Alliance One spends K37 million to renovate Mchinji school

One of the country’s leading tobacco buying companies, Alliance One Tobacco Malawi Limited has spent over K37 million to renovate Mpita primary school based in Traditional Authority Dambe in Mchinji which was in a complete dilapidate state.

Speaking during handover ceremony held at the school’s campus, Alliance One Malawi social services coordinator Godfrey Chimenya said his company decided to renovate the Mchinji based school as one way of fulfilling its corporate social responsibility program in the country.

Chimenya further explained that his company also decided to renovate the school after realizing that it is also based in the area where majority of people grow tobacco which the company buys annually in the country.

“As a company we thought it wise to renovate the classroom blocks of this school as part of our corporate social responsibility program here in Malawi and ensure that pupils are learning in a conducive environment,” said Chimenya.

According to Chimenya his company has been complimenting government’s efforts in
improving the living standards of Malawians particularly in the sectors of education, water & sanitation, environment and social-welfare among others.

He however urged parents in the area to avoid using children in tobacco fields as a source of labor but instead they should send their children  to school so that they can become prominent citizens for this country in the future, adding that this is what Alliance One tobacco company advocates in every country it is operating around the world.

In his remarks, desk officer for Mchinji district education office Blessed Chinkhadze commended Alliance One Malawi for renovating the school which was first built in 1972 and was never renovated since then.

According to Chinkhadze, previously pupils who reached standard seven and eight were forced to walk a distance of more than 10 kilometers to learn at Khweri and Fanuwelo full primary schools because Mpita did not have these two classes.

“Let me commend Alliance One for renovating and constructing two more classroom blocks here at Mpita school which has enabled pupils who reach standard seven and eight to learn at the same campus. Previously pupils who reach standard seven and eight were forced to walk a long distance to learn at Khweri and Fanuwelo schools which are located far away from here”, said Chinkhadze.

He disclosed that most children in the area were forced to drop out of school upon reaching standard six because they could not walk a distance of more than 10 kilometers to learn in the other primary schools which have standard seven and eight.

According to Chinkhadze the renovations that have been done to the school has helped to
increase the school’s enrollment from 623 during the previous academic year to over 740 during this school term.

Apart from renovating the school, the company has also bought desks and constructed the head teachers’ office which has also been fully furnished.

Apart from Mpita primary school in Mchinji, Alliance One Tobacco has also constructed classroom blocks in other three primary schools in Kasungu and Dowa districts which has costed the Lilongwe based tobacco buying company over K132 million.

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