Our Mission

Four programs, one goal — giving Dzaleka's young people room to create.

We believe every child deserves a space to create, express, and be heard.

OUR MISSION

Since 2018, students at The Pennington School have partnered with Dzaleka Refugee Camp, working together on projects rooted in honor, virtue, and humility

Honor

Respecting each student's story as their own to tell

Virtue

Building trust through consistent, honest partnership

Humility

Learning from Dzaleka as much as we hope to give

Art Classroom

active- year two funding now

After witnessing firsthand the powerful role art plays for Dzaleka residents—as a means of self-expression, stress relief, accomplishment, and joy—Pennington students felt compelled to help expand those opportunities. They envisioned and committed to building an art classroom at Dzaleka that would nurture creativity and provide a dedicated space for artistic exploration.

Working collaboratively with Dzaleka students and teachers, the Pennington team designed key furnishings for the space, including easels, a stage, and desks to support both visual and performing arts. With guidance from artist Perry Milou, they also began designing a mural that will bring color, identity, and shared meaning to the classroom walls.

In 2026, students from Pennington and Dzaleka opened the camp's first dedicated art classroom — a space stocked with paint, paper, and materials for students to create freely each week.

Children’s Book

Students from The Pennington School in NJ were paired one-on-one with students from the Dzaleka schools in Malawi. Each pair was given one emotion to explore together — even though they were thousands of miles apart. Working together, each pair wrote a poem about their emotion and created a piece of artwork to go with it. The book brings together all of these poems and artworks, each one made by two students who built a real connection across the world through the process. Pop artist Perry Milou gave the students a creative structure to work within, so every pair had a starting point for their poem and art, but the final result was entirely their own.

12 emotions told in two voices

LATE 2026

EXPECTED PUBLICATION OF FIRST DRAFT

  • Connection

  • Graditude

  • Hope

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  • Anger

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Looking Ahead

Self-defense workshops for girls

These workshops will teach girls practical skills to protect themselves. Beyond safety, they're built to boost confidence and help girls feel secure in their daily lives.

Library restoration

We're redesigning and restocking the school’s community library, giving students a real space to read and gather. Another mural will go up inside the library, connecting it visually to the rest of the project.

Art classroom, year two

Year two means more art supplies and more consistent access for students. It also opens the door to new artistic opportunities beyond what the classroom currently offers.