The Chesney Trust was established in 2006 to provide educational opportunities for girls in northern Malawi by building a secondary boarding school at Engcongolweni, and by the funding of bursaries for poorer students. Running costs are covered by school fees, which are kept as low as possible. At present the school has a roll of 157 in Forms 1 to 4, which we plan to increase eventually to 320. Community projects so far undertaken include the building of a bridge so local people are not cut off in the rainy season, a maize mill and the provision of water.
The school, named the Edinburgh Girls’ High School, because of its link with the Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools in Edinburgh, which have been strong supporters of the project since the start, was opened in 2012. In 2016, the first year that Form 4 pupils took the Malawi School Certificate examination, there was a 94% pass rate (national average 58%), and 11 of these girls have gained university places.
Janey Chesney lives in Mzuzu and oversees the project with a Malawian Board of trustees.
Current work includes the completion of the physics and biology laboratories, and the kitchen and dining hall. Further teacher accommodation is planned for 2017, together with an upgrade of the solar power supply.
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Areas of interest
- Affordable and Clean Energy
- Clean Water and Sanitation
- Gender Equality
- Good Health and Wellbeing
- Life on Land
- Partnerships for the Goals
- Quality Education
Operational areas
- Malawi
Registered charity number: SC037540