It is International Day of Education. Every young person deserves an education and to be the best they can be. Today’s blog shares photos from our projects.
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Sarah’s blog 24/1/26
Today is International Day of Education. I’m sharing some photos that reflect some of the projects and young people we are helping to support. There is still much to do. But, thanks to the help of our supporters, young people in rural Northern Malawi have a brighter and better future. It is always about teamwork and we’d love you to join our team of supporters. You can help enable even more young people to reach their potential on International Day of Education.
These are just a few of the ways we are involved in supporting the education of the most vulnerable children and young people. If you would like to help then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com or you can donate via our website. On International Day of Education will you help a child succeed? Together, we can give young people more opportunities and support education. These children are amazing and want to succeed. They want to learn and are hard workers. They just need a helping hand.
Also, I am visiting Malawi for the first time this summer and am getting very excited about my trip. Here is a fundraiser and I’d be grateful if anyone would like to make a small donation. It is to help some of the projects which I will be helping during my visit. https://gofund.me/db5496892 As always, a big THANK YOU for all the support and help we receive, Sarah x
Literacy at Chambo Primary School and Kalanga Primary School is improving thanks to the preloved books we have sent as part of the School Literacy Project. Students are becoming more confident readers now they have a range of books to read and exam pass rates are rising.Young people have been involved in planting fruit tree saplings and pine trees, supporting their education, giving them skills for life and planting future food. Students at Chambo Primary School were delighted to receive notebooks and pensWe have matched some of the most vulnerable children with sponsors and they receive a food parcel each month. Children cannot learn if they are suffering from malnutrition. Unfortunately, the food crisis in Malawi is getting worse.Thanks to everyone who has supported the building of Bright Futures Secondary School. There are now 5 classrooms and a dedicated classroom for Bright Futures Nursery.The newest classroom block has a classroom dedicated to sewing and textiles and another classroom for Bright Futures NurseryChildren walk for miles as they are so hungry and know that they will receive a proper meal once a week at the feeding programme. We need your support to continue feeding them with rising food costs and scarcity of food.There was great excitement when the first boxes of preloved books arrivedStudents at Bright Futures Secondary School have designed and built their first beehive and are now waiting for the bees to move inStudents are learning skills for life at Bright Futures Secondary School. They are also supporting the Period Poverty Project by making reusable sanitary towels for all who need them to ensure girls do not miss school for one week each month.Some of the science equipment bought with a grant received from The Clive Richards Foundation for Bright Futures Secondary SchoolPeriodically, children are given clothes that we have sent. These children in red tops attend Bright Futures Nursery.Students at Bright Futures Secondary School receive free education and free school lunch thanks to their sponsors. They also receive free school uniform, stationery, water bottle, school bag and shoes all free of charge. The more vulnerable teenagers we can match with sponsors, the more teenagers can be helped through education.Happy students with their gifts. They have also received toothbrush, toothpaste and soap.We helped with the introduction of rugby to the north of Malawi. Young people are enjoying learning and playing a new sport.Thanks to the many clubs who have donated preloved sports kit, making a difference to the confidence and self-esteem of hundreds of young people who are now proud to be part of a team.Students at Bright Futures Secondary School are working hard to pass their examsFour of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School with some of the new tools they received
Today’s blog has great photos of happy children on World Children’s Day!
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Sarah’s blog 20/11/25
World Children’s Day …what does it mean? And is there a point? None of these children know about World Children’s Day. And does it apply to them? Or is it for children not living in extreme poverty?
World Children’s Day, November 20th, marks the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is for all children around the world. However, many children still do not have all the rights that they should do. UNCRC_summary-1_1.pdf
How many do not have a safe home? How many do not have enough to eat? How many do not have safe drinking water? How many do not have proper health care? The list could go on.
We are doing what we can to help hundreds of the most vulnerable children, living in extreme poverty, in rural northern Malawi. Things are better, but they aren’t good enough, there is still so much to do. That is why we are very grateful for all our supporters as it is always about teamwork and together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi.
These are some great photos that were sent to me a couple of days ago. These children are in p5-p7 at Chambo Primary School. There are so many children needing support that the best way is to help a few at a time. They all received new clothes. The team cannot give out too many things at once as families are so desperately poor they would sell some of the clothes to try to buy some food. So, periodically, Levison and his team give out clothes to those most in need.
I can see donations from Balfron Primary School, Strathblane Primary School, Cherry Tree Nursery and All Saints C of E Junior School in Maidenhead. Can you see any other schools or nurseries I have missed? If you message me then I’ll add them in contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Many thanks to everyone who has donated clothes and school uniform to make the lives of these children a little bit better.
Please support the education of one of these students. All are living in extreme poverty and all want a brighter future through secondary education.
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Sarah’s blog 21/9/25
Levison and some of the teachers met with students today who want a place at Bright Futures Secondary School when the new term starts again tomorrow. Each young person has been interviewed to ensure that they are serious about their education and will work hard.
These are the young people who need a sponsor to help support their education. Everything is free at Bright Futures Secondary School for these students who are all living in extreme poverty, many of them are orphans living with extended family. As well as free education, these students will receive a free school lunch each day. This is, for most, their only food each day so it is vital that they receive a nutritious meal each lunchtime. The small amount of food in their homes can then be shared amongst the rest of the family.
Students also receive school uniform, underwear and shoes. They have school bags and water bottles and the stationery they need. Each student receives soap, toothbrush & toothpaste and a solar lamp to use at home as it gets dark year round at 6pm in Malawi.
Will you sponsor one of these young people please? Will you give them a brighter future with choices and chances that they wouldn’t otherwise have had? Will you help change the life of a teenager through education? It is only £25 per month to sponsor a young person. You can do this as an individual, a family, friends sharing the cost, a club or a business. Anyone can be a sponsor. Will you help? It might be the most important gift anyone can give to one of these teenagers. Which young person would you like to give the gift of education to today? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Levison said they had put their best clothes on to come and see him today. Many of those clothes had been gifted to them from the boxes we send. But look at Lidiwero’s shoes. They are too small for him and starting to fall apart. He will receive new shoes this week. Ethel, you might notice, has been affected by malnutrition when she was younger and her growth has been stunted. Yet despite the challenges they face, these young people are determined that they want to have an education and have a brighter and better future.
Will you help one of them today please? The more students that we can match with sponsors, the more students can attend Bright Futures Secondary School. Together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you for caring. Sarah x
Great results! THE SCHOOL LITERACY PROJECT IS WORKING AND MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON LITERACY LEVELS OF CHILDREN LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY in rural northern Malawi!
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Sarah’s blog 22/8/25
There have, once again, been some great exam results from Chambo Primary School!
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.
This year the pass rate was again 78% but three students got such good grades in their exams, they have been offered places at one of the big government secondary schools. This is an amazing achievement for Chambo Primary School as other, bigger primary schools have not had any students selected.
Education officials, teachers, students and the community are all noticing that the help that Chambo Primary School has had, thanks to our supporters, is making a big difference. THE SCHOOL LITERACY PROJECT IS WORKING AND MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON LITERACY LEVELS OF CHILDREN LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY!
Also, these students have had notebooks (not enough for all year), girls have a toilet block, upper classes now have desks and benches, there is clean water for drinking and handwashing and also an orchard has been planted.
The children and their teachers no longer feel forgotten. They have hope of a brighter future! Thank you so much to all who have helped and supported with these projects. We are making good progress, with tangible results, and we couldn’t do this without you.
Unfortunately, we still cannot get any big charities to feed the primary school children in the rural far north…none of the primary schools in that area have a porridge programme as no big charities are working that far north. So there is still the issue of malnutrition to address which we need help with.
But for today, we can celebrate what we all have achieved, and we are including all our supporters in part of our team as you play a vital role in helping the children and young people. Well done everyone!! We are so pleased that small changes are having a big impact and giving young people opportunities, choices and chances that they wouldn’t previously have had. Also, thank you to Levison and his team for their tireless work for the children.
The school literacy project is a relatively low cost project as the preloved books are donated. We just need to buy the strong boxes and pay for the cost of shipping them on the container which is £17.50 per box, and fuel in Malawi when Levison and team collect the boxes from the container. Please help us keep sending more boxes of books by scanning the QR code and making a donation towards the cost of sending boxes. Or you can make a donation via the website or contact me for bank details. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Please do have a read at the attached two links and have a look at the photos as a reminder of how, together, we are Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x
UN rights of the child states in article 24 that children have the right to nutritious food. Please read today’s blog and help us if you can.
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Sarah’s blog 15/4/25
The United Nations Rights of the Child states in article 24 that children have the right to the best health care possible, safe water to drink, nutritious food, a clean & safe environment and information to help them stay well.
The Sustainable Development Goals number 2 is working towards zero hunger.
As many of you know, we help to support a feeding programme that runs once a week. It’s nowhere near enough, but all we can afford as we help the community to set up sustainable projects.
500 orphans and other vulnerable children access this feeding programme. Some walk as far as 15km-20km to have this one proper meal each week. Some young people carry their younger siblings. There are NO children being fed in primary schools in rural northern Malawi. All are hungry and many are malnourished. Some girls, despite it being illegal, are married off at age 11 or 12 as their families cannot afford to feed them.
Thankfully, because they have sponsors to help support their secondary education, all students at Bright Futures Secondary School have a nutritious free school lunch each day. In the video below, Ethel explains how none of the students have any food at home.
One of the big challenges, apart from sourcing food for so many people, is that prices continue to rise and currently the price of maize, where they are, has doubled from last year, and last year’s price was double the previous year. How are people supposed to feed their families? Most are really struggling and the situation is getting worse.
There is a holiday study school running this week and next for all students at Bright Futures Secondary School and p8 at Chambo Primary School to prepare them all for upcoming exams. There are teachers to pay, notebooks & pens to buy for the students at Chambo who have none, and food for all of them each lunchtime. Please will you help us? https://donorsee.com/project/26846?share=1
Having a nutritious meal at lunchtime is a huge treat for the students in p8 at Chambo Primary School. They don’t eat during their school day normally and their biggest meal is usually at the weekly feeding programme. We could not expect these young people to do extra studying and not feed them. Will you help us please? https://donorsee.com/project/26846?share=1 or you can email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com for other ways to donate or give through the link on our website. Donate money and gifts to Changing Lives Malawi We look forward to bringing you photos and videos from this week’s study school. Thank you for your continued help and support, Sarah x
The price of maize has quadrupled in the last two years. Families cannot afford to feed their children and we cannot afford to buy as much food with the same amount of money.Some of the children lining up to receive food at the weekly feeding programme. They are all hungry. Many are malnourished.
Last week Levison visited Kalanga Primary School. Chambo Primary School is the nearest primary school to Bright Futures Campus and where most of the orphans we help to support attend. A few of the orphans who are supported through the feeding programme and with new clothes attend Kalanga Primary School which is further away.
As we collected so many boxes of preloved books as part of our School Literacy Project, we split the boxes between Chambo Primary and Kalanga Primary. As you will be able to see from these photos, most children are sitting on the floor at Kalanga Primary with no resources. There is no clean running water and there are no latrines. All of these students are suffering from hunger and malnutrition as they are living in extreme poverty and, although we have tried to involve big charities, there are no porridge programmes in schools in this area.
Strathblane Primary School and Balfron Primary School were renewing all their group reading scheme books so kindly donated a huge amount of books that we were able to share between Chambo Primary School and Kalanga Primary School. Lots of individuals as well as some other organisations like nurseries and an after school club also donated lots of lovely preloved books.
Levison also took sports tops that had been very kindly donated. Unfortunately, I have forgotten who donated the blue ones and there isn’t a badge on the front (if you donated these – thank you. Let me know and I will amend this text to thank the club) but the black/yellow ones were gifted by www.shoesharemalawi.org from a 10K race – thank you so much.
Already, the Education Department are noticing the value of our School Literacy Project as, year on year, p8 leavers exam results at Chambo Primary School (where there have been several donations of books) are improving.
This is a low cost project with a huge impact and we are very proud to be making a difference to so many children’s education in this way. Thank you to everyone who has supported us with this ongoing project. As all the books are preloved and donated, our costs are buying strong boxes to pack and send the boxes in and £17.50 per box to cover costs on the container. There are also costs in Malawi with collecting boxes from Ekwendeni when the container arrives. However, for the amount of chidren who will benefit from this project, this is a big project with small costs.
If you would like to help to pay for a box to ensure The School Literacy Project can continue then please do email me contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thank you again to everyone for supporting children in rural northern Malawi, Sarah x
We are delighted to see these photos and videos from Chambo Primary School. They have received more books as part of the School Literacy Project.
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Sarah’s blog 17/3/25
How can children learn to read without books to practice? Thanks to the help of many of our supporters, Chambo Primary School has once again received a huge donation of preloved books as part of our School Literacy Project. Thanks to so many people who have donated books and to Strathblane Primary School and Balfron Primary School who donated all of their group reading books which they were updating. There are a few other organisations local to us who also made donations. We are grateful to everyone and to those who helped us towards the cost of sending some of these boxes. Kalanga Primary School will also receive a donation of boxes of books in the near future.
As always, thanks goes to the volunteers at Bananabox Trust in Dundee who document the contents of boxes, order the container and then pack all the boxes into the container. We always say everything is teamwork and we are very grateful to all the people who help us support the children and young people who live in extreme poverty in rural northern Malawi.
Most of the orphans and other vulnerable children we help to support attend Chambo Primary School. There are eight classes in the school with approximately 600 students in total. During the rainy season, not all students are able to get to school as it is not safe for them to cross the swollen rivers.
As you can see from the photos and videos, this school is very basic. They don’t have notebooks and pencils, teachers don’t have enough chalk. There are no porridge programmes in the rural far north so all these learners are hungry and many are suffering from Malnutrition.
Thanks to the help of our supporters and grants that we have successfully applied for, so far we have helped the students at Chambo Primary in the following ways;
They only had one classroom with desks and benches; a grant paid for desks & benches in two more classrooms.
There was no clean water supply for drinking and washing hands. Thanks to a grant we applied for, they now have taps and a supply of clean water.
Students relieved themselves in the bushes, making girls especially very vulnerable. We received a grant to build a girls’ latrine block.
Girls who need reusable sanitary towels are provided with them so that they no longer have to miss one week of school each month.
Many of these children attend the weekly feeding programme. It is nowhere near enough, as most don’t eat every day, but all we can afford as we try to work with the community to set up sustainable projects.
Many of these children have received preloved clothes that we have sent.
The students at Chambo Primary are benefitting from The School Literacy Project where we collect and send preloved books to support education. Primary 8 leavers exam results have been improving year on year since we have been supporting them.
Chambo Primary has received sports kit and students have taken part in sporting events that we have supported.
Chambo Primary has received fruit tree saplings, banana tubers and pine tree saplings as part of a sustainable project.
We have supported a School Holiday Study School for the past few years to give p8 students revision time prior to their exams. They receive a substantial school lunch each day so that it helps them concentrate and is a great incentive for them to attend lessons during their holidays.
If you can help with purchasing new exercise books and pens/pencils for these students we would be extremely grateful. They need these to take notes ahead of their exams. https://donorsee.com/project/25617?share=1
Thank you again for all the support (and a huge amount of work went on behind the scenes too). Enjoy these photos and videos, Sarah x
Some of the staff at Chambo Primary School
You may be able to spot a few Strathblane Primary School sweatshirts
January has been such a busy and quick month for us. We’ve had lots of birthday celebrations in our family, as well as having a huge storm last week which resulted in a power cut. I seem to have been busier than usual and now February is here!
So, I’m a bit late with this post but there are so many ways that our supporters are helping us, through educational projects, to make a brighter future for the hundreds of orphans and other vulnerable children we help to support in rural northern Malawi.
Also we are trying to raise funds to buy a stock of wellington boots to be kept at school so children taking part in practical agricultural lessons have protective footwear and will prevent their only pair of shoes being ruined by mud. To help with this click here https://donorsee.com/project/26186?share=1
We have an Amazon wish list and have added some science equipment to this and would love to be able to have additional supplies to box up to send to Malawi. If you’d like to have a look at our list (and purchases get delivered to us) the link is here Amazon.co.uk
Here are a few photos of just some of the ways we have been able to support the education of some of the most vulnerable children in rural northern Malawi. None of this would have happened without our supporters and we are so grateful for your help. Thank you, Sarah x
Planting bananas at Chambo Primary SchoolClean water for drinking and washing hands at Chambo Primary SchoolNew desks and the gift of notebooks and pencils at Chambo Primary SchoolBuilding a girls’ latrine at Chambo Primary School. This enables the girls to have dignity and privacy as well as safety. Previously, they had to relieve themselves in the bushes putting themselves at risk of being attacked.We have collected thousands of preloved books and sent them to Malawi to support Emma’s Rainbow library, Bright Futures nursery, two primary schools and Bright Futures Secondary School. Already, exam results are improving so this relatively low cost project (£17.50 per box on the container) is making a huge difference and being noticed by the Education Department in Malawi.Bright Futures Secondary School has been built for vulnerable teenagers who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity of secondary education which needs to be paid for in Malawi. We match each student with a sponsor to help support their educational costs. There are four classrooms and students receive a cooked school lunch every day which, for most of them, is the only food they have to eat and saves their families feeding them.Bright Futures Campus on a day that the feeding programme was on. It feeds 500+ orphans and other vulnerable children once a week. No children are fed in primary schools in that area. Most are malnourished, all are hungry. Some children walk up to 15km to get to this free food.Each Easter holidays we facilitate a holiday study school for the students in p8 at Chambo Primary and the students in S2 at Bright Futures Secondary School. These revision days are proving popular, making a difference and all the children are fed each lunchtime (a huge treat for the students at Chambo Primary who never receive food at school).Recently, Bright Futures Secondary School received some more basic science equipment thanks to one of our supporters. Students said that they didn’t realise science could be so much fun! We are raising funds for more equipment and also have some science equipment on our Amazon wishlist.Team sports are very popular, especially football and netball. We have facilitated touch rugby being introduced in schools in northern Malawi and the students are loving it!Children queuing for their meal at the feeding programme. Teachers have reported that even this one meal per week is making a difference to the concentration of the most vulnerable children. Most children are malnourished. All are hungry. We wish could feed them more than once per week but that is all we can afford whilst we try to set up sustainable projects like planting fruit tree saplings. Children should have access to food each day. Unfortunately, although things are better than they were, this is still not the case. Prices are rising all the time and girls as young as 10 are at risk of being married off by their family so that there is one less mouth to feed.More great photos of team sports when children can forget about their problems and have fun with their friends. We are fortunate to have had lots of preloved sports kit donated to us that we have been able to share. Having matching kit makes a big difference as they feel like they are part of a real team and their confidence and self-esteem grow. Also, knowing people that they have never met actually care about them is a huge boost for these vulnerable children.As the community lives in such extreme poverty, there was nowhere for teachers being employed at Bright Futures Secondary School. Thanks to a grant we received, this is the first of two teachers accommodation blocks. Each teacher has their own bedroom and sitting room.Catherine, Emily and Naomi all passed their S4 school leavers exams which is a huge achievement and we are very proud of them. They had a lunch in their honour and the girls spoke to younger students to encourage them.There are up to 70 pre school children (age 4-6) meeting 5 times a week at Bright Futures Nursery. They are fed at each session. We give these children a care pack when they start nursery; a bag with two red t-shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a blanket, soap, toothbrush & toothpaste, 2 books and a soft toy. Teachers at Chambo Primary have reported that children who have attended this nursery are further ahead than those who have not.A trainset was sent for use in the nursery. Although the children had never seen anything like this, they soon worked together joining the pieces. The older children who attend at the weekend ask to play with the trainset which has become a favourite pass time. Students at Bright Futures Secondary School grow some of their own food during practical agricultural lessons. Here they are planting sweet potatoes.Thanks to our supporters Emma’s Rainbow Library was built and is extremely well used.
An amazing third day of rugby! Tournaments all day. Lots and lots of happy children!
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Sarah’s blog 15/10/24
What an amazing day! It was a school holiday today in Malawi for Mothers’ Day. Many of these children are orphans living with extended family so have mother figures looking after them. All have all come together for a great day of rugby, fun and friendship. As many of these children are malnourished, certainly all are hungry, and no big charities are feeding children in primary schools that far north, we always ensure that children have a nutritious meal when they come together for a day of sport.
Today’s post is going to show photos of the teams that took part and, in a separate post, I will be able to show action photos and videos…there are just too many to share all at once and it has been a very long day for Jack and Levison who were organising the event.
Jack Mphande is the Malawi Rugby Development Officer whose enthusiasm shines through. Thank you Jack for sharing your time and talents with the orphans and other vulnerable children. You have shared your passion for the game with them and, once again, given them such a positive experience. Until recently, these children never had anyone come to spend time with them. You have given them confidence, skills, friendship and raised their self-esteem. These are priceless and they will remember days like today for the rest of their lives.
Jack writes on the Malawi Rugby Union Facebook page (MARU) “Rugby is in safe hands here in Chisenga, Chitipa. I have witnessed raw talent of rugby which, if nurtured well, Malawi Rugby will never be the same.” Jack always writes at the end of his posts “Rugby Rise Malawi”. Rugby is indeed on the rise in Malawi and we are grateful for his visit.
We are also grateful to Arnold Clark cars for their financial donation towards this event and Jack’s travel expenses. Arnold Clark is a new Scotland Rugby Team sponsor.
We have two tickets for the Scotland v Fiji game on 2nd November courtesy of Arnold Clark. For a donation of £5 you could be in with a chance of being at this game! details are in the attached post from day 1 of the rugby.
Thank you so much to everyone who has donated sports kit that we have been able to gift to each school that has taken part. They have matching sports kit that they are proud of and can dream big about being stars of the future, like children everywhere do. Thanks, Sarah x
Everyone who took part in today’s tournamentBright Futures Secondary School – girls (wearing Merchiston Castle School & Bromley & Beckenham Hockey)Bright Futures Secondary School – boys (wearing Seafar fc, Cumbernauld & Poole FC)Kalanga Primary School – boysKalanga Primary School – girlsChisenga Primary School – boys (wearing Chelsa fc)Chisenga Primary School – girls (wearing Liverpool fc)Chambo Primary School – boys (wearing Hardinxveld, Holland)Chambo Primary Schools – girls (wearing Seafar Villa, Cumbernauld)Kayilizi Primary School – boys (wearing South Africa)Kayalizi Primary School – girls (wearing Seafar Villa, Cumbernauld)
I have been asked to find sponsors for these vulnerable students so they can attend secondary school. I cannot do this without your help. Please read today’s blog and help if you can.
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Sarah’s blog 14/06/24
It’s bad enough for our children waiting for exam results but, in Malawi, did you know that only primary education is free? So depending on their national primary school exam results their education might stop at the end of primary school. Also, if their families cannot pay, their education stops at the end of primary school. Imagine if our children only had primary school education? Think of everything they would miss out on.
There are 8 years of primary school and children start school at age 6. Class sizes are 50+ children. For example, Chambo Primary School, in the rural far north of Malawi has 500+ students over 8 classrooms. Only one classroom had desks and benches, until we successfully applied for a grant to install clean drinking water and desks and benches for two further classrooms. This grant was thanks to the Kitchen Table Charities Trust. Another grant from the Eleanor Rathbone Trust, meant that a girls toilet block was built. Meaning that girls no longer had to squat in the bushes which left them at risk of attack and with no dignity or privacy.
Five classrooms are remaining with children sitting on the concrete floor. There were hardly any resources until we started our School Literacy Project, gifting boxes of preloved books to help students become more confident readers. We gave students at Chambo Primary school notebooks and pencils in January…nowhere near enough for what they need…but better than nothing. Thanks to our fundraising on the site DonorSee these vulnerable children are about to receive more notebooks and pencils (one now and one in September).
Imagine not being able to afford a notebook and pencil. Imagine not being able to afford soap. Imagine not eating properly each day. No big charities are working in the far north yet. We can only afford to feed 500 children once a week whilst we try to set up sustainable projects to help them be self-sufficient.
Many of these students in primary school are older than they would normally be. If they are one of the eldest children in a family, they might have dropped out of school for a while to work for a pittance to help bring money into their family to provide food whilst the younger children in the family attended school. Or maybe all the children in the family had to work. Or they might have had to look after an elderly relative. So there can be many different ages in one class of students.
I need your help. I have been asked to find sponsors for 18 students who have just done their primary school leavers exams. They are bright students and are all expected to pass. None can go to secondary school without financial support. I have managed to find sponsors for 4 of them – many thanks to those sponsors for coming forward. However, I still need to match 14 students with sponsors and I’ve only got 12 weeks to do it before the new term starts in mid September. THESE STUDENTS ARE HOPING THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO BRIGHT FUTURES SECONDARY SCHOOL BUT THEY NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE. They wait in hope of a brighter future. They know that education is their way out of poverty. This will be the most important gift these young people have – the gift of education. Will you reach out and help one of them? Please?
Being a sponsor is less than £1 per day. How many people buy a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps that we don’t really need? Could you spare less than £1 per day? It’s only £25 per month to make a difference to one of these young people. You can sponsor as an individual, two friends could share the cost (making it less than 50p per day) or your club, school or church could sponsor a young person’s education. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com When you meet a friend for a coffee or have a few glasses of wine with your friends, would you ask them please if they can join you in sponsoring a young person’s education? If we have lots of little groups of friends or colleagues sponsoring one young person, just think what a difference we could make. It’s always about teamwork. You have the ability to change a life.
Being sponsored means these students will receive free education at Bright Futures Secondary School where class sizes are kept smaller than average. They will receive school uniform and stationery and other gifts. Each student will receive a free nutritious lunch each day. For most, this is their only meal of the day so it is vital for their health and concentration.
Will you help one of these vulnerable young people please? Many are orphans, living with extended family or some are from single parent families. All are living in dire poverty. Your help and support to gift these young people a secondary education and a brighter future will be so welcome. Will you help us help them today? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Together we can keep Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x
I have been asked to find sponsors for these vulnerable students so they can attend secondary school. I cannot do this without your help. Please read today’s blog and help if you can.
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Sarah’s blog 14/06/24
It’s bad enough for our children waiting for exam results but, in Malawi, did you know that only primary education is free? So depending on their national primary school exam results their education might stop at the end of primary school. Also, if their families cannot pay, their education stops at the end of primary school. Imagine if our children only had primary school education? Think of everything they would miss out on.
There are 8 years of primary school and children start school at age 6. Class sizes are 50+ children. For example, Chambo Primary School, in the rural far north of Malawi has 500+ students over 8 classrooms. Only one classroom had desks and benches, until we successfully applied for a grant to install clean drinking water and desks and benches for two further classrooms. This grant was thanks to the Kitchen Table Charities Trust. Another grant from the Eleanor Rathbone Trust, meant that a girls toilet block was built. Meaning that girls no longer had to squat in the bushes which left them at risk of attack and with no dignity or privacy.
Five classrooms are remaining with children sitting on the concrete floor. There were hardly any resources until we started our School Literacy Project, gifting boxes of preloved books to help students become more confident readers. We gave students at Chambo Primary school notebooks and pencils in January…nowhere near enough for what they need…but better than nothing. Thanks to our fundraising on the site DonorSee these vulnerable children are about to receive more notebooks and pencils (one now and one in September).
Imagine not being able to afford a notebook and pencil. Imagine not being able to afford soap. Imagine not eating properly each day. No big charities are working in the far north yet. We can only afford to feed 500 children once a week whilst we try to set up sustainable projects to help them be self-sufficient.
Many of these students in primary school are older than they would normally be. If they are one of the eldest children in a family, they might have dropped out of school for a while to work for a pittance to help bring money into their family to provide food whilst the younger children in the family attended school. Or maybe all the children in the family had to work. Or they might have had to look after an elderly relative. So there can be many different ages in one class of students.
I need your help. I have been asked to find sponsors for 18 students who have just done their primary school leavers exams. They are bright students and are all expected to pass. None can go to secondary school without financial support. I have managed to find sponsors for 4 of them – many thanks to those sponsors for coming forward. However, I still need to match 14 students with sponsors and I’ve only got 12 weeks to do it before the new term starts in mid September. THESE STUDENTS ARE HOPING THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO BRIGHT FUTURES SECONDARY SCHOOL BUT THEY NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE. They wait in hope of a brighter future. They know that education is their way out of poverty. This will be the most important gift these young people have – the gift of education. Will you reach out and help one of them? Please?
Being a sponsor is less than £1 per day. How many people buy a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps that we don’t really need? Could you spare less than £1 per day? It’s only £25 per month to make a difference to one of these young people. You can sponsor as an individual, two friends could share the cost (making it less than 50p per day) or your club, school or church could sponsor a young person’s education. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com When you meet a friend for a coffee or have a few glasses of wine with your friends, would you ask them please if they can join you in sponsoring a young person’s education? If we have lots of little groups of friends or colleagues sponsoring one young person, just think what a difference we could make. It’s always about teamwork. You have the ability to change a life.
Being sponsored means these students will receive free education at Bright Futures Secondary School where class sizes are kept smaller than average. They will receive school uniform and stationery and other gifts. Each student will receive a free nutritious lunch each day. For most, this is their only meal of the day so it is vital for their health and concentration.
Will you help one of these vulnerable young people please? Many are orphans, living with extended family or some are from single parent families. All are living in dire poverty. Your help and support to gift these young people a secondary education and a brighter future will be so welcome. Will you help us help them today? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Together we can keep Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x
Thank you Balfron Primary School!! We need some families to help with this project too…so will you read today’s blog and make a difference please?
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Sarah’s blog 12/6/24
We are delighted as we have had a brilliant donation from Balfron Primary School of all their books from their reading programme that they are updating. Headteacher, Angus Black, brought five big boxes of books to us which are going to benefit hundreds of very vulnerable children in primary schools in rural northern Malawi through our School Literacy Project. This project is working towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education.
This is an amazing donation of books which will help so many vulnerable children to learn to read.
Most of the primary schools in the rural far north of Malawi have large class sizes and minimal resources. How can we expect children to read well if they don’t have books to practice? These books will make a huge difference to the children’s knowledge as well as helping them to be more confident readers.
So a big THANK YOU again to Balfron Primary School for supporting School Literacy amongst some of the most vulnerable children in rural northern Malawi. We will have photos to show when the books finally arrive in a few months time. We sort and repack all the books into age groups and into strong boxes and label them up to go to Dundee where they await the next container.
Although our School Literacy Project is relatively cheap as the books are all donated, it still costs us £17.50 to send every box on the container. If you can please help pay towards the transportation costs of these books then here is the link to donate on our DonorSee site https://donorsee.com/project/23626?share=1
When students leave primary school at the end of p8 they have to sit national primary school leavers exams. They cannot go to secondary school if they don’t pass these exams. We expect, through our School Literacy Project, to start to see improved exam results within the next few years as literacy levels improve.
None of the hundreds of vulnerable children we help to support can afford to go to secondary school, which has to be paid for in Malawi. So, even if they pass their primary school leavers exams, if they cannot pay for secondary school then that is their education finished.
That’s why we match students with sponsors to support their secondary education. It’s only £25 per month to sponsor a student and you can share the cost between friends and family….it’s less than £1 per day to give the gift of education. Sponsored students are given a place at Bright Futures Secondary School where they receive free education, uniform, stationery and everything else they need for school. They get a free nutritious school lunch each day. For most students, this is the only food they get every day so it is really important to enable them to study and concentrate.
Here is the link to my blog about the students who are looking for sponsors so they will be able to attend Bright Futures Secondary School in September. If you could help support the education of one of these very vulnerable young people then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Thanks again, Balfron Primary School for supporting our charity which is just round the corner from the school. It’s always about team work and together, with your help, we can make a difference, Sarah x
Students at Chambo Primary School where three out of eight classrooms now have desks and benches. These children were delighted when we paid for them to have new notepads and pencils in January. They are about to receive another gift of notepads and pencils thanks to our fundraising on DonorSee site.We applied for a grant on behalf of Chambo Primary School to enable them to have a toilet block and a clean water supply.The first 17 boxes of books gifted to Chambo Primary. After this shipment of books, we will start collecting books for another primary school in that cluster.Children looking at the first boxes of books that were sent on the container
