Girls from secondary school across Malawi this morning started arriving at the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) for this year’s Girls STEAM Camp.

The camp is a flagship initiative by MUST to expose girls to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) so that they get inspired and motivated to go for STEAM related programmes at tertiary education level and later make careers in these fields.

According to chairperson of the Girls STEAM Camp this year, Dr Marion Chirwa Kajombo, there are 200 girls expected to participate in the camp that runs from tomorrow up to July 12, 2024.

“We are done with the preparations and everything is set for what we expect to be a very successful camp. We are very thankful to all those that were part of the preparations and more importantly, our partners that have sponsored some of the girls to attend and also sponsored or will take part in some of the camp’s activities,” said Dr Chirwa Kajombo.

During the camp, the girls are exposed and participate in STEAM related activities that include experiments, projects, industrial visits, motivational talks, life skills, reproductive health, general education tips and cultural events.

“Our opening ceremony is low key because we are still in the mourning period but we have planned for a grand closing ceremony on July 12. For the industrial visit, the girls will tour one of the Egenco power stations,” added the chairperson.

This year’s camp has been made possible with support from Standard Bank, UN-Women, Illovo Sugar Malawi, NICO Life, MUST Institute for Industrial Research and Innovation (MIIRI through the Vice Chancellor's office, ICT Association of Malawi, National Commission for Science and Technology, Plan International Malawi, Egenco, SAVE Project at MUST and THES Project at MUST.