Games without frontiers - Malawi breaks new ground

Most of the young people of Mzuzu, the bustling capital of Malawi’s Northern Region, do not have very much. Flushing toilets, electricity and running water are luxuries for them. Sports equipment and computers are undreamed of extravagances. Or rather, they were. A unique new scheme is providing the city and its people with exciting and dynamic development opportunities through the mediums of sport and technology. A new spirit of collaboration is bridging social and cultural divides to enable the young people of Mzuzu to realise their latent potential.

Two schools in Mzuzu, a stone’s throw apart, demonstrate perfectly the difference the project has made. One is the Mzuzu Government School. Its facilities are modest, resources limited to the basics. Many of the students are in their twenties - they could not afford to attend when they were children. Just a short walk down the road lies Marymount School. This is where the children of the city’s elite receive their education. They are dressed in smart uniforms, their classrooms are well equipped, they have a computer suite with internet access and space outside for sport and games. The difference is stark, two parallel worlds operating only yards away from each other but never converging.

That is until they had their ‘eureka!’ moment. Mzuzu School had begun using Xoolon, an online sports academy, used by its UK partner Westfield School in Sheffield. Xoolon was introduced to Mzuzu School by Wani Mkandawire, a Malawian born Briton. He visited Malawi as an ambassador for Westfield, and set up the simple activities designed by Xoolon to measure physical aptitudes and discover sporting talent. The idea instantly caught the imagination of students and teachers, giving them the chance to take part in organised sport at school not previously part of the timetable. But the benefits reached further still.

“It’s about tapping into the potential that exists and using what they already have,” said Wani. “Simple activities using simple equipment can bring out a lot of skills – teamwork, communication, networking. People with these skills can become community leaders and pass their skills on.”

The simplicity of the activities, based primarily around running, jumping and throwing, makes them perfect in challenging environments as all that is required is some open space and a measuring implement. But as the project gathered pace it rapidly became clear that a huge opportunity lay in the use of technology. Xoolon requires internet access to enable students to log their results online. According to UNICEF statistics, out of every hundred people in Malawi only one has internet access, whilst only eight have a mobile phone. But hundreds of people can use one phone or one internet connection.

To enable pupils at the Mzuzu School to submit their results, the prosperous Marymount School was approached with a view to allowing use of its computer and internet facilities. It agreed. Hundreds of Malawian young people were now benefiting from internet access. Marymount pupils participated in the activities. The partnership received coverage in the local press and four other local schools wanted in. A sports partnership, with Mzuzu Government School as the lead school and Westfield, was created and the beginnings of an organised sports system took hold. A spontaneous decision to share resources had led to a partnership which crossed social, cultural and national boundaries.


“It wasn’t really our intention, when we came out here, to implement anything like this. But the idea really caught the imagination and people are so enthusiastic,” said Wani.

“I think it’s the combination of the personal touch, the opportunity to use the technology and to do organised sport at school, which they didn’t do before, which has made it so popular.”

The benefits of the scheme are manifold. Not only does it develop useful transferable skills, it also provides a greater opportunity to young people to play sport and discover athletic talent. The roots of a distinct pathway for those who want to pursue sporting ambitions are beginning to take hold in the form of inter-school competition. Importantly, though, a new spirit of collaboration has been developed across social divides. If the wealthier private schools continue to share resources with others, then the educational benefits are enormous.

It has also emphasised the tremendous opportunity which mobile technology provides. Networks are constantly growing and becoming more efficient. Phone companies are formulating ideas (such as scrappage schemes) which will enable more people in developing countries to own phones with internet access. It is realistic to suggest that within a matter of months millions of Malawians could have internet access, opening up similar opportunities to them all and reaching the thousands of Malawian young people not fortunate enough to attend school.

The difference that can be made was summed up when teacher Collins Phiri received an iPhone. He said, “I love it and I am sure this will go a long way in helping many Malawian children. It will also make my work easier. Life will never be the same for me again and I won’t disappoint.”

Because the Xoolon project is based on utilising and maximising existing resources, rather than on providing money and material goods on predetermined conditions, it means that the benefits go directly to young people. It is helping Malawi to develop its own sports system, rather than imposing an unsustainable one from outside. It is also not open to fraud in the way that many development projects are. The only material goods to change hands were the iPhone, complete with the Xoolon app to allow the logging of scores, and a stopwatch.

Challenges remain, of course. Up to 70% of Malawian children do not attend secondary school and large swathes of the country do not have internet access. But the Xoolon project has shown that rapid technological, structural and educational development can be achieved with positive and creative thinking. If it's pioneering and adventurous spirit can be maintained and extended, then it can pave the way to a prosperous future for millions of Malawians.