Abwenzi

Abwenzi"Abwenzi" means "friends" in the national language of Malawi. Abwenzi African Studies is a nonprofit organization linking Americans and Africans through letters and educational exchanges. We provide African Studies classes and curriculum materials in addition to coordinating pen pal relationships. With our guided learning program, pen pals are a vehicle to self-discovery.

As pen pals, American and African students become friends. These one-to-one relationships spark a keen interest across cultures.

Central to Abwenzi African Studies is service learning. Since 1989, we have brought learning and caring together with action through beneficial community projects.

African Studies students have completed ambitious projects as a result of their connection to Africa. For one such project students "recycled" over 1,000 used textbooks and sent them to several Malawian schools where a single textbook is rare.

Our projects also benefit local American communities. A recent project involved a celebration of African culture sponsored by the Aspen Middle School African Studies Classes. The event included many educational displays, a multimedia presentation, and African dancing. Our special guests at the event were disadvantaged inner-city and Native American youth.

Self-motivated learning arises naturally out of the pen pal relationships. Suddenly students want to learn because they are interested in their new friends in a far off place. Geography, history, languages, arts, reading, writing and spelling become relevant and interesting.

By looking closely at life in a faraway place, students gain a broader understanding of their own lives. By making friends across the globe, cross-cultural understanding begins.

Abwenzi has also sponsored environmental educator internships for Malawian park rangers. The African park rangers come to study at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies to work, study and share ideas with American environmental educators.

The internships have successfully raised awareness about Malawi in the U.S. and provided additional skills to Malawi's park staff. In particular, the park rangers have become much more involved with environmental education programs for younger children and with teaching simple solar cooker design as a result of the training.

Currently, Abwenzi is compiling a "Letters from Africa"/Malawi Study Guide to help teachers provide more African Studies opportunities in their classrooms. The guide is designed for use in grades 3-5, 7-9, 10-12.

We appreciate your input and ideas! Comments sent to the address below will receive our attention. Also, if you would like a pen pal, or to sponsor an educational exchange project such as the park ranger internships, please contact us at the address below.

Your tax-deductible donations are the sole support for these educational projects. Please send your contributions to:
Contact information:
Abwenzi African Studies
P.O. box 1962
Basalt, Co. 81621 USA
Email; abwenzi@rof.net
Fax: 970-927-2690

A complete list of our projects is available on request. We appreciate your support!

Zikomo kwambiri (thank you very much) to The Malawi Office of Parks and Wildlife, World Wildlife Fund, Friends of Malawi, Friends of Africa, and Aspen Moving Media.


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