On April 5th, 2024, a significant milestone was reached in Malawi’s educational sector as InspireLearn officially launched the first-ever inclusive e-learning platform at the Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe themed, ‘Back to Basics: The Potential of Keypad Phones in Revolutionising Education’. 

The event had about 100 attendees present and over 300 participants streaming online, featuring a diverse mix of stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Education, UNFPA, UNICEF, YouthConnekt, TNM, NCST, teachers, and students from Kamzimbi CDSS, tech enthusiasts, and the general public. Associate Professor Chomora Mikeka, Director of Science, Technology, and Innovation in the Ministry of Education, graced the occasion as the guest of honour. During the event, students from Kamzimbi, as firsthand users of the platform, gave testimonials about how the platform has benefited them. One of the students, Chikondi Safari, expressed how the platform has helped her engage in classes even at home and facilitated group discussions with her friends during exam periods.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pressing issue among youth in Malawi, as it is in many parts of the world. The latest available statistics, between 2022 to 2023, paint a concerning picture: A reported 22% of women aged 15-49 are experiencing physical violence, and 11% reporting instances of sexual violence. Approximately, 42% of women aged 20-24 in Malawi are married before the age of 18. 50% of young women aged 15-24 experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in their dating relationships. Several factors contribute to the current state of these statistics. For instance, limited access to GBV reporting channels, lack of awareness and access to information on GBV prevention and inadequate country specific recent data on GBV prevalence. 

In a bid to contribute to addressing some of the challenges, InspireLearn pioneered a solution called the InspireLearn Learning Platform which works even on basic phones, that do not need internet connection which makes it less costly. This platform leverages basic phone technology to disseminate information and promote awareness about GBV prevention. It also features a dedicated GBV reporting channel and facilitates the collection of data pertaining to GBV prevalence. The platform also has a webinar feature to give room for GBV training and safe space teletherapy to survivors of GBV. 

The primary target users are young people between the ages of 15-35 years old, especially those in marginalized communities. InspireLearn aligns with two strategic development goals: SDG 4 and SDG 5. SDG 4, which focuses on Quality Education, is addressed through InspireLearn’s e-learning approach. The platform is designed to be inclusive, meeting the educational  need for youth in Malawi by providing accessible education. This inclusivity is central to SDG 4, which aims to provide equitable access to education for all, regardless of age, gender, or economic status.

On the other hand, SDG 5 which is about Gender Equality is addressed by providing inclusive e-learning methods. In this case, InspireLearn ensures that both young men and women in Malawi have equal opportunities to access education. SDG 5 emphasizes the importance of providing equal opportunities in education and technology for women and girls. 

InspireLearn believes in the power of technology to drive Gender Based Violence advocacy  forward. Through innovative digital solutions, we aim to boost the voices of survivors, educate the society about GBV and foster a safer and more inclusive environment for all.

InspireLearn, a dedicated leader in the field of quality education, took great pride in its active participation at the UNFPA Harmful Practices Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. This transformative 3-day event brought together participants from 27 African countries, fostering knowledge sharing, networking, experience exchange, and the exploration of innovative and sustainable solutions. Attendees represented diverse groups, including UNFPA representatives, young innovators, FGM prevention experts, business mentors, philanthropic supporters, investors, and digital communication specialists hailing from various African regions.

At this innovation summit, InspireLearn’s representative, Lisa Bhagwanji, as a UNFPA Malawi delegate, actively took part in discussions on innovative and sustainable approaches to address harmful practices, which include gender-based violence. Globally, one in three women experiences either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence during their lifetime (WHO), and in Malawi, as of 2022, 22% of young women had experienced GBV. Gender-based violence (GBV) ranges from physical, sexual, emotional, and other family violence to female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, early childbearing, trafficking, and sexual violence as a weapon of war.

At InspireLearn, we recognize the transformative power of education. Our platform is designed to provide accessible and inclusive learning opportunities, equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills they need to take a stand against harmful practices and gender-based violence. During the summit, Bhagwanji seized the opportunity to introduce our platform to the participants and organizations that were present, spreading the message of “Tech Driven GBV Advocacy”.

The Harmful Practices Innovation Summit has inspired InspireLearn to continue uniting for change. We are more committed than ever to using education as a powerful tool to challenge and end harmful practices and GBV. By joining forces with passionate individuals and organizations like UNFPA, we are determined to create a world liberated from harmful practices and foster a brighter and more equitable future for all.

InspireLearn believes in the power of technology to drive gender-based violence advocacy  forward. Through innovative digital solutions, we aim to boost the voices of survivors, educate society about GBV and foster a safer and more inclusive environment for all.

The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 served as a wake up call for the country to utilize digital resources for learning; however, not everyone was aware of the learning opportunities presented by such resources. On a visit to Kamzimbi, located in Traditional Authority Kabudula in Lilongwe rural, on August 11, 2023, InspireLearn discovered the digital literacy gap that exists in the country.  The community members indicated that most of them were not aware of possible means that could have been used for the students to continue learning amidst school closures. 

In a quest to bridge the digital literacy gap in the community, InspireLearn demonstrated e-learning concepts to the community. In attendance were students from Kamzimbi CDSS, teachers from the school, parents, and community leaders. The event started with a presentation on e-learning by Ms. Lisa Bhagwanji. She gave an explanation of what e-learning is, the devices used, how it operates, and the benefits it has for education. In her explanation, Bhagwanji said e-learning is a teaching method that uses electronic devices such as phones and laptops. The benefits are that learning can be done regardless of the location for both teachers and students.

The audience was delighted to learn about e-learning and was later divided into 5 groups with a representative from InspireLearn in each of those groups to have a physical demonstration of the concept. Each group joined a class using Google Meet, and a teacher from Kamzimbi CDSS addressed the audience.

In his explanation, the Managing Director of InspireLearn, Mr. Sam Masikini, explained that the demonstration was done to give them a practical experience of e-learning and to demonstrate that teachers and students can conduct classes while in different locations. Masikini also briefed the audience on how this was made possible using the internet, which led to focus group discussions to delve deep into the topic and find out if e-learning would work at Kamzimbi. 

Findings indicated that e-learning would not work in the area due to the need for internet connectivity and the use of advanced technologies to access e-learning. The community expressed how most households do not possess smartphones or laptops that they could use for e-learning and that the network in the area is unstable. However, InspireLearn explained to them how the InspireLearn platform comes into play as  a learning platform that can be accessed offline and on basic phones. As such, if any school disruptions or closures reoccur, this platform will give everyone a chance to continue learning regardless of their internet connectivity or digital resources, thereby mitigating the problems that the community raised. 

Education is one of the most powerful tools that can be used to transform the world. According to the World Bank, education is fundamental to world development and growth. Development achievements such as efficient public administration, private sector growth, agricultural innovations, and health dwell on the potential of the human mind. In order to achieve all these developments and more, there is a need to unleash the potential of the human mind, and there is no better tool that could be used than education. 

Globally, governments, with help from various stakeholders, have made tremendous efforts to promote education enrollment by ensuring every student stays in school and gets educated. However, continued school dropout rates are hindering the advancements being made. UNESCO (2020) reported that more than 64 million primary school students dropped out of school in 2020. There is even a gender gap, with a higher percentage of female student dropouts. The possible consequences of this gives rise to concerns about how the girl child would be left behind in this effort to promote education. Findings have shown that teenage pregnancies and early marriages are significant factors contributing to this high dropout rate among females.

For instance, WHO (2023) reported that globally, the adolescent birth rate for girls aged between 10 and 14 years old in 2022 was estimated at 1.5 per 1000 women, with higher rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Malawi alone has reported 29% of teenage pregnancies, one of the highest in the sub-region. Usually, schoolgirls who become pregnant have fewer opportunities to complete their education after childbirth. But in order to resolve this, Malawi introduced the re-admission policy in 1993, which was revised in 2016. This policy was implemented to ensure that pregnant girls can resume their education after giving birth.

Similarly, child marriages have been a setback in ensuring students stay in school, as they have led to high school dropouts in many countries, including Malawi. Many cases of child marriage persist despite the fight by various stakeholders to put them to an end. About 46% of girls get married before the age of 18, and 9% before the age of 15. These child marriages are often driven by cultural norms and poverty. For instance, in some cultures, a girl is thought to be eligible for marriage when she reaches a specific age, which is frequently signaled by the start of her menstruation. Unfortunately, some young girls in low-income families are forced into marriage because of the material benefits that their parents gain by marrying them off. 

The Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability, and Social Welfare launched a National strategy to end child marriages in Malawi by 20% by the year 2023. Despite these plans, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 hindered progress in ending child marriages in countries with already existing high rates of child marriages. School closures during the pandemic period led to a lot of young girls getting married, and a majority never returned to school after schools were reopened.

Nevertheless, despite ongoing efforts by various stakeholders to address teenage pregnancies and child marriages and facilitate the return of girls and women to school, it is important to also consider ‘continued learning’ as a tool to help address these barriers. In addition to the efforts being made, utilizing continued learning strategies like distance learning can effectively contribute to overcoming the challenges posed by teenage pregnancies and early marriages. Ensuring the accessibility of flexible learning strategies like distance learning to girls and women affected by these circumstances can be a means of achieving inclusive education for all. These approaches would provide a chance for everyone to continue with education regardless of circumstances that may have disrupted it, like teen pregnancies. It would also serve as a learning aid for women and girls preparing to return to school. 

In order to reach students who are physically distanced from regular classrooms, distance learning makes use of technology. Girls and women would have the option of remotely accessing lessons and homework through online resources, audio conferencing, and educational apps. As a result of this learning style’s flexibility with their schedules, they can pursue education while taking care of their pregnancies and newborn babies. It is high time countries’ education systems incorporate distance learning to ensure continued learning for girls and women affected by teenage pregnancies and early marriages.