About the Soko Fund
Ministry of Education
The Soko Fund's slogan 'Help for the Heart of Africa' is derived from Malawi's catch-phrase 'The warm heart of Africa'. This captures not just the climate and geographical position, but a social culture that has made Malawi an impressively stable and peaceful country. Yet, it is also among the poorest countries in the world. In common with the majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Malawi faces many obstacles in the struggle for development. Since its natural resources are severely limited, human resources are even more vital to the country's future. Education is the key to their development.
Attention naturally focuses on schools and children, especially in a country like Malawi where the population is growing and literacy levels are low. But Higher Education also has a key role to play. It is now widely accepted in Development Studies that countries like Malawi need to educate for leadership in government, the professions, business and industry.
In Malawi the proportion of people in universities is amongst the lowest in the world. The Government is committed to doubling the number, and to offer higher education to as many women as men. Both ambitions face formidable challenges. The available resources are very limited, and women often find support difficult to obtain because of the traditional roles they are expected to fill.
The Soko Fund was established in 2003. Its sole purpose is to enable women in Malawi to obtain a university education by providing scholarships, and preference is given to women from needy circumstances who are already engaged in vocationally oriented studies. Since its establishment, the number of students supported by the Soko Fund has increased every year, and there are now Soko graduates in education, health sciences, agriculture and business.
The Soko Fund is registered as a charitable trust in accordance with the law of Scotland. Its funds are raised entirely by donation, and its work is overseen by a Board of Trustees which currently includes two women members with experience of teaching in Malawi. The Fund’s representative in Malawi is Professor Leonard Kamwanga, formerly Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Malawi (UNIMA). He completed his PhD in the United States, and was subsequently Professor of Animal Physiology at Bunda College before being appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor of UNIMA. Since his retirement from that post, Prof Kamwanja has been advisor to higher educational institutions and is Executive Director for the Trustees of Agricultural Promotion Programme, a local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) involved in the delivery of sustainable agriculture services to farmers in Malawi.
The Soko Fund takes the safeguarding of its volunteers and beneficiaries very seriously. We work closely with our partners to ensure that anyone involved in the Fund's activities is not vulnerable to any abuse. We have developed our safeguarding policy in order to make our procedures for dealing with any reports or complaints clear. Our policy can be downloaded below:
Attention naturally focuses on schools and children, especially in a country like Malawi where the population is growing and literacy levels are low. But Higher Education also has a key role to play. It is now widely accepted in Development Studies that countries like Malawi need to educate for leadership in government, the professions, business and industry.
In Malawi the proportion of people in universities is amongst the lowest in the world. The Government is committed to doubling the number, and to offer higher education to as many women as men. Both ambitions face formidable challenges. The available resources are very limited, and women often find support difficult to obtain because of the traditional roles they are expected to fill.
The Soko Fund was established in 2003. Its sole purpose is to enable women in Malawi to obtain a university education by providing scholarships, and preference is given to women from needy circumstances who are already engaged in vocationally oriented studies. Since its establishment, the number of students supported by the Soko Fund has increased every year, and there are now Soko graduates in education, health sciences, agriculture and business.
The Soko Fund is registered as a charitable trust in accordance with the law of Scotland. Its funds are raised entirely by donation, and its work is overseen by a Board of Trustees which currently includes two women members with experience of teaching in Malawi. The Fund’s representative in Malawi is Professor Leonard Kamwanga, formerly Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Malawi (UNIMA). He completed his PhD in the United States, and was subsequently Professor of Animal Physiology at Bunda College before being appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor of UNIMA. Since his retirement from that post, Prof Kamwanja has been advisor to higher educational institutions and is Executive Director for the Trustees of Agricultural Promotion Programme, a local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) involved in the delivery of sustainable agriculture services to farmers in Malawi.
The Soko Fund takes the safeguarding of its volunteers and beneficiaries very seriously. We work closely with our partners to ensure that anyone involved in the Fund's activities is not vulnerable to any abuse. We have developed our safeguarding policy in order to make our procedures for dealing with any reports or complaints clear. Our policy can be downloaded below:
| soko_fund_safety_and_protection_policyfinal.docx |