Our Values
- Transparency of operations and impact of donors
- Appreciation of supporters
- Respect for the communities in Malawi and the work they do with the kindergartens
- Positive relationships with stakeholders
- 100% of donations go to poor with expenses covered by philanthropists we call ‘Angel Givers’
Mission
Project Kindy pursue the following charitable purposes:
- Advance education and relieve poverty by providing funds for kindergartens run by the Canossian Daughters of Charity in Malawi.
- Advance education and relieve poverty by providing scholarships for young people who are from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to study at schools or educational institutions
Vision
Empower children suffering extreme poverty in rural Malawi to attend kindergarten where they receive short-term life-saving impacts of food security and infrastructure and long-term life-changing impacts of ‘school readiness’.
100% of funds raised reach the grassroots where it is truly needed and the direct impact of the donor’s support for the beneficiary can be clearly demonstrated.
Work in Malawi
Project Kindy partners with the Canossian Daughters of Charity Sisters to provide funding for village-based, community-run kindergartens for children in Nsanama and surrounding areas in rural Malawi, Africa.
Project Kindy fundraises in Australia to provide the necessary funds for the short and long-term sustainability of the kindergartens. The Canossian Daughters of Charity Sisters manage the kindergartens and regularly inform the Project Kindy Committee of the work. A Project Kindy Committee representative is in regular conversation with the Canossian Sister’s point of contact, to evaluate the work and learn how to best support the work of the Sisters and local communities.
Project Kindy electronically transfers donation for the Annual Running Costs of the 11 kindergartens to the Canossian Daughters of Charity bank account in January (starting 2022) after receiving the Annual Partnership Plan and Budget provided by the Sisters in the preceding December.
In 2022, the Annual Running Costs donation (nearly $45 200 AUD) covers:
- Daily Lunches for 725 children through bulk purchase of corn, sugar, rice, salt and beans
- Staff Wages for the 8 staff at the two main kindergartens, Katundu and Nsanama
- Gratitude/Incentive Bags of Grain for 50 Volunteers in the rural village kindergartens – Large bags of maize (corn) for the volunteer teachers and cooks in the 9 very remote communities given monthly as a show of thanks and encouragement
- Lay Director of the Kindergartens – cover their wages and costs of a motorbike and phone for their visits the remote kindergartens to train and support the volunteers and mothers
- Week-long training costs for each volunteer teacher, hosted at Nsanama in the main kindergarten
- Project Kindy branded t-shirts and simple rubber shoes for each child and teacher
In addition to the Annual Running Costs donation, in 2022 the Sisters have requested funding to build 2 more permanent classrooms. This will mean all 11 kindergartens have a building and a well. At this time (2022), we do not know what, if any, other infrastructure projects will be requested by the Sisters in the future.
Number of Kindergartens: 11
Number of Children: 725 (updated May 2022)
Number of Local Staff and Volunteers: 59 Total.
30 volunteer teachers and 20 volunteer cooks at the 9 village kindergartens,
2 paid teachers and 1 paid cook at Nazareth Kindergarten, Katundu
and 4 paid teachers and 1 paid cook at Bakhita Kindergarten, Nsanama.
1 paid Director of the Kindergartens
New Kindergartens
The number of kindergartens that Project Kindy and the Canossian Daughters of Charity Sisters in the Nsanama area and surrounds work for have stayed at 11 in total since 2017. If new kindergartens are requested from other village communities, the Sisters and the Project Kindy committee will discuss the sustainability of taking them on and decide on a case-by-case basis whether to support the new kindergarten or not. Factors to consider are how many children would be attending, the location and the cooperation of the local community as well as the Project Kindy committee’ fundraising capacity. If Project Kindy cannot afford to take on a new kindergarten or if the Sisters deem the initiative unsustainable, it will not be approved. If on the other hand both partners agree that there is capacity to support, run and manage a new kindergarten the partners will approve the new request.
Progress Monitoring
The Canossian Daughters of Charity Sisters will send a written reports, detailing the work being carried out at the kindergartens, to the Project Kindy committee twice a year. The Canossian Daughters of Charity will also send a detailed excel spreadsheet of how the funds have been spent plus receipts of purchases (where possible) once a year. The Sisters will also send regular photos and videos of the kindergartens. The Project Kindy committee will evaluate the work formally every 3 years in their strategic planning.
Exit Strategy
Project Kindy and the Canossian Daughters of Charity are committed to empowering the local people, our beneficiaries, to be self-sustaining in the long term. We donate funds to build the capacity of the people involved in running the kindergartens, to build enthusiasm for education in the community and to raise leaders in the villages. We have provided permanent classrooms (with two more needed) and wells for the kindergartens that needed them. We hope that this infrastructure and capacity-building of the people in the community through training and support will empower them to embrace kindergarten education and grow in independence and leadership.
It is our hope that we can contribute to the development of an empowering strategy for village-based kindergartens that can be adopted by other remote communities.
Child Safety
Project Kindy and the Canossian Daughters of Charity Sisters in Nsanama commit to providing safe kindergartens for the children by adhering to their agreed Child Safety processes. Please refer to our Child Protection Policy, Child Protection Code of Conduct, Photography Policy, Reporting Procedure, Screening Procedure and other child safety documents.
