MEMON is a Malawian non-profit making Islamic organisation focused on the development of
people’s capacities and capabilities in varied spheres of life. It is deeply concerned with the
development of the underprivileged in the secular and Islamic religious education system in Malawi.
MEMON compliments the national policies including universal free primary school education,
enhancement of opportunities including scholarships and accessibility. MEMON recognises that
despite increased accessibility and opportunity to education, the privilege may not adequately extend
to all Malawian school going children and or address specific needs of particular levels of an
education system.
The concern and role of MEMON extends beyond opportunity giving: it is focused on the character
building of the children, adhering to tenets of the Islamic education teachings and the secular
curriculum. MEMON strives to develop a sustainable strategy for the production of Aalims who shall
serve as Ustaadhs in the communities.
Since the year 2000 when the program, Muslim Educational Movement for Northern Malawi was
established it has seen a capacity increment of students from the initial 52 in its Boarding School to
over 72. It has also registered an increment of over 605 makaatibs students in the fourteen makaatibs
operating centres.
The increase in student attendance has not been augmented with a corresponding injection of the
resources base to cushion the requisite elements for provision of basic amenities for an education
system including teachers, infrastructure and necessary resources. The resulting increase in the cost
of expenses continues to pose challenges of:
A disproportional school attendance average of child–teacher ratio,
Pressure on infrastructure and resources including classrooms, text books,
Increased professional staff turnover due to less competitive personal emolument packages.
Engagement of teachers with low teaching qualifications and experience.
MEMON continues to operate a fully subsidised scholarship education system which is targeted at
the less privileged in the communities. The comparative reduced resource base has ultimately affected
the level of output leading to dissatisfaction, frustration, indifference and ultimately lack of
stewardship for the aalims.
MEMON therefore seeks support in order to complement its resource base in order to address its aim
complimenting the Malawian education system, through the development of strategies and
mechanisms that offer development of the underprivileged in the secular and Islamic religious
education system and a conducive environment for both learning and enhancement of skills.
- MEMON aims and objectives:
Provision of full scholarship of the underprivileged and promising aalims holds the promise for
learning satisfaction which will ultimately address the problems of access to Islamic and Secular
Education, the propagation of Islamic Da’wah and the production of sufficient, competent and well
trained Aalims who shall serve their communities as instructors, and as Ustaadhs in the communities’
madressahs.
- Target Population;
Muslim Educational Movement of Northern Malawi is formally a regional organisation with its
catchment area being the Northern Region of Malawi. However it has of recent become a necessity to
enrol deserving students from the other regions of Malawi who may not have an opportunity of
admission elsewhere.
The current Boarding School intake is currently is 58 full board and scholarship students. The current
enrolment classification is as below: - Islamic Studies
MEMON offers the following:
No. Class No. Of Students
1 Edadiyah 18
2 Ulaa 10
3 Thaniyah 9
4 Thaalithah 2
6 Khaameesa 6
Hifz 13
Secular Studies
No. Class No. Of Students
1 Standard 5 24
2 Standard 6 11
3 Standard 7 11
4 Standard 8 2
5 Form 2 6 - MEMON is therefore uniquely suited to refocus and develop the teaching and development of the
Islamic Teaching and Social initiatives in the Northern Region of Malawi through provision of
foundations through provision of access to Islamic and Secular Education, propagation of Islamic
Da’wah and the production of sufficient, competent and well trained Aalims who shall serve their
communities as instructors as Ustaadhs in the communities’ madressahs.
These activities have had a track record of enhancement of capacity, visibility and acceptance of
Islamic teachings. - Impact Areas
MEMON has a geographical operation area based in the Northern Districts of Malawi. The current
national population of the impact area is over one million people. However; it is recognised that the
Islamic religion is in growth hence the necessity of supporting structures including education, health
and social amenities.
The following table refers to township madressahs in and those beyond Mzuzu city within the scope
of northern region of Malawi.
NO. NAME OF MADRESSAH
1 AREA 1B- MASJID ZAITUN
2 MASASA EAST- MASJID ZUL-QARNAIN
3 CHIBAVI- MASJID DAWAH
4 CHIPUTULA- MASJID ABOOBAKR
5 CHING’AMBO- MASJID AL KHAIR
6 ENUKWENI- MASJID ZAKIYYA
7 EKWENDENI- MAIN MASJID
8 CHINTHECHE- OMAR OSMAN( ISLAMIC CENTRE)
9 KARONGA- MAIN MASJID
10 MZIMBA- MASJID AMINA
11 JENDA- MASJID ABDULLAH BIN ZUBAIR
12 RAIPLY- MASJID ZAHRA
13 MADEDE – AL-IMAAN ISLAMIC CENTRE
14 CHIWETA- MASJID MUHAMMAD ILYAS
15 MZILWAYINGWE – MASJID MFUMU GELOO
Current Success stories
Operational challenges
MEMON in its growth is currently facing a number challenges. The operational challenges that are
currently being experienced have included the reduced or inadequate funding for the Movement’s
operations as well as the staff emoluments. A brief outline of the challenges is as follows:
i. Student support and welfare requirements
As a scholarship based institution, MEMON has the responsibility of providing all the necessary
resources to the students under its charge including full boarding, clothing, learning, medical and
sanitary requirements.
ii. Staff emoluments
This is considered a major challenge of all, as emoluments packages are not competitive enough and
have over time been constant. In this case the Institution has been having staff turnover of highly
qualified and experienced personnel including madressah sheikhs and secular teachers.
The impact of the staff turnover has been ineffective delivery of service leading to decreased student
intake and dropping out. It presumed that the Movement need to be competitive in attracting qualified
staff who will compliment the ideals of MEMON.
iii. Staff accommodation
The Movement is at the moment in the process of implementing a structural development strategy
which envisions provision of staff accommodation. Staff accommodation is a premise for
incentivisation of the qualified that are necessary for the effective delivery of the ideals of the
Movement.
iv. Structural maintenance and development
The impact of the services delivered by MEMON is continuously being appreciated by the Societies
as such the reactionary impact is the necessity to provide structures that will address the perceived
growth. - As such MEMON needs a strategy and funding base that aims at addressing the structural
requirements handicaps as well as adapting and reconfiguring the current structural assets so that they
are accommodative to the current and future requirements.
v. Provision of teaching and learning materials
In order to be effective in the delivery of educational services, MEMON undertakes the full
scholarship of teaching and learning materials. This implies that the main chunk of the budgetary
provisions of the Movement is aimed at addressing the tasks.
MEMON therefore seeks to identify partners that will be able to provide a helping hand in addressing
the budgetary shortfalls as well as undertaking subsidy measures to address the same. - Budget and Expenditures
MEMON receives its budgetary support from a number of well-wishers including the payment of the
other recurrent (ORT) expenditures of the institution.
The table below illustrates the total monthly budget expenses:
Items Description
Monthly expenses
(MK)
Monthly Income Conversion to Us
Dollars
Personal emoluments MK4,186,548.75 $5,582.00
Personal emoluments for school
staff
MK511,071.00 $681.35
Personal emoluments for
Maktaabs and Sheikhs
MK735,988.00 $981.32
Students monthly provisions MK2,270,775.00 $3027.70
Madressah monthly income MK3,018,600.00 $4,024.80
Total monthly expenses MK7,704,277.50 $ 10,272.37
TOTAL BUDGETORY
SHORTFALL
MK4,685,677.50 $6,247.57 - A Word of Request and Appeal to Donors, Sponsors and all well wishers on virtues of
charity for the Cause of Allah: