Goodbye 2022 – some photos & videos

Sarah’s blog 31/12/22

Wow! What a year! It’s been hard work and stressful at times but what amazing things have been achieved through teamwork! If you’ve been part of the team and have donated money/goods/packed boxes/delivered boxes/bought calendars & alternative gifts/sponsored a child/supported the feeding programme/shared posts etc etc…. a huge THANK YOU! On behalf of the children you are helping us support….we are so grateful.

We are a small team of volunteers, passionate about improving the lives of hundreds of very vulnerable children in rural northern Malawi. There is no money spent on salaries or admin here, so all donations go straight to the projects we help support.

Things are still really tough for the community in Ibuluma. No charities are feeding children in primary schools in that area, so all the children we support are suffering from malnutrition to varying degrees. It’s rainy season now. Maize is scarce and prices keep rising. We can send enough money for 500 children to be fed once a week. Some are walking up to 20km for this one proper meal of the week. It’s not enough but all we can do whilst also trying to support the other projects to ensure that all these children will have a better, brighter future. The end goal has always been self-sufficiency.

Here are a few of ways we have, with your help, been making a difference;

  1. Sending money to support feeding up to 500 very vulnerable children once a week.
  2. The Period Poverty Project – by sending hand turn sewing machines, fabric & sewing supplies in order that teenage girls continue to make reusable sanitary towels for all who need them. Teenage girls no longer have to miss one week’s education each month.
  3. The Nursery – 75 vulnerable preschool children have been fed each session and have had clothes, books & educational toys.
  4. The School Literacy Project – we collect reference books and fiction books to suit all ages and abilities and are gifting these to the primary schools local to the Foundation in order to help children become confident readers.
  5. Child Sponsorship – 90 of the most vulnerable children are matched with sponsors which is helping change their lives. However, many more vulnerable children are still waiting. Is this something you could do?
  6. School Uniform – we send preloved school uniform & other clothes & shoes as a way of raising awareness, reusing clothes & gifting durable clothes to children who only had rags to wear.
  7. Sports – we have been fortunate to have had some great donations to support football, rugby & netball which the children love to play.
  8. Bright Futures Secondary School – phase 1 – teachers’ accommodation and two classrooms for some of the most vulnerable children who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford secondary education. The school has passed it’s inspection with flying colours and the children are enjoying their learning environment with smaller class sizes than other secondary schools. We are delighted that phase 1 was able to be built so quickly, now we need to ensure that phase 2 (classrooms 3 & 4) will be built in 2023 to ensure the children’s education continues. Education is the way out of extreme poverty for these vulnerable children, many of whom are orphans, and we will do all we can to ensure that they have the choices and chances that they deserve for a brighter future.

These are just a few ways we are helping but we cannot support these projects without your help. If you are able to make a one off donation or commit to a monthly amount then please do get in touch. Will you be part of our team to help us continue Changing Lives Malawi in 2023? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com https://gofund.me/44a92444

Wishing you and your loved ones every happiness for 2023. Hope you enjoy these photos and videos which are just a few of the memories from a very busy 2022, Sarah x

Madalitso made his own bike!
No guitar? No problem! Let’s make one!
Nursery children sitting on chairs and at tables for the first time in the library
A rooftop view of the buildings at The Foundation
Dancing, happy children at the Christmas Party
Catherine attends Wenya School as her grades were so good
First day at Bright Futures Secondary School
Everyone loves watching and playing football
Children learning to play rugby for the first time
This was the first time rugby had been played in the far north of Malawi
Two boys using the clippers we sent
Everyone loves a recorder….don’t they?
some of the kids had a race
we sent a preloved trainset for the nursery children…it was fascinating to watch them work out how to play with it as they’ve never seen toys like this
Nursery children in the library. We had sent tables and chairs and this was their first time of sitting at a table. They are learning how to look at books, having never had the opportunity previously
teachers (front) supporting netball and football and being great role models
Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh donated rugby kit and balls
Every student at Bright Futures Secondary School has received uniform and a school bag
We have sent some royal blue sweatshirts as well as preloved black jumpers have been collected so the students will have one of each colour
Doing end of term exams. New desks and chairs in the classrooms
Chairs being collected that we sent on the container
As part of the agriculture lessons, students have made a polytunnel by recycling trampoline frames we sent
Another PE lesson at Bright Futures Secondary School
These three children are walking miles to the nearest maize mill with someone else’s maize. No water or food to drink whilst they carry their heavy burdens. Thankfully, the two girls now have sponsors to make their lives a bit easier
These children have grown and harvested cabbages and are being shown how to cook them
making a mat in one of the skills classes
These children received preloved school uniform
17 boxes of books were gifted to Chambo Primary School as part of our School Literacy Project

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