Abstract
The film follows the incredible journey of twenty-five engineers with the goal of completing a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) facility at a school in Malawi, Africa, in 10 days.
Malawi is among the world's least-developed countries in the world. The economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely rural population that is growing at a rapid rate.
Filmed by the IET’s in-house production team, IET.tv, the documentary captures the trials and tribulations of the build for Rainbow Hope School in Malawi in May 2019. Struggling against the heat, working in adverse conditions and trying to stick to a budget, the team of engineers soon realise the magnitude of the challenge.
As well as building the facility, the group ran STEM workshops, worked with teachers and inspired students about the possibilities within STEM.
The STEM Build Malawi project was funded through a crowdfunding campaign led by Katy Toms and Kelly Jeffery and supported by Gemma Glover and Hannah Shenton working with Orbis Expeditions and CISER, based in Malawi. It included engineers from across the UK, South Africa and the Asia Pacific Region, as well as two NHS nurses. Rainbow Hope Secondary School was opened in 2017 and educates girls and boys from the surrounding community, with just over 120 students attending. The new ‘Kamkwamba Building’ supports the schools’ aspirations to enhance their science programme for their students and provide an IT facility for the students and other higher education learning.
