Chilomoni, Blantyre

Beehive’s sports pitches will be constructed at the main campus and will serve the St Kizito Primary School, the MTCC Extended Schools Sports team, a future Secondary school, and – out of hours – the local community. It will become an important resource for the community, providing much-needed designated space, in a very densely built-up area, for sports education and community sporting activities and events.

“Facilities that provide recreation, cultural and sporting activities help to keep young people busy and occupied, however, a quick availability assessment shows that there is a serious inadequacy for these structures. Where these are available, they are either in a dilapidated state or are largely inaccessible by the youth.’’ (National Youth Policy, Government of Malawi, 2013)

Building Design
“The community will benefit greatly, especially vulnerable children, in developing physical and psycho-social skills... confidence, decision-making, problem-solving and other important life skills will be enhanced.”
(Limbani Njewa, MTCC Extended Schools Leader)
Location
Beehive Main Campus, Chilomoni, Blantyre, Malawi
Type
Sports Pitches and Changing Accommodation
Year of Construction
To be confirmed
Concept Design Architect​
Julianne Cassidy
Total Building Area (Approx. GEA)
1902m2 for Sports Pitches
115m2 for Changing Rooms/Showers
Number of Storeys
0 for Sports Pitches
1 for Changing Rooms/Showers
Construction Cost
Estimated 173,533,852 MWK Total
(£174,558 GBP – rate correct as of 24th August 2020)
Cost per m²
Estimated 75,749 MWK / m² for Sports Pitches Estimated 115m² @ 256,000 MWK / m² for Changing Roms/Showers

Set on a sloped site, the Sports Pitches will comprise two levels; the top level will accommodate a full-size pitch for Basketball and Netball (Netball being the most popular women’s sport in Malawi, with Malawi’s national women’s team currently sitting 6th in the International Netball Federation rankings) and the bottom level will accommodate a ‘MUGA’ (Multi-Use Games Area) suitable for Football, Rugby, Cricket, Tennis, Netball, Badminton, Basketball and Athletics. Both pitches will be sized to international recommendations. A small 1.5m-high revetment wall, faced with local stones, will take up the height difference between the two levels. Directly adjacent to the MUGA, simple ‘tiers’ will be cut into the existing ground, and topped with lawn, providing basic spectator seating for larger events. An external ramp to the East of the Pitches (shared with the Adjacent St. Kizito Primary School) will provide step-free access between the two levels, ensuring that the facility is inclusive to all.

An important part of the Sport Pitches provision will be the construction of the Changing Room block. The block will be a simple, single-storey building and will provide separate changing and shower facilities for boys and girls; this building will be pivotal in ensuring that young girls in particular are included in PE lessons and extra-curricular sporting activities.
Social Impact
Catholic social principles underpin all educational activities at Beehive
Catholic Community Support
There is the potential for the Extended Schools Sports Team to double with the expanded facilities
Job Creation
St. Kizito primary school pupils will have access to high quality sports education
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Quality Education
local children will benefit from access to sports through cirriculum and extra-cirricular activities
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Supporting the Vulnerable
“I have developed a good behavior and have been preventing bad behaviors such as sexual activities, smoking Indian hemp and beer drinking and got free education at Joyce Banda Foundation as an achievement.”
(Girls consultation - Participants answer to the question ‘How has sports helped you in other areas of you life?’ )
The new sports pitches will create a much-needed hub for children’s sport in Chilomoni. Not only will it provide high quality facilties for PE lessons at St Kizito Primary School, but it will enable Beehive’s existing, over-subscribed ‘Extended Schools Sports Programme’ to expand and reach more children within the community. The current programme works with 3000 children, and the new pitches will allow us to reach all 21,000 Chilomoni children. The pitches will enable the team to build upon their existing sports. Currently they have established clubs in football, netball, cricket, athletics and biking, at both Beehive and surrounding schools. The new facilities provide space for additional sports, such as basketball, tennis and rugby. Extending the provision of after-school activities will help occupy the local children, and discourage them from partaking in anti-social behaviour. Through the current programme local talent has been recognised, with members of the cricket team being accepted at the Blantyre cricket academy and 4 netball players have received scholarships at a local private school. We are confident more opportunities will be created through the new pitches.
Girls Consultation
In developing the new sports pitches, it has been important for us to engage with the local children of Chilomoni to find out what they want from the new facilities. We are keen to use sports as a vehicle for change to help empower local girls, and so the Extended School Sports Team set up a consultation group with 30 local girls. The participants were asked what impact sports has had on their lives, what prevents girls from joining in with sports and what sports they would like to access through the new pitches. The feedback from this consultation has helped inform the design of the pitches and will shape the expanded sports programmes offered by the Extended School Sports Team.
The project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/
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