DMI Mission

Poor Education

Across our mission countries, education indicators remain deeply concerning. In Tanzania, child labour continues to keep children out of classrooms: as of 2020, the primary school completion rate was only 66% for boys and 72% for girls, while less than 35% progressed to lower secondary. In South Sudan, conflict and displacement have left 2.8 million children out of school, with primary completion at just 35% for boys and 19% for girls, and tertiary access almost non-existent. The Central African Republic (CAR) faces a similar crisis: in 2017, only 40% of girls and 57% of boys completed primary school, and secondary rates drop as low as 8.3% for girls due to child marriage and early childbearing.

In Malawi, while 76% of boys and 85% of girls completed primary in 2019, the lower secondary rate falls sharply to 24% and 22%. In Zambia, despite near-universal completion in 2019, the pandemic caused a drop to 86%, with only 53% passing Grade 9 exams. Papua New Guinea (PNG) faces a human capital crisis where 72% of ten-year-olds cannot read age-appropriate texts, and only 18% of young adults (20–24 years old) complete secondary or higher education. In India, nearly 50% of adolescents fail to finish secondary school, and close to 50 million children in primary education do not achieve grade-appropriate learning levels.

Our Response

The Daughters of Mary Immaculate (DMI) is deeply committed to ensuring that every child- regardless of background, gender, or circumstance-has the opportunity to learn, grow, and dream. Since 2012 in South Sudan and 2018 in CAR, DMI has sustained school feeding and community education programs to keep children in classrooms despite conflict and displacement. In CAR, through partnerships with the World Food Programme and School Feeding Program, more than 54,300 marginalized children now benefit from holistic education, nutrition, and extracurricular support.

In Tanzania, beginning in 2024, DMI introduced pre-primary education to fight child labour and build strong foundations for learning. In India, our programs target children trapped in child labour, empowering them through Children’s Parliaments, non-formal education, and school supplies to reintegrate into learning environments. In Malawi and Zambia, DMI addresses dropouts and child labour through tuition centres, child-friendly learning spaces, and reintegration pathways. In PNG, since 2018, children in settlements have been supported with preschools, remedial education, and nutrition programs despite infrastructural challenges.

Through these collective efforts, DMI restores hope, dignity, and opportunity, transforming classrooms into spaces of empowerment where children can break free from cycles of poverty and envision a brighter future.