Linda Mkolongo has been giving back to her community & helping education thrive
We want to say a huge THANK YOU to Linda Mkolongo who lives in Mzizimu II with her family. As a reading camp mentor, Linda volunteers her free time to help young children at the Usisya Community Library to learn to read, helping improve literacy rates in Nkhata Bay North.
Growing up, Linda had a difficult home life. She lived with her grandparents after her parents divorced, and they struggled to afford resources for her and her sibling’s education. However, Linda used to visit the Usisya Community Library when she was still at school, so when she heard about the Community Literacy project, she volunteered her support to help other children access better education and better life opportunities.
As a Reading Camp mentor, Linda now helps children to read and write, while also developing her mentorship skills. In the words of Temwa Malawi staff,
“Linda generously focuses her time on doing good for the community and leading a good example for the young girls she mentors and others that are still in school. She is gradually noticing that others in the community are beginning to realise the importance of education, especially for girls, and encouraging their children to go to school and reading camps.”
Sera Mtambo
Encouraging female education
Linda has become a shining example for the young girls she mentors, encouraging as many girls to attend Reading Camps as possible. Ever since she started mentoring the children, the population of girls attending her Reading Camp has increased by 15%. Now Linda believes community members are starting to understand the importance of girls’ education.
Linda has also been able to help her Reading Camp attendees improve on their literacy skills. When she started mentoring the learners, only 2 out of 10 learners were able to read fluently. Now, at least 6 out of 10 learners are reading fluently!
Of such amazing success Linda says:
“I have learned how to handle young children which will help me to be a responsible parent in the future and a good teacher as my career aspiration”.
Future Inspiration
Linda would like to inspire other young women in the community to volunteer at Reading Camps, to help other children improve their literacy skills. She also plans to pursue a career in teaching, and will soon apply to a teacher training programme to become fully qualified.
With the help of community-focused people like Linda the future looks bright for the literacy of young people in Nkhata Bay North. But she can’t do it alone!
“Temwa should continue supporting communities with their holistic approach in addressing challenges until they are fully independent” concluded Linda.
Thank you again Linda for your fantastic advocacy of education and your generous efforts.