Jean's volunteering stint in Malawi

Jean says, "Although education has been my career, it has also become my lifelong passion. I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed and that strong, compassionate leadership can make an enormous difference to young people's lives."

This belief inspired one of the most rewarding experiences of Jean's career through her voluntary work with Network for a Better World, supporting educational projects in Sitima, Malawi.

One of the key initiatives involved engaging with primary schools to develop the 'Little Teacher' Project', which works with school leaders to address the challenges of overcrowded primary classrooms. This innovative peer-education programme enables older pupils to support younger learners, helping to improve classroom learning while developing leadership skills. The project is currently being evaluated before being implemented in other schools.

In the secondary schools, Jean worked closely with Heads of Department to introduce a house system with a strong emphasis on promoting spoken English across all areas of the curriculum. Fluency in English is essential, as public examinations are delivered in English and students need confidence in the language to achieve their full potential.

Jean also established a community literacy project for mothers, teaching them to read and write simple English. The women then take these skills home, enabling them to support their children's learning and practise reading and writing together. This straightforward but highly effective initiative strengthens both education and family life, reflecting Jean's belief that learning has the power to transform communities as well as individual lives.

Since returning home, Jean, through the internet,  has remained in regular contact with the schools and communities in Malawi, continuing to offer encouragement, advice, and support. Her commitment to the people she met reflects her enduring passion for education and her determination to help sustain the projects long after her visit ended.