The Jacaranda School for Orphans, located outside of Limbe, Malawi, was founded by Marie Da Silva. The school and its supporting foundation are named after the jacaranda tree, a tree that blossomed outside the hospital window of Marie’s father who died in 1997. To Marie, the jacaranda tree symbolizes life, growth and hope, important symbols for our students.
In 2002, while working as a nanny in the U.S., Marie learned that the school in her hometown was going to close. Together with her mother, Marie opened her family home to let the children gather and learn, while paying the school expenses with the money she earned working as a nanny.
In 2008, Marie was named a Top Ten CNN Hero, an award given to “everyday people doing extraordinary things to change the world.”
Today, the Jacaranda School provides entirely free preschool, primary school and secondary school education, as well as nutrition and health care to 524 orphan and underprivileged children. We also provide university scholarships to our high school graduates, as well as community outreach programs with the Jacaranda Pediatrics Physiotherapy Clinic, the Jacaranda Vocational School, the Entrepreneurship program for women in our communities, and Luc’s libraries for public primary schools in Malawi.
Watch Marie Da Silva’s in depth interview on the ‘Face to Face’ podcast to learn more about the story of jacaranda school.
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