Lilongwe, Private Bag B 392, Lilongwe 3, Malawi. FFL is a non profit NGO.

Introduction

Malawi, in East Africa is one of the  poorest nations in the world (WHO, 2014). Among the many problems that exist in a poor country, the poor health condition of schoolchildren, deserves more attention. They suffer continuously from child diseases that challenge their physical, mental and social development. Ignorance of this problem contributes to stagnation in the countries progress in all fields. Information and practical approaches that can improve schoolchildren’s health is lacking. One way to handle this problem is to inform all levels of the society and collaborate with local communities to stimulate and enable them to take matters in their own hands. 

The main purpose of Fit For Learning (FFL) is by stimulating local communities, parents and teachers of primary schools, to install a program with healthy school activities and creating a healthier environment for their children. By doing so, they can achieve control over improving conditions which encourage them to sustain their activities and obtain ownership of their school health program. 

   The FFL Foundation has the following members:

Fexony Sibale, Senior Educational Advisor, Chairperson; Martha Chizuma- Mwangonde , Legal Advisor, Vice Chairperson; Dr Jessie Mlotha- Namarika , Chief Dental Officer, member;  Hendrix Ngazi Nkunika, PTA representative, member; Martha Muthali, Teachers representative (MoEST),  Member; Dr Sytse Fluitsma, Advisor Dentist,  Founder FFL; Ms Bernadetta Fluitsma, Supportive Advisor,  Founder  FFL; Mr Enock Phale , Representative (MoH), Founder FFL

Vision, mission and objective of FFL

Vision

To contribute to the school going children’s brighter future by promoting healthy lifestyles in school through creating conditions for daily healthy activities 

Mission 

To create conditions in school premises in collaboration with teachers and parents (via the Parent-Teacher Associations – PTAs) which enables healthy activities at school as daily routine to become a habit for the children 

Main objective

To reduce the incidents of common child diseases such as diarrhea, pulmonary infections, soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections (worms) and tooth decay through installing a school health program. 

This school health program comprises 3 daily activities:

  1. washing hands with soap
  2. brushing teeth with fluoride containing toothpaste 

     3. bi-annual de-worming with albendazole tablets

This school health program FFL aims for obtaining better health of schoolchildren in order to reduce school absenteeism and improve cognitive capacity. 

(See for comparable school health program  www.fitforschool.ph )

Activities

The planning of the project is divided in three phases.

First phase – advocacy (2014)

To carry out an advocacy process in Malawi’s government on the concept of FFL as a bottom up horizontal approach in schools in contrast to incidental existing vertical approaches which are directed to only one single disease entity. This advocacy process has been successfully concluded and approval has been obtained from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to initiate a pilot study on FFL in two primary schools. (first phase carried out)

Second phase – capacity building (2015-2016)

The pilot study is intended to find out the feasibility of a FFL program in the context of Malawi’s reality. The pilot study will be conducted under the Lilongwe District Health Office (DHO) in cooperation with the Lilongwe District Education Manager (DEM).

Two schools for the pilot study have been indicated by the Ministry of Education:

Urban:  Chigoneka Primary School in area 47, Standard 1 to 4 (48 learners

Rural:  Nsanjiko Primary School in Nathenie, Lilongwe, Standard 1 (219 learners)

A prerequisite condition for the initiation of FFL in these 2 schools is:

  • The provision of information on health, hygiene and sanitation issues in the nearby community of the school
  • Collaboration with teachers and parents (via the Parent-Teacher-Association, the PTA) for the creation of facilities to carry out the program
  • Collaboration with teachers and parents to secure a smoothly daily routine running FFL program 
  • Collaboration with local officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to secure awareness of developments
  • Installation of a guidance committee (Task Force2), with representatives of the Ministries and the PTAs

In furtherance of the foregoing activities FFL will:

  • Seek mutual co-operation support and understanding between and among Non- Government Organizations (NGOs) in Malawi especially those with comparable objectives
  • Collaborate with international organizations with goals similar to the FFL Foundation 
  • Foster facilities such as clean water, proper sanitation, school meals and food supplements and proper school furniture

Third phase – evaluation (2016)

Produce a report by the Task Force on the outcome with regard to feasibility, sustainability, costs and effectiveness.

In case of a positive outcome report, the next phase is actually an exit strategy of the FFL foundation, since The Malawi Government has been committed to enlarge the  scale of implementation of FFL. This task is far beyond the foundation’s capacity.  An advisory task to the Malawi Government may remain. 

2 The FFL Task Force:

Dr Sytse Fluitsma, Dentist, Founder FFL; Mr Enock Phale, Min of Health, Ass. Director, Founder FFL; Mrs Fiona Nguluwe, Min of Education, School Health Nutrition (SHN); Mr Doubt Kajirime, Lilongwe College of Health Sciences; Mr Fred Sambani, Teethsavers International, NGO; Mr Precious Phiri, Min of Health, Preventive Health Services

Intentieverklaring

In 2019 hebben wij een MOU gesloten met de overheid van Malawi.
In 2022 is er tevens een MOU gesloten met Wold Vision Malawi voor een periode van twee jaar.
Beide MOU’s maken het ons mogelijk om werkzaam te zijn als stichting in Malawi.