K.I.N.D. Fund Desks Make a Big Difference for Students in Malawi

A simple school desk can have a powerful impact on a child's learning

Singing and dancing, excited students crowded around a truck as it pulled off the main road into a schoolyard on a sunny morning in October, filled with precious cargo: desks for the classrooms of Bwengu Primary School in Mzimba District, northern Malawi. 

In the majority of Malawi's schools, students sit on the floor, jostling for space in a crowded classroom, struggling to concentrate and write legibly. The arrangement is particularly difficult for girls, who worry about keeping their skirts down when they stand to answer a teacher's question, then try to reclaim their spot on the ground. 

K.I.N.D. has delivered more than 405,000 desks reaching more than 1.6 million learners. 

The answer? Desks for all. In 2010, MS NOW's Lawrence O'Donnell and UNICEF USA partnered to launch The K.I.N.D. (Kids in Need of Desks) Fund. K.I.N.D. outfits schools in Malawi with sturdy desks designed to fit two or three students each, with benches attached. Schools with desks report increased attendance, higher retention among girls and greater participation across the board. These improvements demonstrate how classroom resources can strengthen education in Malawi and create better learning environments for children.

K.I.N.D. has delivered more than 405,000 desks reaching more than 1.6 million learners. 

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Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpwM-jdcDJ8

The program has also awarded high school scholarships to nearly 38,000 girls. These scholarships have been an important part of supporting girls' education in Malawi and helping more girls stay in school. In Malawi, girls are far less likely than boys to complete their secondary education. 

Annie Maston, Girls' Education Officer at UNICEF Malawi, sees firsthand how K.I.N.D. school desks for kids and scholarships impact children's learning. 

"Most of my work is to support children and adolescent girls to access both primary and secondary school through provision of the desks and scholarships to the most marginalized students, including those with disabilities, so that we all have equal opportunities to complete primary and secondary school," Maston says. 

Walking around the classroom, high-fiving students sitting proudly at their new desks, she adds: "I'm very happy because this is one of my greatest achievements — that we were sitting on the floor and today we are sitting on the desks."

Founded in 1910, Bwengu Primary School was the only primary school in Bwengu Zone for many years; by 2024, that number had risen to 17. In 2022, The K.I.N.D. Fund delivered 50 desks to Bwengu Primary School, enough for the oldest students, in Standard 8, and less than a quarter of Standard 7 students.

In 2024, graduating students at the school received a 96 percent pass rate. Bwengu is the only school in the zone that sends children to boarding secondary schools. 

Your donation can change a child's future

Every child has the right to an education, and every child wants to learn. A donation to The K.I.N.D. Fund is a cost-effective way to give children in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, a chance at a better future.

"I've never seen more joy in a school than the spontaneous outbursts of song and enthusiasm at a school in Malawi when the desks arrive," O'Donnell says. 

Investing in children's education transforms lives and brightens futures. Families, communities and economies are strengthened. The K.I.N.D. Fund provides students with the support they need to keep learning and thriving. 

Through this longstanding partnership with MS NOW's Lawrence O'Donnell, the program continues to improve opportunities for education in Malawi. Help children in Malawi reach their full potential. Please donate today.