STEM Build Malawi – Jacobs Women Build Vital Educational Resources for African Community

Jacobs is proud to support nine inspiring employees from across the globe who join 16 others on the trip of a lifetime. As a business, we have a tremendous opportunity to continue to influence positive change and drive progress through the solutions that we create and deliver for our clients and the communities they serve. Our people are working to find better ways to create an enduring legacy for the world – whether working together on our projects, in partnership with our clients and suppliers, or taking steps as individuals to make a difference.

This month, a team of 25 women, primarily engineers, travel to Malawi on a STEM Build expedition. Bringing together a group of professionals, who hope to empower the local community and enhance the aspirations of young people towards careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), while also leaving a permanent hub in the form of a new classroom block at Rainbow Hope Secondary School in Mangochi near Blantyre, Malawi. The classroom block will include resources and equipment to enable students to engage in STEM education.

The promotion of STEM is a passion of every team member who has been selected to join the STEM Build Malawi expedition. Engineering encompasses some of the most engaging, hands-on subjects that children learn in school. The team members will develop, deliver and launch STEM activities onsite with the students of theRainbow Hope Secondary School, including interactive lessons and workshops. They will share skills across communication, problem solving, critical thinking and creativity, delivering workshops to teachers and other community members, as well as students.

Uniting a range of engineering disciplines and other expertise, the world-wide team will collaborate on a sustainable design for the classroom block, as well as working closely with Malawian construction contractors, the local workforce and the wider community, to share expertise and assist with the final stages of construction this month.

Jacobs Civil Engineer Kelly Jeffery is one of the team leaders: “STEM Build Malawi is a fantastic opportunity for our team to upskill the local workforce on site. We plan to run daily toolbox talks on the importance of safety on site and share our skills, passing on as much knowledge as we can to the local community.”

The team will also benefit, growing both personally and professionally. The expedition offers them a unique opportunity to expand their network with Jacobs and other professionals, build site experience, as well as connect with the local community and nurture cultural links over the two weeks.

We wish the STEM Build Malawi team safe travels and look forward to following them on a journey of a lifetime – you can follow along here.