Category: Sponsor an orphan

CLM is 5 years old today!

Changing Lives Malawi is 5 years old! Thanks for your support and here’s to the next 5 years!

Sarah’s blog 29/5/24

Happy 5th birthday to us! Changing Lives Malawi is 5 years old today. We are very grateful for all the support we have had along the way and thankful for everyone who has sponsored a vulnerable child or young person.

A lovely happy birthday message from some of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School

Here are a few highlights;

  • 500 children and young people are being fed a nutritious meal once a week at the Feeding Programme. This is the only proper meal of the week for some and children are walking 15km-20km to receive this food. Some young people carry their younger siblings with them. Once a week isn’t enough but all we can afford while we are helping with setting up other projects. No big charities are feeding children in primary schools in that area so most are malnourished and all are hungry.
  • All who need them have been given reusable sanitary towels so they don’t miss a week of school every month. Girls now have equality with regards to their education and school attendance. These sanitary towels have been made by a group of girls who have been using the hand turn Singer sewing machines we sent. They want to start making clothes to sell.
  • up to 75 pre-school children attend Bright Futures nursery and are being fed breakfast each day.
    • Vulnerable young people, whom we match with sponsors, are able to attend Bright Futures Secondary School free of charge. BFSS was built with the help of our supporters and opened in November 2022. More sponsors are needed for the students that want to take up their places in September 2024 contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com It’s less than £1 per day. Students receive a free education, uniform, stationery and a free nutritious lunch each day. For most, this is their only meal of the day.
    • There is clean drinking water, and a shower block for all the young people to use.
    • Our school literacy project is supplying primary schools with boxes of preloved books to help students become more confident readers and to raise literacy levels.
    • Fruit tree saplings have been planted for a sustainable future food source.
    • Crops have been planted to be used in the feeding programme and students are learning how to care for them and the chickens as part of their agricultural lessons.
    • Mother & baby project – we have some very talented people knitting beautiful blankets and clothes for the new babies on the maternity ward at Chambo Health Centre. The mums are extremely grateful for these beautiful things. If they go back a few weeks later, they are given other gifts for their babies and this is another chance for health professionals to see that mother and baby are well.

The above are just some of the ways that your support goes to help the most vulnerable people in Ibuluma. It’s always about teamwork and we very much appreciate everyone’s support.

There is still so much that needs to be done to help this community to get back on its feet. They want to be self-sufficient and just need a helping hand to get there. We will continue reaching out to try to connect with more people over the next five years so that there is a bigger team enabling more work to be done.

Thanks also to the core team of volunteers – you are an amazing support!

We have a few projects on DonorSee that we are raising money for and would appreciate your help. If you could ‘follow’ and give us a review on DonorSee that would be great, as it helps us get seen by more potential donors.

https://donorsee.com/project/23503?share=1

DonorSee

Thank you all again and here’s to the next five years! Sarah x

Sponsors needed for p8 students

Sponsors needed to support these vulnerable students to get to secondary school! http://www.changinglivesmalawi.com

Sarah’s blog 23/05/24

***SPONSORS NEEDED for P8 students***

Students in their final year at Chambo Primary School started their national primary school leavers exams yesterday and we wish them the very best of luck.

We are hoping, with your help, that this isn’t the end of the road for their education. Imagine passing your exams but being so poor that you couldn’t go to secondary school.

None of these young people can afford to go to secondary school, which needs to be paid for in Malawi. These 18 students are all expected to pass their exams. We now need to match these vulnerable students with sponsors to help pay for their education at Bright Futures Secondary School. It’s only £25 per month per student. This pays for their education, uniform, stationery and a cooked school lunch each day – for many this is their only proper meal of the day.

Let’s help give these young people the brighter future they want and deserve. If you would like to make a difference to a young life please get in touch. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

NB – the older these students are, the poorer their family is. They have missed big chunks of school to try to earn a living to by food. They have missed out so much of their childhood. Let’s give them a Brighter Future!

Myless Ng’ambi had dropped out of school due to family circumstances but they managed to get her back to school which is why she is 17 already. She (like the others) is desperate for an education. I am delighted to have matched her with a sponsor, so providing she passes her exams, she will be attending Bright Futures Secondary School in September.

Seventeen more young people are still needing your help! You can sponsor as an individual, share the cost with a friend/s or family, or a business can sponsor a young person or a school, church or club could share the costs. It might be the most important thing you ever do for one of these young people. Thank you, Sarah x contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Two new video appeals

Sarah’s blog 13/5/24

We have joined a new fundraising site called DonorSee where we have put a few small appeals. We are hoping that more people from different countries will find out about Changing Lives Malawi and the projects we help to support.

Levison took time out of his busy day to make two short videos today; the first is an appeal for help with continuing costs of ensuring the nursery children have breakfast each day, and the second is in the p8 classroom at Chambo Primary School and the appeal is for money to purchase notebooks and pencils for the students. Schools don’t provide things that we take for granted and students are supposed to buy notebooks, pens and pencils themselves. If they can’t then they do without. So we must help them.

Hope you enjoy the videos and feel free to share with your family and friends…let’s spread the word and help these deserving children. Thank you, Sarah x contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

https://donorsee.com/project/23502?share=1 (nursery video)

https://donorsee.com/project/23503?share=1 (Chambo p8 video)

Food parcels for some of the sponsored children & YP

Sarah’s blog 13/05/24

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

Say ‘no’ to child marriage

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 rain & earth tremors

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 Strathblane Primary School

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!

Changing Lives Malawi is (nearly) 5 years old!!

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

It's our 5th birthday later this month...have a look at what we are doing to celebrate and how you can get involved www.changinglivesmalawi.com

Chikumbusko Kawonga needs help

Chikumbusko is desperate for our help. Will you read her story and support her? http://www.changinglivesmalawi.com

Sarah’s blog 29/04/24

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;

  1. To highlight her story and reach out for help for her.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

BFSS – S3 Essay Competition – March – Winner

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

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

Staff Accommodation
The next building at BFSS

Fundraising Cards

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