Today is the end of the first week at Bright Futures Secondary School. It has been a great success and the teachers have worked hard. Teenagers who are orphans or from families in extreme poverty, are attending this new secondary school in their community. They have chances and choices that they wouldn’t otherwise have. They all have the chance of a brighter future. Thanks to all the supporters who have helped to change the lives of these young people.
In addition to free secondary education, they are having a nutritious meal at school each day. Today each student received; some A4 paper, pens, a document wallet, a bag, a water bottle, a wind-up torch, toothbrush & toothpaste and soap. All of this costs approximately £15 per student. They were delighted with their gifts.
If you would like to support a student with a SCHOOL STARTER PACK for £15 then please do get in touch. We were able to provide for these students but will need to find funds to provide these gifts for the next intake of students. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com or you could make a purchase from our amazon wish list Amazon.co.uk or, if you are local to me, we would be very grateful if you could add toothpaste, bars of soap or pens and pencils to your trolley when you go shopping. Thanks for supporting and reading, Sarah x
It’s nearly the end of the first week at Bright Futures Secondary School and things are going well. We still need to raise more money for desks and also more textbooks but some of the most vulnerable young people in Ibuluma are being educated and are having lunch at school too. This is a huge achievement for Levison and his team. Most of the young people are slightly older than they would be in UK or other countries as they have had to drop out of school to help earn a pittance to feed themselves. Life has been desperate for them all. Things are now changing.
These young people would not normally get the chance to go to secondary school because of the costs involve and also there were not enough places in the nearest secondary schools. So, even if you had a sponsor to pay your fees and you’d passed your primary school leavers exams, if you aren’t picked for a place at secondary school then you don’t go. This happened to 11 of our sponsored children last year which was heart breaking for them. This spurred us on to fundraise for Bright Futures Secondary School.
Because it is such a huge project to build a school and because we are operating on a shoestring, we are fundraising to build Bright Futures Secondary School in phases. We could not do this without the help of our wonderful supporters. We are very grateful to you all. We always say it is about teamwork. We all have a part to play in the team around these vulnerable children. Thanks to those who have donated, these young people have a school in their village, have a chance to have a good education, be fed a school lunch every day and have the chance of a brighter future. Thank you if you have been a part of making that happen. Thank you if you have been a part of changing their lives.
We are still fundraising for desks and more textbooks and then, after that, we will start fundraising for phase 2 of the school so that more vulnerable young people have the future they deserve. If you would like to help, then please donate here https://gofund.me/44a92444 or you can email for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Can you help with buying a desk? Or buying a textbook? Can you make a donation towards phase 2 of the school? We are also looking for people to make a monthly commitment towards feeding these young people. If we have several people all donating a small amount each month of £5 or £10 then this will ensure there is enough food for school lunches every day of the week.
The photos show the young people having their lunch at school today. They are eating nsima (ground maize), beans and vegetables. Now we know these children are having a substantial and nutritious meal in school every day. Being fed in school is also an incentive to be there every day. If you are able to support school lunches at Bright Futures Secondary school and either give a one-off donation or commit to a monthly amount, please contact me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thank you for reading and supporting, Sarah x
Some of the young people arriving at school for 7am start
Because of all the exciting news about Bright Futures Secondary School opening yesterday, we haven’t had an update on the Kilometre Challenge recently.
Our Kilometre Challenge is to virtually add kilometres to total the same distance that our boxes travel between here and The Foundation. On one of the routes that the container ships follow (plus land kilometres) the total kilometres are 13,144km. We have been asking people to donate their kilometres from their daily walk, run or cycle. Whether you only walk 2km or you’ve cycled 20km – every little helps so please get in touch to give us your kilometres to add to our total. The race is definitely on as the container ship gets nearer its destination. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
We took our boxes to Dundee to the Bananabox warehouse. Once their warehouse is full, they order and pack a container which then goes to Grangemouth Docks. The container started off on The Alana which went from Grangemouth to Antwerp. The container then changed ship to The Chloe. This container ship left Antwerp for Le Harvre and then onto Las Palmas. From there The Chloe travelled to Cape Town and has now reached Durban.
Some of the people who have been supporting our challenge are Team Mackay. They were on holiday recently and, between the four of them, clocked up 574km. Very well done and thank you for your support, Team Mackay! One of our other supporters had t-shirts made for Team Mackay, and as you can see from the holiday photos Jackie has sent, the t-shirts were worn proudly! Thank you to Jim for the t-shirts!
The new update on the totals is (drum roll) 8,249.205 which is 62.76% of the total journey!! Amazing!! Please do message with your kilometres so we can try to win the race against these boxes that will arrive very soon! contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Although phase 1 of Bright Futures Secondary School has been completed, we still need desks and more textbooks and then will continue fundraising to provide more classrooms. If you can donate and support education for the most vulnerable children in rural northern Malawi, then please donate here https://gofund.me/44a92444 Thank you all for your continued support and for helping us continue Changing Lives Malawi, Sarah x
What an exciting, historic day for Ibuluma! The first day of secondary school in the village at Bright Futures Secondary School. It is for orphans and other vulnerable children. It is giving them an opportunity for an education and a brighter future that they would not normally have had. Secondary school needs to be paid for in Malawi and none of these children or their families would be able to afford to pay.
We are expecting more students to turn up this week as word spreads that the school is now open for lessons. Some young people will have been doing manual work to bring in a small amount of money at home whilst they were waiting for school to start. All of the young people who have been offered places this year are known to the Foundation and receive support via the feeding programme and other projects. In future, when more classrooms have been built, students from other primary schools other than Chambo primary school will be able to attend.
As you will see, there were enough chairs today which have been ‘borrowed’ from the library. Any more students coming later in the week will have to sit on mats on the floor. There are 130 chairs on the container that should be arriving in the next three or four weeks. Desks are something we are still fundraising for and more textbooks so if you are able to support the young people with this then we (and they) would be very grateful. https://gofund.me/44a92444 Enjoy the videos and photos, Sarah x
It’s been a very busy weekend! Levison had the local dignitaries visit Bright Futures Secondary School on Friday prior to opening. The teachers arrived on Friday afternoon and have been settling in. You can read the full story from Friday here: VIP Visitors to Bright Futures Secondary School – Changing Lives Malawi
Boxes of supplies that we sent were opened yesterday containing: blankets, soap, toothbrushes & toothpaste, towels, pads of paper, calculators, dictionaries, filled pencil cases and bags. There is some preloved school uniform too, although not enough. We get lots of donations of primary school uniform but not high school ones. So, if anyone has preloved secondary school uniform they no longer require then please do email me. Also, school shoes for teen boys and girls are needed too. email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Today, the teachers have met to discuss the timetable and make plans before the children arrive tomorrow. It may take a few days for news to reach absolutely everyone that the school has opened so, hopefully, most children will turn up tomorrow or Tuesday. Also, it’s a difficult situation because so many teenagers are coming every day to ask for a place at Bright Futures Secondary School. Everyone is desperate for an education and a way to a brighter future.
Unfortunately, Levison is having to turn most of them away. As we are a small organisation, and building a school is a huge undertaking, we are having to build the school in phases. We are also keeping class sizes smaller than some schools, so that children have a better chance at a good education and to achieve. Eventually, we hope to have two classes in each of the four years of secondary school, with 45 children as the maximum in each class. However, this year we will have one class of S1, one class of S2 and a smaller class of S3 students, giving them all plenty of attention from the teaching staff.
Thank you so very much to all of you who have helped to fund the building of phase 1 of Bright Futures Secondary School. We really could not have achieved what we have without you. You will see from the video that the staff accommodation is nearest, and the school is in the far left as it pans round. I keep saying it’s all about teamwork and each of us have a part to play in the team that is supporting these orphans and other vulnerable children. Thank you.
If anyone would still like to contribute, we still need money for desks for the children https://gofund.me/44a92444. Thank you all, Sarah x
Just some of the resources we sent to support the children’s learning
The Foundation with the new staff accommodation front right and Bright Futures Secondary School far left.
An amazing and very busy day at The Foundation! Lots of dignitaries were invited to see Bright Futures Secondary School prior to its opening on Monday. There were several village chiefs, head teachers from other local schools, head of the area police and church leaders as well as a few other representatives from the community. All of them were delighted with phase 1 of the school and the chiefs all spoke about how grateful they were for the donors and the work that is being done by Levison and team.
One chief, who hadn’t been to secondary school, said he wished the school had been there 20 years ago so he could have studied there. He asked Levison if he could visit the students at the school to talk to them and tell them how fortunate they are and to study hard. Another chief asked if adults could go to the school. Unfortunately, there isn’t room for them at the same time as the children, however Levison was able to tell them about the plans for adult literacy and numeracy classes.
The head chief said that he was going to ensure all the families of students knew that they had a responsibility to ensure their child behaved well and studied hard. The police chief said that he would ensure the protection of the teachers, staff and the work going on at The Foundation and, with the chiefs, would ensure all the villagers know who the new teachers are and that they must be respected.
On entering the classrooms, one of the men started crying. He couldn’t believe what had been achieved when, not so very long ago, there was nothing there. Now hundreds of the most vulnerable children over the next few years will have the gift of education. They will be given a way out of poverty and the chance of a brighter future. The VIPs listened to Levison and also asked lots of questions and wanted the donors to know how grateful they are for what is being done for the children in their community. So, on behalf of everyone in Ibuluma, if you have donated towards the school project – THANK YOU. We couldn’t help the hundreds of orphans and other vulnerable children without you.
The teachers have arrived and will be working some of this weekend with Levison to plan a timetable and plan their lessons for Monday. Of course, the children who come to The Foundation at the weekend will be interested to meet the new teachers! If you would like to contribute to help us to send money for desks, then here is the link https://gofund.me/44a92444
Busy times but thankful and grateful for all that has been achieved and for the people who are on this journey with us to provide a brighter future an continue Changing Lives Malawi. Enjoy the photos, Sarah x
Levison and I have been making more lists today. Here is the list of the young people who are being invited to start at Bright Futures Secondary School when it opens on Monday 7th November.
These young people are all having the chance of secondary education and a brighter future thanks to everyone who has been supporting us to ensure the first phase of Bright Futures Secondary School was built. None of these young people’s families would have had the funds to send them to the nearest secondary schools. As they are quite far away, the children would have had to board making it even more expensive. Also, there are not enough places for everyone and if you don’t get picked to go to secondary school then you don’t go.
There are fourteen young people who are sponsored, the rest need sponsors. They are all vulnerable and attend The Feeding Programme each weekend and benefit from having new clothes from The Foundation. You are helping us change these children’s lives. Education is a way out of poverty and a brighter future. These children do not have enough to eat. Some do not eat every day. How can they learn properly if they are hungry? We want to be able to feed all the children at Bright Futures Secondary School with lunch every day.
I am asking for more people to join our team to support Bright Futures Secondary School and its students. By sponsoring a vulnerable young person, you are helping to pay for their education and the things they need for school, clothes, a blanket, welfare checks and food. This costs £25 p/m and you can sponsor a child as a single person, a family, a club or business or two friends sharing the cost. Or, for £5 or £10 per month, you can support school lunches at Bright Futures Secondary School. Please email me to let me know how you would like to help contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Or you could contribute to desks and school supplies here https://gofund.me/44a92444 We always say it’s about teamwork. We need you on our team. The children need you on their team to support them to succeed at Bright Futures Secondary School. Even £5 or £10 commitment a month, with enough people, will make a big difference to the health and wellbeing of these very vulnerable children. We need to do our best to ensure they can be the best they can be, which is what we want for any of our children.
Here is the list of new S1 students at Bright Futures Secondary School;
Can you find it in your heart to sponsor one of these vulnerable young people please? Or can you make a monthly commitment to school lunches at Bright Futures Secondary School? I look forward to hearing from you and I’m very grateful for all the support we receive. Thanks for reading, Sarah x
Laston a few months ago asking for a secondary school to be built…. his wish has come true!
It’s so exciting that phase 1 of Bright Futures Secondary School has been completed. Levison says that people are walking from all around coming to see the new school that has been built. They are amazed that in a short period of time the first classrooms have been built. It really has been a team effort and we are so very grateful to those of you who have been supporting us to help the children.
Teachers are arriving at the weekend. The school will be accepting the first students on Monday (7 Nov). Levison and I have been making lists of children who will be attending the school and lots of other lists. I have got a shopping list longer than my arm in order to prepare for the children arriving!
Please help me? We need more textbooks (£10), notepads (£10 per 10) buckets with taps for handwashing (£10) buckets with taps for drinking water (£10) as well as lots of other smaller things. Plus, we still need to find money for desks. The carpenter will make these basic tables for three students. We will get there! But need your help which is, as always, very much appreciated. https://gofund.me/44a92444
These are some of the most vulnerable children in the far north of Malawi. They are being given an incredible opportunity to have a good secondary education in their village, free of charge, with small class sizes. Secondary education is fee paying in Malawi and there are not enough places in the other secondary schools which is why we have been fundraising to build a secondary school – Bright Futures Secondary School. Because of your help and support, these children will have opportunities, they will have brighter futures. Education is their way out of poverty. They are desperate to go to school.
If you are able to donate to buy a textbook, some notepads, a bucket for handwashing or for clean drinking water at the school then here is the link https://gofund.me/44a92444
Also, we are selling our fundraising calendars are £10 each + £2 p&p. If we can sell lots of calendars, then I can send money to purchase some of the things from my shopping list. Can you help please? The calendars make great Christmas gifts, and I can post them to you or the recipient. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Let’s give the gift of education and continue Changing Lives Malawi. Thank you, Sarah x
At the start of last week, Levison carried out telephone interviews for staff for the school. The ones that were called for second interviews came to The Foundation this morning to have a look round and be interviewed. So now Bright Futures Secondary School has teachers and teaching assistants! Another huge step forward. Many thanks to Ndongolera Mwangupili from the Department of Education for his help with the interview process.
All being well, the teaching staff will arrive back at the weekend ready to start school next Monday 7/11/22. It’s very exciting to see it all coming together but there is still a lot to organise before then. If you are able to donate to help us buy more textbooks and build desks, then we would be very grateful https://gofund.me/44a92444
So that is the news from Malawi today. At Strathblane, the Ranger Guides were holding a Halloween themed bake sale. They were raising money for their unit and also making a donation to Changing Lives Malawi. We popped along and the cakes we bought were delicious. Julie, one of the leaders messaged me later to say that they’d nearly sold out and had raised the target they’d set themselves. They have donated £100 of it to our charity. Girls we are extremely grateful for your support and that you have been helping others as well as raising money for your unit. Thanks so much!
At Balfron Church this morning, I was able to talk about the projects we are supporting in Malawi and show photos too. I took some of our cards and calendars and made a few sales and someone committed to sponsor a child through secondary school. So, it’s been a busy and successful day! Hope you enjoy the photos, Sarah x
preparing for the interviews
The teachers relaxing after their interviews
There was a great turn out for the bake sale despite the rain!
Lots of lovely treats
Lots of smiles despite the rain
Thank you girls for raising money for Changing Lives Malawi
Our fundraising calendars for sale at £10 plus £2 p&p
Wow! The building of phase 1 of Bright Futures Secondary School is complete. Thank you to each of you who have helped and supported us and the team in Malawi. It’s an amazing achievement and so exciting.
At times we thought this dream was just too big and that we were going to have to wait until next year for it to be a reality. However, the fact that there aren’t enough places in the nearest secondary schools spurred us on. Even though children were passing their primary school leavers exams, if they didn’t get picked for a place at secondary school then they couldn’t go. Education is the way out of poverty for these children and a chance of a brighter future. We had to keep going. So here is an update on where we are with the project.
phase 1 – Two classrooms have been built. The steps and ramp will be started now the actual building is finished. Some teachers’ accommodation has been built. Due to the very rural location this is a necessity. A latrine block for adults will be completed in the next few days. The school is called Bright Futures Secondary School, in memory of a special lady and the school will offer the most vulnerable teenagers a brighter future.
The class sizes will be far smaller than other secondary schools, 45 children per class maximum. In other schools it can be up to 90. There will be a full class of S1 and S2 students. Until we are able to raise more funds for more classrooms the S3 students will be using the library as their learning space or alternating with the other classes when they are accessing the library.
We are by no means finished and must raise more funds to ensure Bright Futures Secondary School is a success. We had a generous grant from The Souter Charitable Trust for £3,250 which was for textbooks. However, we do still need to spend approximately £1,000 on more textbooks. Unfortunately, because of the poverty in Malawi there are never second-hand textbooks for sale so we will have to buy new ones. With your help we can do this. https://gofund.me/44a92444
130 chairs and 8 tables are on the container that will arrive within the next month. We need your help with building desks. There are school jumpers, school bags, filled pencil cases, dictionaries, small windup torches, and other supplies for the students who will be starting at Bright Futures Secondary School. We will need to buy notebooks for the students too. We also need to provide a snack for each student to ensure that everyone has eaten something every day. Teachers are being interviewed and it won’t be long before the school doors are open for learning to begin! Bright Futures and Changing Lives! https://gofund.me/44a92444
All of this would not be possible without the wonderful support we’ve had. Thank you to each and every one of you who has contributed. Going forward, in years to come, thousands of children will benefit from this new school project and benefit from your help. So, on behalf of each and every one of them a HUGE THANK YOU. You have made a difference.
phase 2 – we are fundraising for the next phase of the school already so please do donate if you can. We intend to add; two new classrooms, two new latrine blocks, and a staffroom in phase 2. Each classroom in phase 1 build has cost £10,000 so we have another big challenge ahead. With your help we can continue changing lives.
phase 3 and 4 – this involves more classrooms, dedicated computer and science classrooms and hopefully dormitories for the most vulnerable who have nowhere else to stay or live too far away.
Kilometre Challenge – We are trying to race against the container ship that is on it’s way to Malawi with our boxes. I’ll find out the exact location for an update tomorrow. We are asking people to add their kilometres to our total…you don’t need to be sponsored….just get in touch and tell us how many kilometres you’ve been walking to and from school, walking the dog, cycling, or running…whatever it is that you’ve been doing everyday….take an average and let us know and we will add it to our total. We have now collectively completed 6,612.701 kilometres which works out at 50.31% Woohoo!!! We’ve reached the halfway mark!! Very well done everyone. Email me please with your kilometres and I’ll do another post about this challenge tomorrow. It would be fantastic to have more kilometres to add to the total before then! contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Thank you again to each of you. Thank you for being on this journey with us. Thank you for trusting us. Now we need to keep going to ensure that the school keeps growing. https://gofund.me/44a92444 to donate and make a big difference to the lives of the most vulnerable children in rural northern Malawi.
Here are more photos of the school build and it won’t be long until we are showing photos of the students and teachers! Every donation of £500 or over will be able to name a classroom, every donation of £100 or over will be able to have their name on a wall. If you’d like to make a corporate donation or donate in memory of a loved one, then please do get in touch. Or why not give a Christmas Gift to your family of having a name written on the wall or a classroom named after them? Enjoy the photos, Sarah x
Sorry that this is going to be a bit disjointed tonight but there are so many things going on at the moment and I thought it would be good to have an update.
I went to Strathblane Church on Saturday for their Charity Christmas Card sale. It was lovely to see some people that I hadn’t seen for ages! I sold some calendars and lots of my mum’s lovely cards which have been made from her beautiful paintings. I also sold some alternative gifts with our new gift cards; a football and some fruit tree saplings. Altogether the charity made £258 which was fantastic.
I’d recently been to visit the Ranger Guides in Strathblane to talk about the projects in Malawi. They are holding a bake sale this Sunday and have very kindly said they will donate some of their proceeds to Changing Lives Malawi.
I’m taking part in the church service this Sunday at Balfron Church and will be showing photos and talking about Malawi. If you are local, then you are very welcome to come. It starts at 11.15am and there’s tea and coffee afterwards.
In November, I have been invited to show photos at a knitting & sewing group in Torrance. They very kindly made lots of lovely baby things that are on the way to Malawi in the container. I am looking forward to meeting them.
In Ibuluma, phase 1 of Bright Futures Secondary School is almost finished. It’s so exciting to see it all coming together. The floor is drying in the classrooms, the windows are getting finished tomorrow, the doors and roof are on and chalkboards will be made over the weekend. The teachers’ accommodation is finished, and teachers are being interviewed! Bright Futures Secondary School is really happening and will make a difference to so many vulnerable children’s lives. Thank you to all who have supported us to help the children. We still need more funds to buy more textbooks and have more desks made by the local carpenter so, if you can, please donate here https://gofund.me/44a92444
I appealed for some support for the children whose dad had sadly died at the weekend. Two people have generously committed to a monthly amount to help buy food for them. We would like to have a little bit more support for them so if anyone else could spare £5 or £10 per month then please do let me know contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
We will hopefully have an update on our kilometre challenge tomorrow…please let me know if you have some more kilometres to add to our total.
If you’d like to buy any calendars for yourself and for Christmas gifts, they are only £10 each plus p&p. Packs of 8 cards (blank inside) are £5 each plus p&p. Alternative gifts are; 4 fruit tree saplings £10, a football £10, supporting the literacy project to send a box of books £20, soap for 100 children £50. These can be bought in any multiples and posted out to yourself or the recipient.
Thanks for reading and supporting and I’ll be back tomorrow with more photos and updates, Sarah x
As I’d said in my post yesterday, I am looking for some help and support for a family whose dad had died suddenly on Saturday. There are three children and their mum, but they’ve lost their main breadwinner. They were living in poverty anyway, but now they are desperate.
It was the burial today and Levison attended with some others from The Foundation. He took cabbages, maize and some small fish for the family and they were very grateful.
There are three children, and I am just as concerned about the eldest boy who is 19 as I am about the younger two children. Vincent never got the chance to finish primary school as he was working to help bring in a pittance to help feed the family. So, he doesn’t even have primary school qualifications and hasn’t had much schooling. He doesn’t have a job and I am worried about his self-esteem, especially now he is the head of the household. Vincent needs a job to keep him busy and to give him self-confidence as well as bringing some money into the home. Hopefully, Levison will be able to talk more with Vincent next time he visits on his way to town.
The younger two are at primary school and really do need sponsors. Mitinala is 14 and must have missed some school too as she’s only in p7. If the family don’t find some help, then Mitinala is at real risk of being married off too soon as her mother won’t be able to feed her. Despite child marriages being illegal, unfortunately, they do still happen. For lots of the girls whom we have already managed to match with sponsors, child marriage was a real risk. By giving them a monthly food parcel at home and keeping them in school, these girls are now safe.
Canani is 9 and in p4. He needs a sponsor to ensue some food goes into their home each month and therefore he will be more likely to stay in school and not have to work. These children need food in their tummies every day so they can concentrate at school. Please will you help them?
I’m looking to get a little team round this family, whether it’s someone sponsoring one of the children or several people giving £5 or £10 a month to give this family a monthly food parcel. What can you do to help today? To sponsor a child, it is £25 per month. They get a monthly food parcel, clothes, soap and stationery, a blanket and welfare visits. You can sponsor as an individual, a family or as two friends splitting the cost. I really hope that these children touch your heart, and you are able to help them even if it’s just a few ££ per month. Please email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com if you can help us change these children’s lives. Thanks for reading and supporting, Sarah x
