A Little Support is Big Enough

Fanny on her way to work

Fanny Mkolongo lived with her parents along the shores of Lake Malawi in Mangochi district in
a village called Kela. Her father is a fisher and her mother a peasant farmer. Marriage and
pregnancy induced school dropout incidences for girls are a common manifestation in the area. It
is, generally, a hostile environment for education of the girl child due to mindset issues and lack
of models. Most young girls get married to older rich men as well as young men who have just
returned from South Africa where they go to seek greener pastures.

Fanny started secondary school education in 2011 and her father struggled to pay her school fees.
In 2013, while she was in form 3, Fanny faced a scare of her life as his father fell sick and,
consequently, could not raise her school fees. She felt as if all her world was crumbling down as
she believed her education was the only hope for their family. Her mother sympathized with her
and approached Community Initiative for Self Reliance (CISER), a local non-profit organization
within their vicinity. Eventually, she was enrolled in CISERs School Sponsorship Program that
is implemented in partnership with The Responsible Safari Company.

Through the Responsible Safari Company and CISER, an Australian family of Stephen and
Carolyn Coffey rendered support towards Fannys education. In no time, her dreams were back
on track. After she completed her secondary school, she got enrolled into Certificate in Hotel
Management course offered at Malawi Institute of Tourism. The Coffeys felt the need to
accomplish the mission they had started and continued to support her through her tertiary studies.
Upon successful completion of the course in 2016, Fanny is working with Casamia Lodge in
Blantyre City as a waitress. Apart from the obvious fact that she is now able to meet her needs,
the ripple effect from this support to her family is what is striking most. Asked how education
has helped her she narrates, I am in now able to support my parents with basic necessities but
most important for me is the element that I am able to pay school fees for her younger sister,
Leah.

Asked about future plans, she says, I plan to start saving for further studies because I feel this is
the best way for me to achieve my dream of holding a senior position the renowned hotels in
Malawi. After defying all the odds, she is surely a role model to other young girls in her area
who see her when she pays her family visits.