Atsikana Pa Ulendo (APU) is dedicated to helping young Malawian women achieve self-sufficiency through education.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide high quality education to girls from the rural areas of Malawi
who would be otherwise unable to continue with their education beyond primary school,
due to a lack of financial support.
Vision
We aim to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of young girls and women
living in poverty and in so doing, spark a ripple effect of reduced poverty, illness, malnutrition,
early marriage, overpopulation and gender bias that will be felt and magnified throughout the
country of Malawi and throughout the world. Our vision is of a world where young girls have
equal opportunities to realize their full potential as human beings.
Real and lasting change comes from a grassroots approach in which the vision for change and its implementation must originate with the people who seek to improve their own lives.
Sustainable
The central importance financial and operational sustainability. APU has a working plan in place to move towards financial independence from its Canadian partner, the APU Malawi Educational Foundation.
Investing Local
We believe in supporting local economy and investing in the human potential of our Malawian partners through purchasing all materials locally and using local skilled and unskilled labour in the operations and construction of our school.
Female Role Models
We believe in the importance of female Malawian, mentors and role models in positions of authority such as our school Director, our teaching staff and the Malawi Trust Board Executive.
Investing in Human Potential
We believe in a participatory approach to education with our students, their parents and/or guardians, our teachers and administrators working together towards a common goal. Our students are not recipients of donations, rather they are partners in investment in human potential.
Environmental Stewardship
We believe in the pursuance of environmental stewardship as a central construct of the development of our school facilities, as well as our agricultural methods.
Human Rights
We believe that a human rights framework should be central to development, and that every person has equal right to food, clean water, shelter, healthcare, sustainable livelihood, and education.
Equal Partners
We believe that our overseas partner, APU Malawi Trust, is our equal partner in development.
Service to Others
We believe that all people have the power to give of themselves to others. Service learning is central to our curriculum, allowing our students to realize that they are already able to make positive change in their families, villages and communities