Mzuzu Diocese Integrated Ecology Centre Launches Ecology Training for Children, Starting with Mchenga Utuba Primary School

Mzuzu, Malawi — The Mzuzu Diocese Integrated Ecology Centre has begun training children in ecology education, launching the programme with students from Mchenga Utuba Primary School in a day filled with discovery, hands-on learning, and inspiration.

The day began with a prayer, setting a reflective tone for what would become an unforgettable experience for the young learners. Students were then led into nature to discover its wonders firsthand, taking part in an ecology education walk designed to help them explore and connect with the environment around them.

The world has been in existence since the creation of the universe, and the centre's mission is to help the younger generation understand and appreciate this gift of creation.

Following the nature walk, the students proceeded to the centre's model farming centre, where they were engaged in hands-on training. They learned practical skills including how to make briquettes, manure making, and sheetbed marsh — valuable techniques that promote sustainable farming and environmental care.

Later in the day, all the students gathered at the Ecology Education Hall for a presentation on biodiversity and sanitation, rounding off a full day of learning and engagement.

Speaking during the training, one of the students, Salama Chiza, expressed her enthusiasm: "We loved the training, and we would like to learn all that we have missed of the ecology syllabus."

As a commitment following the training, the school advised the centre that they will be able to make a backyard organic garden a practical step that will allow the students to apply what they have learned.

The Integrated Ecology Centre comes as a response to the letter issued by Pope Francis in 2015, Laudato Si', which calls on all people to care for our common home. In the face of climate change, the centre stands as a practical answer to that call.

The centre will continue to engage groups from all over, ensuring that the message of environmental stewardship continues to spread. This is the core project at the heart of the centre  to teach awareness of the environment and raise a generation that cares for creation.