Needy students urged to work hard

Tsogolo La Ana, a Blantyre-based child welfare organisation, has asked beneficiaries of its education scheme to work hard in class to enable them to be independent in future.

Speaking to the beneficiaries  in Chiradzulu on Tuesday, the organisation’s director, Lucy Maunde, said they introduced bursaries after a survey showed that many students drop out of school due to lack of fees.

“Although, the students we assist are orphans, they have to work hard in class,” she said.

The organisation, with funds from Open Hearts Germany, was supporting 50 needy students to complete secondary school education.

She, however, said out of the 50, eight dropped out of school since 2007.

“As of now, most girls and boys on our bursary scheme understand the importance of education.

“Funds permitting, our vision is to reach out to many orphans. At the moment, we only have one donor and we are asking others to join us,” Maunde said.

Statistics from Chiradzulu Social Welfare Office show that there are about 30 000 orphans in the district due to the HIV and Aids pandemic.