Racheal: I am living testimony of the importance of girls’ education

Growing up, life wasn’t easy. My family struggled to afford my basic needs and school fees. I desperately wanted to stay in school alongside my fellow classmates but knew I would eventually have no choice but to drop out.

That was until CAMFED stepped in and supported me through school with school fees, uniform, stationery and menstrual products. 

With CAMFED’s support, I completed secondary school and went on to pursue tertiary education, graduating with a Bsc in Nursing and Midwifery in 2019.

After graduation I volunteered at Nkhata Bay District Hospital as a nurse-midwife in the labour ward and nursery department. I then did an internship at Dr David Livingston Clinic under Kamuzu College of Nursing before joining Malawi Defense Force in 2022 where I am currently employed as a nurse-midwife.

Through my work as a nurse, I am an educator, a researcher, a manager and an advocate. When working on the ward I manage my fellow nurses and medical resources effectively and I am often in a position to advocate for my patients’ rights. During my time in Nkhata Bay, I would reach out to girls and young women about the risks of early pregnancy and the importance of continuing with their education.

On the left, I am speaking at an event in Lilongwe, Malawi. On the right, I am with Esther Saka, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Manager at CAMFED Malawi. (Photo credit: Ishmael Malidadi/Starline Media).

On inauguration day, November 2, 2022, I was invited to the state house to meet the president for Poppy Week, in which we remember those who fought in World War Two and World War One. I felt honored to be chosen to pin a poppy on the president’s jacket, as the poppies are sold to fundraise for veterans and are a symbol of respect to all those who fought in both World Wars.

I am currently working at a military hospital in Lilongwe as a nurse at the rank of lieutenant. My current career excites me even more because it combines my health care expertise and military service.

I am an active member of the CAMFED Association—the network of women leaders educated with CAMFED’s support—which I joined in 2014. I attend meetings with my fellow CAMFED Association sisters and together we carry out different philanthropic activities in the community, including role modeling sessions. As a sisterhood, we support and uplift each other, and I often encourage those sisters who have not done so well in their Form 4 exams to not give up on their education and to go back to school, and after graduation to pursue opportunities such as in business.

Reflecting on my journey so far, I am so proud of myself for working hard and remaining resilient. In achieving my nursing degree and joining the Malawi Defense Force, I am able to pay my education forward. I paid tuition fees for a student at Kamuzu College of Nursing, and I also managed to support my father at home and my siblings with their school fees.

I am living testimony of the importance of girls’ education. It creates game changers, like us CAMFED Association members, who are not afraid of doing things differently and are willing to use their own resources to support the next generation of girls to learn and thrive.