onstruction work for school blocks in Malawi's Lakeshore district of Mangochi is on course, a development that would help shelter otherwise helpless children from the area of Senior Chief Makanjira from the on-coming rains, said Michael Studnitz, Co-founder and Chairman of the German NGO Reisende Werkschule Scholen.
The German NGO has since 2001 been making periodic trips to Malawi, a Southern African Development Community (Sadc) member state, where students have been working with local communities to bring about sustainable social-economic development through school blocks’ infrastructure.

Some of the beneficiary schools include Nangungu Primary in Mangochi’s Makanjira area, developments that have excited traditional leaders from the area.

The Germans are back to Malawi this year and plan to construct some more school blocks for the less privileged in that country, where most pupils learn under trees.

Education rights NGOs claim that over 10 pupils may have died over the past 10 years after trees fell on them, something that speaks volumes about the country’s education infrastructure.

Studnitz said this week construction work was well on course for the October 26, 2009 handover ceremony, and hailed the German students for their high spirits.

“The guys have been great ever since they arrived in Malawi. We are really grateful that everyone is alright and also that we have managed to mingle and integrate well into the communities. They are really part of the communities now,” said Studnitz.

Studnitz said he was even encouraged that almost all of the Germans have expressed wishes to visit Malawi again at some point in their lives, hailing the people’s friendliness.
“Everyone smiles here. Malawians are real wonderful people,” said Studnitz.

Malawi is endowed with a great variety of natural resources, something the Germans are enjoying quite well. They take time to relax and feel the breeze of Lake Malawi, the world’s third largest fresh water lake. Elephants are also a common sight, as they walk in groups and fill their long trumpet-like mouths.

Women from Makanjira almost compliments this great sight with their hard work, ferrying water from nearby rivers to help their make the work of their men easier during block construction.

Some of the Germans could be heard laughing in the background.