London-based charity, Think Malawi, has announced its first-ever celebrity ambassador in the shape of Malawian stand-up comedian and Britain’s Got Talent Finalist, Daliso Chaponda.

Daliso, who has over 300 million views of his stand up online and who writes and hosts his own series for Radio 4, ‘Citizen of Nowhere’, is keen to support Think Malawi’s efforts to help children in Malawi complete their education:

"Think Malawi is undertaking vital work in helping children in Malawi to stay in school and complete their education, raising themselves and their families out of poverty, and helping them to achieve their aspirations. The obstacles to this, particularly for girls, are great and well documented. Think Malawi is helping to address this through the provision of books, classrooms, washrooms, sanitary products, reading programmes and other resources. Please support them in any way you can."

Following a rigorous selection process, Think Malawi recently awarded grants of £3000 each to two grassroots projects supporting education. The first, Hope for Relief, is a youth-led non-profit based in Malawi, providing underwear and soap, sewing machines, materials, and the necessary training to make reusable sanitary pads. This will help to ensure that the girls at Karonga Primary Schools for the Blind and the Deaf are able to complete their education, and build better lives for themselves and their families.

The second, TEMWA, works to improve literacy levels in the Nkhata Bay district of Malawi. In this area, only 7% of women complete primary education, and only 3% of women and 6% of men graduate from secondary school (Malawi Demographic and Health Survey). Illiteracy is a widespread problem and TEMWA run special reading groups for adults and children, Spelling Bee competitions, and camps to improve reading and writing skills in the local languages of Chichewa and Tumbuka, as well as in English.

Chair of Think Malawi, innovator Dev Aditya, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Daliso has joined our small team of volunteers to support us in improving access to education for thousands of children in Malawi. We work hand-in-hand with Malawians on the ground to help them complete their educations, fulfil their ambitions, and lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

“As a Malawian, Daliso has a keen understanding of the issues children in Malawi face, and he is keen to help us make a difference in any way that we can. We are very grateful for his support. Please have a look at our website at www.thinkmalawi.org if you would like to find out more about our work and how you can help.”