Ngumbe Secondary School is a large residential school based in Blantyre in the south west of Malawi.

When Classrooms for Malawi first visited the school, the children slept in makeshift dormitories which were cramped, concrete blocks unfit for accommodation. The large, open rooms had leaking roofs and no windows or beds. The row of thin mattresses lined up on the floor were where the children called home. The toilets were simple pit latrines and sanitary conditions were very poor. Children had little privacy and only half a bucket of water to wash themselves and their clothes each day.

In 2014 and 2015, Classrooms for Malawi and Bearsden Academy, working in partnership, renovated 10 dormitories and built new, modern toilets and shower facilities. Local craftsmen constructed new bunk beds, ensuring the children no longer sleep on the concrete floors.

This project has brought a real transformational change to the school, with children now able to study and socialise in safe, hygienic conditions and – most importantly – get a good night’s sleep before school in the morning!