As you know, every month, sponsored children and young people are given a food parcel to supplement the food in their homes. Sometimes there can be a bit of delay in getting the food to them, especially during the rainy season. Food is so scarce at the moment, has gone up in price and heavy rains cause issues and delays. When it is raining heavily, most of the children will stay at home, especially if they have rivers to cross and it is just too unsafe to do so.
Levison and team have to source enough maize and it then has to be collected and paid for. The maize needs to be milled, which is more expense. A maize mill in the village has been everyone’s wish for a very long time. This would provide jobs and save the long journey that so many of the children make to the nearest maize mill, putting themselves at risk of attack.
Anyway, here are the photos Levison has sent. Thank you to those of you who sponsor a young person….you are making a big difference to their lives. It’s only £25 per month to sponsor a child. You could sponsor as an individual or could a group of 5 friends each pay £5 per month to sponsor a young person? Or could a class, group or congregation sponsor a young person? It might be the most important thing anyone does for that child. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thank you for supporting the children, Sarah x
Can you help us save some vulnerable teenage girls from becoming child brides? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Sarah’s blog 10/05/24
The young people we help to support are so vulnerable and life is extremely hard for them. Levison and team are doing an amazing job, working tirelessly to try to give hundreds of children and young people a brighter future.
Maria was at risk of being married off at age 11 because her grandparents couldn’t afford to feed her. Imagine being so desperate that you’d allow an 11 year old to get married to a man. It’s just beyond comprehension. Young girls are far more likely to die during childbirth or have lifechanging injuries.
We have been thankful that sponsors have come forward to support the most vulnerable girls and that they now have a monthly food parcel going into their home to supplement the meagre supplies they already have.
However, Levison has had an extremely trying time over the past few days. One of the sponsored young people isn’t well. Levison found out that the parents were going to take him to a witchdoctor. He spoke with the parents and said that they should take him to the health centre. Levison also spoke with the village chief and he agreed that any sick children should, in the first instance, be taken to the health centre. This will be communicated to the community.
Levison also found out, when he was doing welfare checks at sponsored children’s homes, that two of the young teenage sponsored girls were being married off to men. Arrangements were already underway. Levison went to see the village chief and councillors about this illegal practice. One of the men involved has fled to Zambia. The village heads are going to remind the community about this not being allowed and that parents/carers will be taken to court. For now, these girls are safe. But the situation with families struggling is always in the background. Attitudes to child marriage need to change.
However, there are many girls, like Maria, who have been saved by having a sponsor to support them and through the selfless work and caring attitude of Levison and team. Also, through sponsorship and education, girls who are in school are less likely to become pregnant. Many girls have been saved from becoming teenage mothers by being in full-time education.
We need more sponsors to protect more girls. If you would like to help a vulnerable girl have a secondary education and a brighter future then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Please help us prevent more child marriages by sponsoring a girl who needs our help. It’s only £25 per month which is less than £1 per day. You can share that cost with a friend to ensure that as many girls as possible are saved from being child brides. Please help them have a place at Bright Futures Secondary School and choices and chances that they don’t currently have. It might be the most important thing you ever do for them. Thank you, Sarah x
Heavy rains continue as 200 children brave the weather and long walk to get a free meal to fill their tummies. http://www.changinglivesmalawi.com
Sarah’s blog 05/05/24
Life is so tough for the children and young people we help to support in rural northern Malawi.
Heavy rains continue and there have been earth tremors felt from an earthquake further south. Thankfully, we don’t think there is any damage to any of the childrens’ homes (which are just mud huts or a very basic brick one room houses)…there was no damage to the buildings on campus.
What do you do when you are desperately hungry but it’s heavy rain and you’ve got to walk a long way to get your one proper, nutritious meal of the week at The Feeding Programme? Do you go out and get soaked through? Or do you stay dry at home? Do you have to try to cross small rivers that are now deeper and faster flowing? Or do you stay at home and suffer the hunger pains that they surely must all be feeling?
Here, we all have coats, hats, umbrellas, walking shoes or wellies….not there. Yes, some now have coats that we have been able to send….others don’t. Some have shoes….some don’t. All will be feeling cold and tired and so hungry as they make their way to The Feeding Programme. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Today, there were only approximately 200 children out of the usual 500 ventured out in those awful conditions to have a proper meal. How I wish we could do more for them. We’ve done so much in the last five years but, because no big charities are feeding children in schools in the far north (nor do they have any plans to) we cannot ignore the fact that thousands of children are suffering from malnutrition. The Feeding Programme was one of the first projects that we helped to implement. Teachers started noticing a difference in the children’s concentration even after one meal a week. Imagine we could feed them five days a week? Feeding them once a week is a struggle while we try to set up sustainable projects and support education for the most vulnerable young people. Feeding them costs money and we rely on our supporters to help us to help them.
Will you help us feed these children so we can continue to send funds to provide 500 orphans and vulnerable children with a substantial, nutritious meal once a week while we set up sustainable projects that will provide them with food and an income? The end goal is self-sufficiency but things have been so bad for this community that it is going to take a while for them to get back on their feet. Will you make a one off donation? Or can you commit to paying £5 or £10 per month to support the feeding programme? Life isn’t fair, these children need our help. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Together we can help these vulnerable children out of poverty and out of the malnutrition that each of them is suffering. Thank you, Sarah x
Thank you to the staff at Strathblane Primary School for the wonderful donation of books for our School Literacy Project.
Sarah’s blog 02/05/24
Thank you to Strathblane Primary School for their brilliant donation today. As part of our 5th birthday celebrations we are having an appeal for preloved books that we can send to Malawi as part of our School Literacy Project. None of the schools in the far north of Malawi where we are working, have many resources, the children are hungry and most don’t even have notebooks and pencils.
The nearest primary school to Bright Futures Campus is Chambo Primary School. There are over 500 students there between 8 classrooms. The majority of the vulnerable young people who use the weekly feeding programme, attend Chambo Primary School. Until recently, only one classroom had desks and benches….in all other classes children sat on the floor.
Thanks to a grant from The Kitchen Table Charities Trust, we were able to facilitate desks and benches being made locally for two more classrooms. Thanks to that grant they also now have clean water at the school for drinking and washing their hands. A grant from The Eleanor Rathbone Trust ensured we were able to provide a girls latrine. Bit by bit school life is improving. However, there are no big charities working in that area so all children are hungry and many are suffering from malnutrition.
One of the new water taps at Chambo Primary School
When we first started sending boxes of preloved books for The School Literacy Programme, Chambo Primary received seventeen boxes of books. There have since been some additional boxes given to a few other primary schools but, together with the Education Department who are delighted with the support, we have decided that during the next school year, starting in September 24, we will concentrate on Chambo Primary School and evaluate how our School Literacy Programme is making a difference before rolling it out to the other primary schools in the cluster.
The first seventeen boxes of books that were donated to Chambo Primary School
This morning, my husband Stuart and I went to Strathblane Primary School (my old primary) to collect some boxes and bags of books that they no longer needed. There were lots of picture books for preschool and early readers as well as some atlases and factual book on transport, weather, space etc. There were a great selection of novels for older children too. I was delighted that there were two big boxes of group reading books that they gave us which progress through different levels. This will make a huge difference to the teachers at Chambo Primary – having resources to hear small groups of children read together – something that we take for granted for our children.
Stuart (the logistics man) and I boxed up all of these books today which had taken up the whole car and we now have eight boxes of books ready to send on the next container. Thank you so much to the staff at Strathblane Primary School for supporting literacy in rural northern Malawi. There will be lots of photos when the books arrive, although this won’t be for a few months yet.
What we now need is eight people to each sponsor a box of books to go on the container. It’s £17.50 per box. Could a few of you club together to pay for a box? Could you go without a few takeaway coffees to pay for a box of books instead? If you sponsor a box of books we will write your name, or a loved one or a business name or even a funny message on a label on your box. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
If there are any other nurseries or schools or any individuals wanting to donate preloved books then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com All books must be in good condition so that they can be well used by the vulnerable young people we help to support as we aim to help those children become more confident readers and raise literacy levels in primary schools. Thank you for helping us continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi, Sarah x
Life has improved for Isaac Nyondo since being sponsored. He is wearing a lovely smile and a Strathblane Primary School sweatshirt!
As part of our 5th birthday celebrations, we are launching an appeal for preloved books, school uniform and footwear and also asking people to sponsor the cost of sending a box on the container.
Sarah’s blog 01/05/24
At the end of this month our charity, Changing Lives Malawi, will be 5 years old! To mark this amazing milestone, we will be sharing stories throughout the month, looking back at how things were and what has been achieved. To start the month I’m sharing our birthday appeals.
We have been fortunate that so many people have donated their preloved books to our School Literacy Appeal; individuals, adults, children, local nurseries, schools, church congregations and you all have been making a big difference to literacy levels in the far north of Malawi.
We have been able to stock the shelves in Emma’s Rainbow Library, as well as donating boxes of books to local primary schools. These schools have hardly any resources and our aim is to support children and young people to become more confident readers. How can they practice reading without any books?
The pre-school children in the nursery have missed out on years of pre-reading skills; they haven’t had the picture books to turn pages, to sit on an adult’s knee as a baby and have a favourite story read to them. This was evident when the pre-school children first encountered books that we had sent. They had no idea how to turn pages or what to do with the books. Now, thanks to the support we receive, we are ensuring each child at Bright Futures Nursery has at least two books to take home with them to keep. We want every home to have some books and families to start looking at these books together.
We are appealing for people to get involved and donate preloved books as part of our 5th birthday celebration. We are also appealing for preloved school uniform, shoes, crocs, sliders, trainers (all sizes) but they must be in very good, clean condition. If you can make a small financial donation with your books, clothes or shoes then please do as that will really help us with the costs of transportation.
We are also appealing for people to sponsor a box of books, clothes or shoes. It costs us £17.50 per box on the Bananabox Trust container plus there are additional costs of collecting the boxes in Malawi. We will write your name, name of a loved one, your business or even a funny message on a big label on your box. It would make such a difference if there were enough people covering the cost of boxes and would, therefore, make it such a team effort!
For more information, or to get involved you can email me on contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Together, we CAN continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you to everyone who supports us, Sarah x
The firewalkers’ feet have recovered and they have done amazingly by raising much needed funds. They have certificates to prove that they completed their personal challenge and walked through hot coals! The four of them were fantastic and so brave.
Thank you so much Alistair, David, Joanne and Alison for taking part in the challenge and for fundraising. To everyone who has donated so far, many thanks for your generosity. Please, if you can give and you haven’t done yet…the links are here: for Joanne & Alison https://gofund.me/c127c5e9 and https://gofund.me/9430b2af for Alistair and David.
All the photos and videos are in the stories below. Thank you firewalkers, Sarah x
It’s been a really busy week again, here and at Bright Futures Campus. I’m going to retell the story of Chikumbusko. This is for three reasons;
To highlight her story and reach out for help for her.
To help our supporters understand what life is like for the children and young people we support. There are many children who have suffered many traumatic events in their lives like Chikumbusko has which is why they all need our help.
To try to get some support for her foster family. They are living in extreme poverty but have welcomed Chikumbusko back with open arms. We must try to support them with some food and basic items to ensure they can look after her properly.
When we first met Chikumbusko, she was on her own, dirty, cold and hungry. Her grandad, whom she lived with, was very ill and had gone to hospital. Suddenly, she was all alone. Her grandad never came back from hospital as he passed away. Chikumbusko, was also suffering from malaria.
Thankfully, Levison found a family to take her in, took her to the health centre and got medicine for her, and we matched her with a sponsor after doing an appeal. Things started to improve for Chikumbusko as she was cared for by the grandmother of another sponsored young person.
However, a few months ago, Chikumbusko and a group of her friends (not sponsored young people) ran away. Their idea was they were going to town to find jobs. Unfortunately for them, like many children who run away, life didn’t work out as easily as they thought.
As soon as Levison found out she had run away, he was making phone calls to different people in town asking them to look out for her. He went looking for her and so much time was spent following potential trails. Sadly, for a long time, he was unsuccessful. There was a rumour that these girls had been trafficked to Tanzania. Thankfully, this wasn’t true. But they had been sleeping rough on the streets. The police arrested the whole group and put them in cells overnight to keep them safe one night. The girls were given a good talking to and told to go home but, sadly they didn’t.
Eventually, Levison did find Chikumbusko and helped her get to a distant relative’s house where she has spent the last few weeks coming to terms with some of the trauma that she has suffered. This was only ever going to be a temporary arrangement but we didn’t know if Chikumbusko would every return. On Friday, she came back to the family who had been looking after her. They were pleased to see her and have agreed she can stay with them. We probably won’t ever know what exactly has happened to her when she and her friends were away but we are glad she is back. No doubt, there have been more traumatic experiences to add to those she’s already suffered.
In the meantime, I had been keeping her sponsor informed when I could, however their personal situation has since changed and they had to make the decision to stop their sponsorship of her, they still sponsor another of our young people and we are greatful for their support. Whilst we could argue that Chikumbusko had chosen to run away and therefore gave up her sponsorship, we are hoping that she can be given a second chance as she is such a vulnerable young person, having suffered so much loss and grief as well as malnutrition and loneliness. There are times in her life where she must have been so frightened.
This shows how much each child who uses the feeding programme is cared about. Despite being so busy, Levison tries his best to ensure they are safe. However, we need so much more help and so many more sponsors for all the hundreds of very vulnerable children in the far north of Malawi.
Will you help us give Chikumbusko a second chance please? We need to match her with a sponsor to ensure that there is a food parcel going into that home each month to help supplement what that family already have, which isn’t much at all. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
It’s £25 to sponsor a young person. Whilst they are at primary school they receive a monthly food parcel. They also receive clothes and soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste etc when available. When they get to secondary school they get free education and a free nutritious school lunch each day instead of their food parcel at home. You can be a sponsor on your own or split the cost with a friend or a group of you could sponsor a child. Please will you help Chikumbusko. There are hundreds like her needing support but, today, let’s find a sponsor for her. Please contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Chikumbusko when we first met her. She was alone, suffering from malaria as well as malnutrition. She was living with her grandad but he went to hospital and she never saw him again. She had no one.After matching her with a sponsor, Levison found her a family to foster her.Chikumbusko looking well and happier in her new home.Chikumbusko is back with her foster family but needs our help
Congratulations to Fumbani for having the winning essay in March!
Sarah’s blog 19/4/24
After a bit of a delay due to exams then school holidays (with the holiday study school), the winner of March’s essay competition for S3 at Bright Futures Secondary School has been announced. Fumbani Sichamba received his prize money this week – well done Fumbani!!
Now that S3 have been writing essays for the past few months and becoming more confident in their abilities, we are going to introduce these essay writing competitions for S1 and S2. Having a prize to work for each month will motivate students and writing essays will give them more practice at expressing their thoughts on paper.
We hope that you enjoy reading the students’ essays as much as week do. Thank you for helping us support these vulnerable students, Sarah x
Thank you to The Clive Richards Foundation for the grant for this teachers accommodation block. We are delighted with the results.
Sarah’s blog 13/4/24
We were so grateful to receive a grant for £11,000 from The Clive Richards Foundation to build a staff accommodation block, staff latrines, boys latrines and girls latrines. We were just waiting for the signwriter to come so that the accommodation block was totally finished to show the photos. Four male teachers are living in this accommodation. The four self-contained apartments all have their own bedroom and sitting room.
It certainly hasn’t been straightforward as currency has been devalued, prices of goods keep rising and the rainy season started before the project had been completed. But despite the issues, they’ve worked hard and succeeded and now the teachers are pleased to have these lovely new rooms.
As the area is very rural and the community is living in extreme poverty, there is no suitable accommodation in the surrounding area that teachers could rent. The Clive Richards Foundation recognised that we needed quality accommodation to attract quality teachers for Bright Futures Secondary School.
Enjoy the photos and I have attached the links to previous blogs at the start of this accommodation project. To The Clive Richards Foundation for taking a chance on us and trusting us with a grant – THANK YOU. It makes a big difference when people understand our vision and come onboard with us to help us achieve for the young people we are supporting. We are so grateful for the help we receive from individuals and organisations. Many thanks again, Sarah x
Thank you so much to everyone who has bought our fundraising cards. Oakwood Garden Centre have sold 94 packs! Amazing thank you!
Sarah’s blog 11/4/24
I thought I would do a little update on my mum’s beautiful cards that are copies from her original paintings. My mum, Christine Cresswell, who is one of our trustees, only took up painting a few years ago. She has real talent and found it helped her to paint during lockdown. Mum has given her time and talents to our charity and sells her paintings with all proceeds going to the projects we support in Malawi. She had the cards printed, so all proceeds from those goes to the charity too.
Thanks to everyone who has bought cards and thank you to members of Strathblane Kirk and Strathblane Guild for their support. Also thank you to Torrance Parish Church for having the cards in their foyer for sale, we really appreciate your help.
I also want to thank Oakwood Garden Centre, Killearn. They very kindly agreed to stock our fundraising cards and have sold 94 packs of cards which is amazing. Many thanks to Oakwood Garden Centre and all the customers who have supported our charity by buying cards.
Below is a small selection of paintings and cards. I will do a separate post about mum’s paintings soon. The packs of cards are in 8 of same type that are blank inside for your own message, priced at £5 per pack they make a great gift or are handy to have at home. Thanks again and thanks mum, Sarah x
Just a quick blog tonight as I have been busy doing a grant application. Our four firewalkers were absolutely fabulous and great sports. We are so grateful that they all stepped up to the challenge and stepped out of their comfort zone to raise much needed funds.
They’ve done brilliantly – thanks to everyone who has donated so far. However, if you’ve not donated yet, please could you? We would love both teams to get to £1,000 and they aren’t far off!
You can access photos, videos and links to their fundraisers by clicking on their stories.
Thanks again to Allander Rotary for organising this event and supporting our charity and to Milngavie Guides for hosting the event. Of course the biggest thank you goes to Joanne, Alison, Alistair and David for walking over hot coals for charity. Thanks, Sarah x
Some photos and videos from Easter Study School at Chambo Primary and Bright Futures Secondary School…everyone is taking advantage of this great opportunity.
Sarah’s blog 09/04/24
Today I have some photos and videos from the Easter Study School. The ones from Bright Futures Secondary School were taken by one of the teachers yesterday. Levison visited Chambo Primary this morning and sent the photos and videos from there.
We are grateful to everyone who is supporting these very vulnerable young people to have these extra eight days of study and a proper cooked lunch each day. Teachers have given up their holiday time, cooks have prepared and cooked lunch each day and other volunteers on campus ensuring that things run smoothly for the young people. The lunches are important as it’s probably the only proper meal each of these young people will get each day. How can we expect them to walk a long distance and concentrate all day if they haven’t eaten properly?
In Malawi, national exams are taken at the end of primary school (p8). If you don’t pass then you don’t go to secondary school. Also you don’t go to secondary school if you cannot afford to pay. So for most of these students at Chambo Primary, even if they do pass, unless we have managed to match them with a sponsor to help support their education at Bright Futures Secondary School, their education is still finished at the end of primary school. We need more sponsors please and it’s only £25 p/m…that’s less than £1 per day. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
National exams are also at the end of S2 and the end of S4. There aren’t any S4 students at Bright Futures Secondary School until September, so this study school is for the S2 and S3 students. BFSS is only half full currently. There is capacity for more vulnerable students, but we need your help and financial support for their education. It might be one of the most important things you do for one of these young people.
Students at Bright Futures Secondary School were asked ‘What is good about school being open during the holidays?’
Bethsheba said ‘It helps us to cover the load that haven’t been covered during second term so that we stay focused to the curriculum of Malawi Government’ (for info – may students have missed classes due to heavy rains preventing them cross the swollen rivers). She also said ‘It helps us that we are not supposed to be playing at home so that we maintain the striving of excellence.’
Lawrence stated ‘It helps us to have more knowledge about school and it helps us to avoid bad behaviour that might happen when you don’t go to school. It helps us to have access to have lunchtime food, since we are coming from far distance with emptied belly. So during the holiday we continue to have access to food which improve our health so that we stay focused on our studies without thinking about hunger.’
Mathias added ‘It helps students to maintain a good position such as a student may proceed in working hard whether during holidays or school days. It helps students to have full information about the subject which haven’t covered in the past term.’
Mphatso said ‘It helps to have more experience on how can we handle subjects during holidays hence improve experience of subject. It helps us always to think about our career journey through our studies during holidays or school days and it helps students to spend more time in reading and concentrate on school activities hence improvement in academically.’
Agness commented ‘ It helps us to continue with our studies regardless of it being holiday time. It lets us improve our knowledge. It also stops students joining in bad behaviour during holidays. Being at school gives students to have ample time to do revision work for the past term and looking for areas of improvement.’
One of the teachers, Mr Byfore Kalambo, at BFSS said ‘It’s most important to provide studies to our students because it helps us to cover all the topics from the previous term. It also helps us as the teacher to be well prepared and focused about the coming term because we are more aware about students weakness during the previous term and finding ways of improvements. It provides us more time to do revision work with students so that when the school is open we stay focused on the scheme of work (lesson plans) prepared while we are maintaining the whole curriculum. We also have the chance to be more flexible and relaxed with classes so students find it easier to ask questions freely during holiday time hence good interaction between us teachers and students.’
I hope these photos and videos help to give you an insight into the schools and the vulnerable young people we are supporting. Supporting these students to succeed is always about teamwork. Will you be part of our team? Thanks, Sarah x
