Palm Beach School

Solace CEO Nate York first met Palm Beach resort owner Rita Britz in 2005, when visiting the site for developing the fish farm and MCV. Within an hour of encountering her energy and drive, Nate agreed to help construct a school. She is strongly committed to education and providing more options than the hard-line Muslim madras that have opened in the area in the last four years.

One of the benefits of Malawi is a less-conservative attitude toward immigration. This has allowed Solace to bring the expertise of some of its Afghan-based staff to projects needing proven management practices. Unfortunately, this immigration policy has led to an influx of extremist elements from Afghanistan – some of which have been identified as Taliban. Rita sees the school as an educational alternative to the failing Malawi public school system and hard-line indoctrination of the many Muslim madras that have sprung up in the last four years – most often within a kilometer of churches in the area.

Manager(s):

Rita Britz

Current state:

• The campus consists of a four-room school for 26 students.

• Current building houses a classroom, office, kitchen, and library

Projected benefits:

• Primary education for 26 students

• Tuition and finances from the Palm Beach resort and hotel cover the operating costs of the school

• There are plans in discussion to dredge and expand existing fishponds on Palm Beach property to supplement the capacity of Solace’s Mangochi fish farm. Details of compensation are still in negotiation.

Labor:

One full-time teacher and administrator. Rita takes time from the management of her resort to personally see to the management

Challenges:

The long list for students waiting to get into Palm Beach School highlights the need for a larger campus.