Mother Teresa Outreach Centre -

Chilomoni, Blantyre

The Mother Teresa Outreach Center is located in the heart of Chilomoni. It aims to look outward into the wider community to spread MTCC’s ethos further afield. The building is a hub for the ‘Extended Schools’ team; trained classroom leaders whose focus is to improve the standards of teaching across the schools in the area. It is also home to the ‘Family Support Office’ who deliver workshops to local parents on a range of subjects, from language classes, to reading and antenatal care. A successful teacher training course has been run from the building for many years.

‘Teachers are the backbone of improved education and investment in teachers is also vital to tackle Malawi’s education quality crisis. More must be done…to train more teachers and make improvements in infrastructure and teaching resources.’ (‘Closing the Divide,’ Oxfam, 2018.)

Building Design

“MTCC is my pride. It is ‘London’ in Malawi. My motivation is boosted every time I attend a class session”

(Adrian Tayipi, MTCC Extended Schools Student)

Location

Beehive Main Campus, Chilomoni, Blantyre, Malawi

Type

Children’s Centre / Nursery Admin, Training and Meeting Spaces

Year of Construction

2010 – 2013

Design Architect

Marty McColl

Project Architects

Rita Diametto and Giacomo Zanardo

Design Engineer

Sam Youdan

Geotechnical Engineer

Zedi Nyirenda

Project Engineers

Hendrix Mgawanaand and Hugh Rogers

Total Building Area (Approx. GEA)

810m²

Number of Storeys

Construction Cost

129,474,677 MWK for MTCC North and South
(£132,157 GBP – rate correct as of 24th August 2020)

Cost per m²

75,539 MWK/m²
(£77 GBP/m²)

The Outreach centre comprises of a series of large, flexible, multipurpose rooms which can be used for a wide range of workshops and training sessions. In addition, the Centre’s offices, one-to-one meeting rooms and kitchen are based in the building, forming the administrative hub to the South building’s teaching spaces. To the West of the building, a small grassed yard has been designated for outdoor training sessions and physical group activities.

The three-storey building is supported by an internal reinforced concrete frame, and clad externally with Beehive’s locally-produced ‘Hydraform’ interlocking block system. The facades are peppered with a series of misaligned box windows, which add an informal and playful effect to the exterior. A double-height entrance space, complete with soft play area, extends the playful feel of the building internally, and creates a dramatic point of entry from street level. Four rooftop chimneys are visible from the roadside; these naturally draw air out from the building and create cool, well-ventilated spaces.

Social Impact

Prayers are promoted during parent and young carer sessions run by the Family Support Office.

Catholic Community Support

people are in the Family Support Office

people are in the Extended School Team

Job Creation

people have gained an Early Childhood certificate

adults have attended adult literacy

Quality Education

Skin oil is provided to children with albinism

families received food during Covid

Supporting the Vulnerable

“The building has created a place where we the youth in Chilomoni can make good use of our spare time, developing our skills.”

(Adrian Tayipi, MTCC Extended Schools Student)

The MTCC North building is a local hub for community services and over 10,000 children and their families have been supported since its opening. The Family Support Office (FSO) and Extended School Workers (ESW) Team help to protect and empower local children and their families. The FSO team works closely with the poorest in society to help support them in raising their families, whilst dealing with the harsh realities of poverty. They are connected to the Child Protection Office and refer any cases of abuse that come to light. One of our proudest moments was when the District Health Director stated in an evaluation report that MTCC has reduced the local infant mortality rate! The ESW team works with local schools to create activities for children that develop skills, which the overloaded education system isn’t able to support. These vary from debate and drama classes to environment club. The sports programme is particularly popular. It has had a marked impact on local children and has created opportunities they would not otherwise have had. Members of the cricket team have been accepted at the Blantyre cricket academy and 4 netball players have received scholarships at a local private school. The extra-curricular work the team runs engages children outside of school and helps increase their confidence and self esteem.

Meet The Team

I am Annie Walala. I am a holder of an Early Childhood Diploma, which I obtained in March 2019. I now work as an outreach worker in the Family Support Office at the Mother Teresa Children Centre. I am a coordinator of ‘Stay and Play’, where we invite children, whose parents can’t afford to send them to nursery, to come once a week to learn and play. My favourite thing about my work is that I help needy children by providing them with free education. I also like home visits where I meet the parents of vulnerable children and advise them how to take care and support their children. I encourage parents to have self esteem, despite the challenges they are facing.

Annie Walala

Coordinator

I am Noel Calvin Limbani. My role at MTCC is as a Child Protection Officer. I hold a diploma in early childhood development and have a certificate in case management. My job includes working with families that have a particular child protection issue, in partnership with the police and social welfare. I also ensure that child protection is a cross cutting theme at MTCC, so all teams have a good understanding of how to promote staying safe. One moment of several that I can cherish, was when I handled a neglect case of twin children who were abandoned by their mother. I made intervention and took the children to social welfare. I managed to locate their relatives and the children are now with responsible adults and are safe.

Noel Calvin Limbani

Child Protection Officer

I am Samuel Mukhura, one of the Extended Schools Workers. I joined the ESW team, under the Mother Teresa department, on the 4th November 2013. I am a holder of a diploma in childcare and primary education, which I obtained here at Beehive in 2014 after completing a six months course. As an Extended Schools Worker I deliver extra curriculum activities to primary school learners within Beehive catchment area, such as science subjects and sporting activities, mainly football and netball competitions. My favourite thing about my job is assisting primary school learners in the academic side and physical side of their lives.