In an era where education systems across the globe struggle with persistent inequalities, cross-border learning emerges as a powerful tool for innovation and shared growth.
Last week, Link Community Development Malawi (LCDM) and the Centre for Education, Research and Training (CERT) embarked on an insightful learning visit to Uganda, where Link Community Development Uganda (LCDU) is implementing the GPE-KIX research project. This initiative, supported by the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada, is dedicated to understanding how governments make decisions that scale gender, inclusion, and safeguarding interventions.
Purpose of the Learning Visit:
The aim of the visit was to enhance learning and the exchange of knowledge through best practices between Malawi and Uganda. By exploring shared challenges and sustainable solutions, the visit also aimed to strengthen safeguarding and inclusion approaches which are the key pillars in achieving quality education for all learners particularly girls.
This experience provided an opportunity for the visiting team to learn how safeguarding methods and approaches are executed at various levels of the education system. The team explored virous adaptable strategies, such as school-based reporting mechanism, that can strengthen Malawi’s own efforts toward gender-responsive and inclusive education.
Insights from the field:
During the visit the team toured Nyamitete and Walukuba Primary Schools in Buliisa District. The schools, which are located between Lake Albert and the River Nile, offered a compelling illustration of how coordinated community engagement can transform deeply rooted cultural practices. The region struggled with high rates of child marriage, especially involving girls being married off to fishermen, reducing the number of girls completing primary school.
However, with the introduction of Link’s safeguarding measures under the KIX project, remarkable progress is being made. Teachers, parents, local leaders, community members, and the Ministry of Education and Sports are working collectively to ensure that every girl is protected, empowered, and encouraged to remain in school. Today, more families are prioritizing children’s education and learners themselves are demonstrating renewed motivation and success. The passion and commitment of all stakeholders showcased the power of a unified approach.
Indeed, “it truly takes a village to make a difference.”
Key Learning Points: What Malawi Can Adapt
- Strong Stakeholder Collaboration
Uganda’s success underscores the importance of collective responsibility. When ministries, schools, local leaders, and communities unite around safeguarding and gender inclusion, interventions become more sustainable and impactful.
- Community-Led Safeguarding Approaches and Determination
Changing norms such as reducing child marriage requires community ownership. The Uganda experience demonstrated that empowering community members as safeguarding champions fosters long lasting behavioural change.
- A supportive learning environment is a key to promoting girl participation
Ensuring girls feel safe, supported, and valued increases their retention and performance in school.
As the Scaling Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding Approaches project strives to ensure that every child, especially every girl is safeguarded and reaches their full potential, this stands as a testament to what is possible when communities, governments, and development partners work hand in hand.