Legal
Donation account
Christian-Liebig-Stiftung e.V.
IBAN: DE20 700 700 240 7003700 00
BIC: DEUTDEDBMUC
Deutsche Bank München
The Christian Liebig Foundation (CLS) has been committed to improving education in Malawi for years, building schools to give children a brighter future. However, one of the practical problems that arose over time was the condition of the school furniture. A lot of the furniture was badly worn or damaged, making it difficult to provide a good learning environment. Ivan Chevillotte wanted to change this. He is not only a longtime member of CLS, but also the founder of a unique project. In 2023, he flew to Malawi to provide young people with carpentry training. This doesn’t just benefit the schools, but also offers local youths career prospects.
Thanks to Ivan’s commitment, several young men have now learned how to repair and make furniture during their carpentry training – a crucial step in taking their future into their own hands.
In this interview, Ivan shares insights into the challenges and successes of his project, which was born entirely of his own initiative and has sustainably improved both the school environment and the lives of young people.
The three trainees present their work.
‘This has to be able to be fixed’
Ivan, how did you come up with your idea?
Ivan: “It all started with a chat with Beatrice von Keyserlingk, the founder of CLS. She told me that a lot of school furniture is in a catastrophic condition – especially after the Covid period, when constant disinfection caused a lot of damage to the wood of the tables. The problem was that buying new furniture was too expensive, and the state would actually be responsible for it, but lacks the funds. I thought, there must be a way to fix this. But just repairing furniture wouldn’t have been sustainable. So, I decided to travel to Malawi and teach the local people how to do it themselves.”
The moment I knew the project was paying off
The young men build a table on their own thanks to their carpentry training.
How did the project evolve locally?
Ivan: “At first, a few curious boys would come and watch me. But I wanted them to do something themselves – it wasn’t supposed to be about me building everything. So, I started training them. They learned to be punctual and to take on responsibility. That wasn’t easy at first, not least because some of them didn’t have a watch. But they realised that they have to organise themselves if they want to build their own livelihood.”
Do you remember a specific moment of success?
Ivan: “The last time I was away, because I went back home, the boys built a large table with six legs all by themselves. Everything was perfect: angles, dimensions – that was the greatest affirmation for me. They applied everything they had learned and even worked faster than when I was still in Malawi. For me, that was the moment I knew the project was working.”
Were there any obstacles along the way?
Ivan: “Of course. There were plenty. The boys had hardly any theoretical knowledge, let alone any experience of manual work. I first had to teach them the basics – from how to use the tools to how to calculate measurements. Some of them also lacked motor and logical skills. But it was amazing to see how quickly they made progress. Some of them can now even make their own furniture without me having to guide them. That was a big step.”
What is your long-term plan?
Ivan: “My goal is for the boys to be able to work completely independently one day. They should not only be able to build furniture, but also to train others. I hope that at some point, thanks to their carpentry training, they will be able to start their own small business and work in schools across the country. It would be great if they could offer others the same opportunities that they themselves have received. I have bought a piece of land in Malawi, where a house is currently being built, so that we can continue on sound footing. We want to set up a warehouse for the materials and a workshop here, so that the young craftsmen have a roof over their heads while they work and no longer have to work in the schoolyard. This makes them even more independent, and they can also work on orders during the rainy season.”
The three trainees are proud of their work.
Pictures: Ivan Chevillotte