The Thomas Marshall Education Fund

Tom Marshall was a bright, lively and giving teenager from Suffolk who was tragically killed in a road accident in the summer of 2009 just before his A level exam results arrived that would have seen him going on to University. His tragic death became the catalyst to set up the Thomas Marshall Education Fund to support secondary and tertiary education.

Access to secondary education is essential to better equip young people for jobs and a better future. People everywhere recognise the importance of secondary education yet in Mozambique only 8% of children of high school age get the option to go on to secondary or technical school. Maninga recognises that this is vital for a life-changing future for every young person. Therefore once our children graduate from the Primary school (you have to pass the grade – there are 7 grades before you can go onto the next one) we are now starting to offer as many as we can the option to go onto secondary or technical school.

As of January 2011, we are now supporting 55 children to go to either secondary or technical college. These are studying a wide range of subjects which will enable them to go onto either to get a job/apprenticeship or even consider go on to tertiary education to study things like nursing or to be a doctor or a teacher. The students go to various different secondary/technical schools in the Manica province and the Inhambane province. The students stay in accommodation at the schools or we rent accommodation for them nearby.

We are also supporting 2 students in tertiary education training to be teachers who otherwise wouldn't have funds to do so.