Sponsor a child Malawi Archives

Hunger and malnutrition in Malawi

Please read this news article. The children we help to support are some of the most vulnerable in Malawi and need your help.

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Sarah’s blog 30/11/24

I saw that a friend on Facebook had shared this newspaper article on hunger and malnutrition in Malawi. I asked Levison if he was ok with me sharing it. I am aware of trying to get a balance between positive and good news stories against those stories that are about how people are struggling and need our help. Levison said ‘This is the truth. It is pathetic to see how kids suffer from hunger in Malawi and we expect them to do well in class.’ So here it is. (I will retype some of it as it will be difficult to read if looking at it on a phone).

A 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report has indicated that the hunger situation in Malawi is serious….According to the report, Malawi faces significant challenges regarding food security and nutrition, exacerbated by several factors which include high levels of poverty, reliance on subsistence farming and vulnerability to climate shocks. The report says that, despite progress being made, hunger has declined only marginally since 2016 and that the prospects for achieving zero hunger by 2030 are grim. Malawi has about 4.7 million food insecure people. The report says progress in reducing all four GHI indications – under-nutrition, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality – is lagging behind international targets.

This is why we need you help. Yes, progress is being made and we (thanks to our wonderful supporters) have several successful building projects under our belts now including; Bright Futures Secondary School, Emma’s Rainbow Library, a shower block, latrines, and Teachers’ accommodation. There is clean drinking water too as well as an orchard, hens and now three pigs.

However, whilst progress is being made for future sustainability and self-sufficiency… 500 of the most vulnerable children are only being fed at The Feeding Programme once a week. It’s not enough. Some are walking from up to 20kms for that one proper meal of the week. Some are carrying toddler siblings. One nutritious meal per week is not enough but it is all we can afford. Some girls are still at risk of being married off too young as families cannot feed them.

There are no big charities are feeding children in schools in the rural north. That immediately puts these children at a huge disadvantage. How can they sleep properly if they are hungry and cold? How can they concentrate if they are tired? How can we expect them to retain information if they are malnourished and not eating properly each day?

This is why these children need your help and why we keep appealing for donations. The end goal is sustainability and self-sufficiency but the children need more – now. We need to do more to relieve the hunger and malnutrition amongst the children we help to support. Will you help?

We are now in the run up to the end of 2024… another year that has gone so quickly! And we are hoping that you might include one of our projects in your charity giving. We have a page on DonorSee where there are a few projects – some of which are food for the future while others, like the Christmas Party appeal, are to give children an extra meal and a party. Will you help us please? As we are volunteers, all money we receive goes to the projects we support.

You can either email me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com , or give via the link on the website Donate money to Changing Lives Malawi or via our page on DonorSee. The link to the children’s party is here https://donorsee.com/project/25004?share=1

Thank you so much to everyone for your support. We always say it’s about teamwork and we need you on our team to continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you for reading and giving, Sarah x

Bananas – a sustainable project

Some of the children queuing up to be fed

children are fed in age groups with the youngest ones being first

Please help us ensure that there is funding for the children’s Christmas Party

Your support means that some of the most vulnerable children in Malawi will receive an extra meal and a fun time with their friends.

Agribusiness Update

Look at this field of maize…thank you so much to everyone who donated to help the first agribusiness group start on their journey towards self-sufficiency.

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Sarah’s blog 26/11/24

This is just a quick update on the brilliant progress being made by the first agribusiness group that was funded a few months ago. People want to be self-sufficient and be able to work hard and have a better future. They just need a helping hand to start their journey to a better and brighter future for themselves and their families.

Thanks to the donors who contributed, the group have been working hard and are now seeing the results. Levison sent this video and photo yesterday. Their maize crop is looking…well it’s looking AMAIZING!

Well done to them and to everyone who has supported them. Can we now fund a second group to help them out of extreme poverty? The people who are being helped are the ones who have been volunteering their time to help feed the orphans. Despite having hardly anything themselves, they have been giving of their time to support those even more in need. It’s wonderful to see change starting to happen. Together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x

Sustainable Development Goal 1 #NoPoverty, Goal 15 #LifeOnLand

Here is the link to the second agribusiness group. https://donorsee.com/project/24574?share=1

World Children’s Day

For World Children’s Day today, this blog is about the right to health and health care. The Ministry of Health paid a visit to Bright Futures Secondary School.

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Sarah’s blog 20/11/24

This date was chosen in 1989, when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of a Child. The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life regardless of gender, religion, disability or any economic, social, cultural, or political status.

Unfortunately, for the children and young people we are helping to support, not all of their rights are currently being met. However, things are improving and eventually we hope that all will have enough food, and a sufficient standard of living (article 27) and have good health and health services (article 24). I will attach the link to yesterday’s blog at the end of this post as it is a good example of how some things are improving for the orphans and other children living in extreme poverty.

Yesterday, officials from The Ministry of Health visited students at Bright Futures Secondary School. They were there to talk to students about Sex Education, HIV/Aids and other STIs as well as having a counselling service available and a voluntary testing service. I asked whether students felt embarrassed by this sort of visit. However, Levison said that the team visit schools on a regular basis and that everyone was happy to take part and used to talking about issues like this. Older students from Chambo Primary were also invited to attend the sessions. So this is one way the government are being proactive with supporting children’s health and their visit was very welcome.

As you can see from the photos and videos, when some of the younger children saw the visitors’ vehicle and heard their loud speaker they came to see what the excitement was about. They weren’t included in the educational sessions but had fun dancing and looking at the vehicle.

We are trying to make real change for these children through a variety of small projects on the DonorSee site. We would welcome any donation, big or small, to help us achieve our goals, especially on the run up to Christmas and the New Year. The link to our page is here https://donorsee.com/changinglivesmalawi?follow . Thank you everyone for your support, it’s much appreciated, Sarah x

Facts & Figures from Chambo Primary School

Facts & Figures from Chambo Primary School

Some amazing facts and figures from Chambo Primary School. Thank you everyone who has helped us to support them.

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Sarah’s blog 19/11/24

Levison had been to visit the headteacher at Chambo Primary School this morning. I had asked him to ask for some figures regarding exam rate passes when he was there. I wanted to know, and be able to share, some actual figures in relation all the support that has been given to the students at Chambo Primary School over the last five years. Primary School Leavers Exams are a good way to do this.

Let’s remember that these students are amongst some of the most vulnerable in the whole of Malawi. Many are malnourished. All are hungry. Most have experienced trauma through family members dying. Lots of families have been affected by HIV. Many children are living with an elderly grandparent and are having to care for them as well as trying to get an education. Many people cannot afford to eat, let alone buy clothes and shoes for their children.

Lots of children miss huge chunks of school due to having to work for a pittance to help bring a small amount of money into the home to buy food. Many girls are at risk of being married off too young as families cannot afford to feed them. Girls were missing a week of school each month as they did not have any sanitary towels and had to stay at home. Life is so so hard for these children. Yet they continue to try their best. They know that education is their way out of the extreme poverty in which they live. Class sizes are large – there are approx 500 children across 8 classes at Chambo Primary.

In 2019, 59% of p8 students passed their primary school leavers exams. In 2020 and 2021 the figure was 60% for each of these years. In 2022 the figure rose to 63% pass rate. In 2023, 69% of students passed their exams and in 2024 that figure had risen to 78% of students passing their primary school leavers exams.

That is an amazing difference and we are delighted for the students. Here are some of the reasons that the headteacher and some of the teachers at Chambo Primary were able to attribute to the improvements and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped make all these changes happen:

The Feeding Programme. This runs once a week at the weekend and ensures that 500 of the most vulnerable children eat a substantial, nutritious meal once a week. Some children can go for days without eating properly so they know they will have this one meal to look forward to. However, children are walking long distances to access this feeding programme…some are walking 15km, even 20km. Some carry their toddler siblings much of the way to be fed. Feeding them just once a week isn’t good enough. However, it is all we can afford whilst we help them set up sustainable projects.
Clothes. Especially donated school uniform. Some months get quite cold overnight and many children do not have blankets and are sleeping on a mat on the floor. An outgrown school jumper and shorts/trousers or a skirt that have been donated can make all the difference to a child who has been wearing rags. They are warmer, look smarter and know that someone cares enough about them to want to help.
School Holiday Study Classes have made a big difference to students helping them to revise for exams and get help from teachers should they need it. Each p8 student who attended these lessons, that we financially supported for the past two years, has been given a free school lunch each day. This was a great incentive to turn up for extra lessons each day!
Thanks to grants we successfully applied for, Chambo Primary now has three classrooms with desks and benches (previously they only had one). We also facilitated the school to have clean drinking water and water for handwashing and provided buckets, soap, and cups for the students.
A girls’ latrine block was built with money from another grant. The girls now have dignity, privacy and safety when they need to relieve themselves. Previously they had to go in the bushes. Thanks to being given reusable sanitary towels, girls no longer miss a week of school every month. So the girls now can attend the same amount of lessons as the boys.
Exercise books & pens – students have been helped by receiving gifts of stationery.
School Literacy Project – We started with 17 boxes of preloved books that we gifted to Chambo Primary School, then more have been added. The books range from picture books with a few words for the lower school to more advanced stories for teenagers to enjoy. There have been dictionaries and many non fiction books donated too. The feedback has been great about how engaged students are with the books and colour pictures are really helping to ensure that the books are well used. In particular, girls have become more interested in books that they wouldn’t normally have been because of the pictures/photos. They see pictures of girls in subjects that would previously have been aimed at boys. We are excited to see how the School Literacy Project continues to make a difference as there are lots of boxes of books due to arrive early next year. Some of the boxes include group reading programmes that two primary schools local to me were updating. Having multiple copies of the same book will really be helpful in helping students become confident readers.
An orchard of fruit tree saplings is about to be planted at Chambo Primary thanks to another successful grant. This will help the students with practical agricultural lessons and will provide future food for the students as well as being good for the planet.

To give things a bit more context, the average pass rate for primary school leavers exams across the whole of Malawi was 86% in the 2024 exams. Chambo students will have to walk a lot further than the average. Chambo students and all the surrounding primary schools in the north do not have a big charity running a school feeding programme each day. These are just two ways they are at a huge disadvantage compared to the rest of the schools in Malawi. There will be so many children benefitting from a porridge programme. Sadly that isn’t the case for the forgotten children in the rural far north.

Yet, despite these issues they are succeeding. They are doing their best. They do want a good education to ensure they have a better future. They are attending school and working hard. We hope you agree that these children and young people are amazing and deserve a helping hand.

Again, a big thank you if you have donated to any of the above projects. We couldn’t do what we do without your help. You can see from the above that together we are Changing Lives (in) Malawi.

We are raising funds to help give the children a Christmas Party and an extra meal…will you help us please? https://donorsee.com/project/25004?share=1 Or you can email us to help with any of the above projects or anything else at contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thank you again, Sarah x

Students with their new notebooks and pencils

There was much excitement when clean water arrived at Chambo Primary School. Now they can wash their hands and drink clean water.

Filling the new cups we gave them with clean water for the first time.

p8 holiday study school in the one classroom that had desks and benches.

Thanks to a grant, we were able to ensure two more classrooms have tables and benches. Here children are happily showing their new notebooks and pencils.

The first 17 boxes of books that were gifted to Chambo Primary through our School Literacy Project.

Uniform Donation – All Saints Junior School, Maidenhead

Thanks so much to All Saints CE Junior School, Maidenhead for this great donation of school uniform for vulnerable children in Malawi.

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Sarah’s blog 12/11/24

We love making new connections like this one and are delighted that we have another school supporting our charity.

On Friday we received a delivery of four large boxes of school uniform from All Saints C E Junior School in Maidenhead. In the boxes there were t-shirts, jumpers and cardigans, fleeces and school bags. We love donations like this as they will be perfect for gifting to the vulnerable children we help to support. As there are approx 500+ of them, that is a lot of children to clothe, so this donation will really help towards that project.

I had first been contacted by the school before the summer holidays, asking if we would like some uniform from them. Once school returned in September, they planned a non uniform day to raise funds to help cover the cost of sending the uniform to Malawi. We are so grateful as they raised £140. There will be some money left over from the money collected which we are going to put towards buying tree saplings like pine, eucalyptus and umbrella trees.

Planting trees is so important for several reasons; to prevent soil erosion during heavy rains, trees can be planted at field boundaries. During the hottest days, trees provide very welcoming shade. Obviously we know how vital planting trees are for combatting climate change and also to replace trees that were used for fuel. Students from Bright Futures Secondary School will be able to help manage this project as part of their Agricultural Classes.

We are delighted that the school will be helping us with this initiative and look forward to bringing photos of the saplings being planted and then when they grow.

In the meantime, here are the photos of the school uniform donations which will be going to the very vulnerable children we help to support. Again, there will be photos when the items are distributed.

Many thanks to all at All Saints Junior School in Maidenhead for supporting us. Here are twp small projects we are raising funds for; science equipment at Bright Futures Secondary School https://donorsee.com/project/25307?share=1 and https://donorsee.com/project/25004?share=1 to donate to fund a Christmas Party with food for 500 very vulnerable children. Or you can email for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Thank you for your support, Sarah x #SustainableDevelopmentGoals #QualityEducation #LifeOnLand #GoodHealth

Namapasa School visit to Bright Futures Secondary School

It’s been a very successful and enjoyable day of netball and football at Bright Futures Secondary School with visitors Namapasa Secondary School.

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Sarah’s blog 10/11/24

Today was an exceedingly busy day for Levison and team at Bright Futures Campus. The Feeding Programme was running today and approx 350 vulnerable children turned up to be fed their one proper meal of the week. Many of these children are suffering from malnutrition and also have stunted growth because of lack of food and nutrition.

Namapasa Secondary School is approx 40km away and had made contact to ask if they could visit to play football and netball against Bright Futures Secondary School. Of course the answer was YES. As BFSS is in such a rural location and it would cost a great deal to transport students to other schools, they don’t get to play sport against many other schools. This was a great opportunity to meet new students from another school and play team sports which everyone loves.

We were concerned about the students and accompanying adults from Namapasa SS not having anything to eat for the whole day, especially while they were exercising. Also with the feeding programme running today, all other children on campus would be fed apart from the visitors which wouldn’t be fair at all or show hospitality. We sent extra money so that the visitors could also share in a meal and the extra money covered all the costs of feeding the visitors.

An holistic approach is taken to the health and wellbeing of students at BFSS so days like today, and the recent rugby tournament, mean a great deal to the students and raise morale and self-confidence. School clearly is about far more than classroom based work and exams, although they know that they are expected to work hard and do their best in everything. Playing football and netball, with their friends, forgetting all the problems in their lives for a while, means everything to these young people.

Scores: Team A netball Namapasa 5 – Bright Futures 2, Team B netball Namapasa 10 – Bright Futures 12, Team A football Namapasa 1 – Bright Futures 0, Team B Football Namapasa 1 – Bright Futures 1.

I asked Levison if there was any feedback from today. He said “The visitors were very impressed with the hospitality we gave them. Most of them it was their first time to be at BFSS and were so amazed to see the beautiful environment they were not expecting to see in the area. They admired our beautiful classrooms, nice furniture and well organised teamwork.”

Levison continued “BFSS students were happy to have visitors to play sports with them as they have stayed for a long period without having a game.” “The visitors were also amazed with the agricultural projects, especially the chickens and the orchard projects. Some were also surprised to learn how we are pumping water from underground.”

Here are some photos and videos from earlier today. We hope you enjoy them. Here is the link to raise funds for a football tournament for local schools to take part (with food) https://donorsee.com/project/24384?share=1 Or perhaps you could help to fund the food for another school visit like today? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

And here is the link to help provide a Christmas Party with a meal and gifts for 500 vulnerable children https://donorsee.com/project/25004?share=1 Please will you join us in making a difference and spreading a little happiness to the children we help to support? Many thanks for reading and supporting, Sarah x

Some of the children being fed at today’s Feeding Programme. They are fed in age groups. Some walk huge distances for this one decent meal each week.

Bright Futures Campus is a safe place for all the children who come. They look forward to seeing their friends, playing games, learning new skills and, of course, having a nutritious meal.

Some of the visitors from Namapasa Secondary School approx 40km away

Students from Namapasa School enjoying their lunch

Sharing food and showing hospitality to today’s visitors

The Bright Futures Secondary School Boys Football Team

Namapasa Secondary School Boys Football Team

Namapasa Secondary School and Bright Futures Secondary School boys football teams

Namapasa Secondary School Girls’ Netball Team

Bright Futures Secondary School Girls’ Netball Team

BFSS Agriculture Classes – digging holes for planting

Students at Bright Futures Secondary School have been working hard to prepare the ground for planting. We are very grateful for the support we have received for this ongoing project.

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Sarah’s blog 3/11/24

Over the past few months, we have been fundraising so more fruit tree saplings can be purchased to provide a sustainable food source and also an income at Bright Futures Campus. We have been very fortunate that we have had several donations towards this project. We are grateful to everyone who has helped. We are still fundraising, as it is an ongoing project to ensure that there will be food and an income and that malnutrition will be eradicated.

In the background of some of these photos and the video, you can see smallish bushes. These are fruit tree saplings that were planted two years ago. There will be a selection of fruit tree saplings but also banana tubers will be bought as bananas grow far quicker.

During their practical agricultural lessons, students are preparing the land and digging holes for the new saplings. Hopefully, they will be planted next week. It will be the rainy season soon. There have been a couple of days of rain already, so the ground is slightly easier to dig, and the rain will help the plants grow.

Here are the links to buy more fruit trees and also seeds and sweet potato vines to help supplement school lunches at Bright Futures Secondary School. Growing food for themselves and their friends is an amazing achievement and will really help now and with learning skills for their futures.

This is the link to buy more fruit tree saplings https://donorsee.com/project/23627?share=1

and this link is for seeds and sweet potato vines https://donorsee.com/project/24114?share=1 or you could email for bank details to make a donation that way contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Whichever way you choose, please know you are making a big difference and that we are very thankful for your support, Sarah x

Hard work! but the students at Bright Futures Secondary School are doing an amazing job!

Lots of chickens!

The chickens are growing and students from Bright Futures Secondary School are learning skills by helping to care for them.

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Sarah’s blog 1/11/24

How is it the 1st of November already? So much happening, so much to do, but some great results are starting to show.

Levison sent this video yesterday of Martha and Asante helping to care for the chickens (chooks). This is the great thing about having projects like the chickens, pigs, goats and all the crops. They can be used for education as well as becoming income generating projects.

Agriculture is a core subject in the Malawian curriculum and students are very much hands on with projects during their practical lessons. They are learning skills for life. Many people in Malawi, grow crops or keep a few animals (if they can afford to) to supplement whatever other income they have. So students at Bright Futures Secondary School will have the skills they need to be able to be growing their own crops and keeping chickens, pigs or goats and they and their families will hopefully have a brighter future!

The incubator is working well now that it has it’s own solar power supply. However, the hen house needs an extension. If eggs were put in the incubator every day each small batch of chicks, hatching after 21 days, will need a separate area from the other chicks. This will enable them to grow safely and allow their progress to be monitored closely, including knowing which chicks have been vaccinated and when. So it is proposed that an additional room, like the one seen in the video, is built to accommodate more chicks and allow the incubator to have regular batches of eggs.

Here is the link to our project on DonorSee https://donorsee.com/project/25321?share=1 or you could email for bank details if you’d like to make a donation contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Enjoy the video and thanks to everyone who has supported this project already. Together, we are Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x

Science at Bright Futures Secondary School

Some great photos from an S2 practical science lesson at Bright Futures Secondary School. Will you help us provide more equipment please?

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Sarah’s blog 31/10/24

Thanks to our donors and supporters, we have achieved a great deal on a relatively small budget. There was only a very small amount of money for supporting practical science experiments at Bright Futures Secondary School.

We are grateful to one of our supporters who bought some more science equipment which arrived on the last container. These items were used in lessons this week for practical experiments. As you will see from the photos and what the teacher has told me, students being able to learn practically as well as theoretically, makes lessons far more exciting and easier to understand!

However, although everyone is delighted that they now have some equipment for performing science experiments, they do need to buy many more items to cover practical lessons in physics, biology and chemistry for all four years of the curriculum. Will you help us please? In addition to another microscope, circuits, beakers, burners, magnets etc…there will be an ongoing need for a selection of chemicals to be bought each year. Will you help us so that the students have what they need to achieve their potential?

contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com for our bank details or if you have any items we might need. We have a fundraiser on DonorSee specifically for science equipment and any donations will be very much appreciated. https://donorsee.com/project/25307?share=1

I asked Mr Kanyimbo, one of the science teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School, for some feedback from the students and himself after his lesson using the new equipment in his lesson. I was delighted to receive such a comprehensive response from him.

Mr Kanyimbo reflected on the lesson. “From the students’ perspective, many of the students seemed genuinely excited to work with new equipment, saying things like ‘I didn’t know experiments could be this fun!‘ They were clearly engaged, asking more questions and showing greater curiosity about the science behind what they were doing. They were also taking more initiative, setting up their experiments carefully and troubleshooting alongside their peers.”

“One student noted, ‘Having the equipment makes understanding this so much easier’, which highlights how hands-on resources help clarify abstract concepts and others said ‘this is way better than just reading about it’, which captures the enthusiasm and deeper understanding gained through practical work.”

“From my side, the addition of practical equipment brings new ways on how we can approach teaching. Instead of only relying on theoretical explanations, we are able to bring lessons to life, allowing students to make tangible connections between concepts and real-world applications. With practical lessons, students engage more deeply, ask more critical questions, and demonstrate a much stronger grasp of the material. I have already noticed a difference in their confidence and interest in science.”

“Additionally, with hands-on experiments, students become active learners. It is one thing to discuss theories, but quite another to let them test and observe these concepts in action. This approach doesn’t just make learning enjoyable but also builds problem-solving skills, deepens comprehension, and fosters a love of science that goes beyond the classroom. If we can have more equipment for practical lessons, for form 3 and form 4 work, we can have some better improvements in our science department. We currently do not carry out experiments with form 3 due to lack of chemicals and other apparatus.”

Please help us ensure that the students (and teachers) have what they need to be successful this year! https://donorsee.com/project/25307?share=1

Thanks to Mr Kanyimbo and his S2 students for the photos and feedback from what looks to have been a fun and informative lesson! Enjoy the photos and video (sorry about poor sound quality of the video) and please donate if you can, Sarah x

Sorry about the poor sound quality. The students are thanking donors for the new equipment and explaining what they are holding. They are asking for some additional equipment to be sent so they can complete more practical science lessons.

Celebrating the success of 3 girls

Thanks to their sponsors and their own hard work, Catherine, Emily and Naomi now have a brighter future and choices and chances they wouldn’t previously have had. Well done girls!

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Sarah’s blog 30/10/24

This is such a good news story and we are all so proud of these girls. Also we are grateful to their sponsors – this story is about the difference that having a sponsor can make!

Last week there was a day of celebration at Bright Futures Secondary School. Three girls, all of whom are orphans living with extended family and all of whom live in extreme poverty, were being congratulated for working hard through secondary school and passing their Malawi Certificate of Education at the end of four years of secondary school. Without having been matched with sponsors, they wouldn’t have had the opportunities they have received to continue their studies further than the end of primary school.

Catherine, Emily and Naomi were all invited to Bright Futures Secondary School where their success was celebrated. There was a meal for all to share, music and dancing and the three girl were able to talk to students at Bright Futures Secondary School about the need to work hard to achieve a brighter future.

I was asked to speak to Catherine, Emily and Naomi as well as the students at BFSS. I was able to congratulate the girls and tell them how proud of them we are and how they should be really proud of themselves for everything they have achieved. I told them what good role models they are for the students at BFSS who can look up to them and aspire to be like them.

Catherine, Emily and Naomi all thanked their sponsors and Levison and team for all the support they have received. Without this help they would not have attended secondary school and passed their exams. This help has changed their lives. They now have choices and chances that they wouldn’t previously have had.

We had sent 50,000mkw for each of the three girls (equivalent of approx £25) to say congratulations and to wish them well as they are now no longer sponsored. They were also each given a new bag and a water bottle, stationery, soap and toothbrushes and toothpaste. As you can see from the photos, they were so pleased and surprised to receive these gifts.

It shows, that because these three vulnerable girls were given a helping hand, they have been able to reach their potential and passed all their exams. That is something to shout about and to celebrate. We need to keep encouraging other vulnerable girls (as well as boys) to work hard and realise that they too can achieve. Also we need to encourage people who are able to be sponsors.

Keeping teenagers in school has really reduced the amount of teenage pregnancies in that area. Being matched with a sponsor to help provide food and education for them has also stopped many girls from being married off as children (which is illegal but still happens when families cannot feed everyone). Below is my previous post with some photos of Catherine, Emily and Naomi.

Congratulations Catherine, Emily & Naomi!

Here are photos and videos from the celebration. You can see how the students at BFSS enjoyed it and were inspired. I asked all three girls to keep in touch and to come and tell Levison how they were getting on. I also said that maybe at some point in the future, they may return to work there….who knows? I reminded them of the kindness that they had been shown and that, if they are ever in a position to help others, they should pass that kindness forward.

Thank you to everyone who supports us to support these vulnerable young people, Sarah x

https://donorsee.com/project/23627?share=1 is the link to help the students at BFSS plant fruit tree saplings for a sustainable food source.

contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com if you would like to get in touch to sponsor a young person or talk to us about other ways you could get involved.

left to right; Catherine, Emily and Naomi

Levison Mlambya, Director of BFSS and Co Founder of The William Stewart Foundation, addressing the students, teachers and the three special guests; Catherine, Emily and Naomi

Members of staff who have known the three girls for years, wanted to be able to tell them how proud everyone is of them.

Levison talking to everyone, Emily, Naomi and Catherine at the front of the photo

Miss Chisenga, Acting Head Teacher at BFSS addressing the students and invited guests.

Levison and Miss Chisenga giving the girls’ their gifts. Left to right; Emily, Catherine & Naomi

Miss Chisenga, Emily, Levison, Catherine & Naomi

A lovely photo of Naomi with her gifts of new bag, water bottle, stationery, toiletries and money.

A nice smile from Catherine who was delighted with her gifts.

Three happy girls celebrating their hard work and achievements, l-r Catherine, Emily and Naomi

The staff of Bright Futures Secondary School with the three girls

Lots of music and dancing. The students at BFSS have been inspired and motivated by the celebrations.

Everyone shared a meal and drinks as part of the celebrations for Catherine, Emily and Naomi.

Paintings for Sale – Christine Cresswell, Artist

Look at these wonderful, original paintings for sale. All money going to our projects. So grateful to local, talented artist, Christine Cresswell.

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Sarah’s blog 25/10/24

Some of you may already know that my mum, Christine Cresswell, is a talented artist. She is (I hope she doesn’t mind me saying) in her late 70s but only started painting about 10 years ago. Mum is also a trustee of Changing Lives Malawi. Both she and I have caring responsibilities. She doesn’t have much free time to help out at events, but what she can do is paint.

Mum has painted all these beautiful pictures, paid to have (most) framed and has donated them all to Changing Lives Malawi to raise funds for our projects. As you know, we are a group of volunteers. So, if you purchase one of her original paintings either for yourself or a gift, you can be sure that every penny is going to support our work. We are so grateful for these wonderful gifts. Some we have had made into cards that we are selling in packs. But this post is about the paintings. THESE ARE ALL ORIGINAL PAINTINGS (not prints).

Each framed painting is in a 12″ x 14″ frame and is priced at £95. p&p in UK will be £5 and we can post abroad once I check postage costs. There are two long paintings that are on canvas and ready to hang, unframed. They are £85 each plus p&p. If anyone is purchasing more than one painting we can of course combine postage costs and give a 10% discount on your total order.

I have taken two photos of each painting. Please do have a look and let me know if you would like to own one of these unique and beautiful paintings. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . I can give you our bank details or you could pay via paypal or by cheque or cash (if you are local). Thank you so much to my mum, Christine, for donating your time and talents so generously to support our projects and help us to continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi, Sarah x

UPDATE – SOLD Mountain Burn & SOLD Mountain Reflections & SOLD Hen Party *****

‘Mountain Reflections’ £85 *****SOLD*****

Agribusiness Update

It’s great to see the progress that is being made by the first Agribusiness group. Will you help us fund a second group please?

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Sarah’s blog 20/10/24

A quick update on the first agribusiness group…look how hard they have been working and how well their crops are growing. Everyone is full of enthusiasm and delighted to have been given this opportunity. They will sell what they harvest and reinvest some of it to buy more seeds etc to ensure their business is sustainable.

We are trying to raise funds to give a second group the same opportunity. These adults are all living in extreme poverty and are either volunteers at Bright Futures Campus or raising children on their own. Please help us? You can either donate here https://donorsee.com/project/24574?share=1 or email for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Your help would be very much appreciated.

Here are some photos and videos of the progress they are making. The agriculture supervisor is helping them initially to ensure they have the skills they need. Thanks to help from donors, they are growing maize and beans. Thank you again, Sarah x

A helping hand to self-sufficiency – Agribusiness Group 1

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