Lilongwe, February 16, 2016: United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will on February 17 to 19 held the 1st Bridge Africa Conference in Lilongwe.
The conference will enable participants to share best practices applicable to their various local circumstances.
Speaking at a Press briefing Monday, minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati said by the end of the conference participant will produce practical learning effects, learn and understand Bridge Africa and establish new ideas for the programme to be more effective.
“We will be able to know how Malawi is implementing its programme, are we doing it at the same pace as other countries are doing, share the experiences with other countries and also eradicate the extreme poverty in the country,” said Kaliati.
She added that Bridge Africa has helped the country in early childhood development, adult literacy, train extension workers, train youths and people with disability in vocational skills.
Kaliati said the programme will also help people in the country to be economically empowered since they are also working with other organization that encourages people in community savings.
She commended Korean UNESCO for the donation of 19,000 text books which students use after classes saying it helps to improve vocabulary and writing skills among school going children.
Kaliati stressed the need of having Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDC) across the country saying that this would help children to be reporting anything that might happen to them.
“We don’t want mothers to be carrying a one year old child on their backs when going to the garden or market, but they have to drop them in ECDC for them to be clever and know the important of school while young,” she explained.
Secretary-General of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU) Dong-Seok MIN said education is a vital component in determining the future of the country.
“In order to implement the Bridge Africa Programme successfully in each of the countries in which it operates, we put education first that is why we are helping in ECDC, adult literacy and train extension workers,” explained MIN.
He said through funds donated by Korean Ministry of Education and ordinary Koreans Citizens, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO will continue its efforts to operate and improve the Bridge Africa Programme.
KNCU goals are to improve literacy skills, eradicate extreme poverty through life skills education and foster local ownership through community-led project.
The conference has been organized by KNCU and the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO and will be held under the theme: “Sharing experiences, paving the way forward.”
60 participants from Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, South Africa and Rwanda are expected to attend.
