Andiamo
SUPPORTING disadvantaged girls WITH access TO quality secondary education in Malawi
In the rural area of Balaka, Malawi, Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust operates four nursery schools, a care home for children experiencing homelessness, a secondary school and a technical college, as well as a community hospital that in 2022 enabled the safe delivery of 2,094 babies. Together, these programs have created a holistic model of development in Balaka.
Together with Andiamo, BTG launched a scholarship program for vulnerable girls to attend the Andiamo secondary boarding school. In 2022, the first cohort of 20 girls to receive a BTG scholarship was chosen, based on criteria of economic need and academic potential, through a selection process that involved over 100 primary schools in the area, including some of the most remote. The program has since grown, with a new cohort every year: as of 2025/26, there are 90 girls being supported by BTG at Andiamo, and the first cohort of 18 graduated in June 2026.
While Malawi has made progress towards gender parity in secondary education, access and completion remain significant challenges. Despite primary school attendance of over 90% for both girls and boys, far fewer ever progress to secondary school. In addition to financial hardship, many girls who do enroll face additional, gendered barriers such as early pregnancy and child marriage, which put them at risk of dropping out; in 2022, 38% of young women had been married before they turned 18. In 2024, it was estimated that only 20% of girls and young women complete secondary school, compared with 27% of boys and young men. In turn, young women are very unlikely to access tertiary education: only 2% were enrolled in 2022.
As part of the program to address these challenges, the BTG scholars are matched to a mentor, a teacher or Andiamo staff with whom they meet in groups once a week to discuss topics such as self-confidence, interpersonal relationships and sexual and reproductive health. In addition, all girls are provided with a care package to start school, including clothes, shoes, hygiene, and school supplies.
The school operates on a boarding model, with students living on campus, which allows them to take part in extracurricular activities, such as sports, life skills training and music school, while living in a safe environment and receiving daily nutritious food and essential healthcare through the nearby clinic. The scholarship program aims to drive change for the next generation, helping hundreds of girls complete secondary education.
Building on this long-standing partnership with Andiamo, in 2026 BTG and Andiamo launched the Pathway Centre, a physical space on campus to support the secondary school graduates as they make the critical transition into further education, employment or entrepreneurship. The Centre combines career exploration and one-to-one coaching with work and life readiness, digital and financial literacy, leadership development, entrepreneurship exposure, mentoring and psychosocial support. Through the program, participants are supported to identify pathways that reflect their interests, strengths and aspirations and to take practical steps towards pursuing them.
Key numbers
REACH
In the 2025/26 academic year, 90 vulnerable girls from rural Balaka were being supported by the BTG program at Andiamo.
IMPACT (2025)
95% of girls and young women successfully transitioned to the next academic year of their education or training.
77% are aware of Sexual and Reproductive Health services and how to access them.
91% of the girls are aware of gender equality and women’s rights.
88% have shown interest in becoming mentors, and around 1 in 2 girls participates in leadership activities at school.
