It’s going to be a busy week with two Christmas parties and lots of tree saplings to plant…please read today’s blog and have a look at the two short videos.
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Sarah’s blog 22/12/24
There will be an additional feeding programme this week. The volunteers decided that they would have it actually on Christmas Day as, otherwise, children wouldn’t have any proper meal to have at home. We are so grateful to these volunteers for all their hard work and to those who have donated to ensure the orphans can have a Christmas party.
Levison has looked out all the Santa Hats again and I had sent some disco and Christmas lights as well as a small karaoke machine. I suggested to Levison that he’d better make sure it was working and try it out ahead of the Christmas Party. He sent me these videos which I think are brilliant. We take so many things for granted. Of course the majority of children wouldn’t have seen a microphone, let alone speak or sing with one. The videos of Blessings Nyondo, age 10, using a microphone for the first time are lovely.
There will be two parties this week; one at Bright Futures Secondary School and one for all the children who use the feeding programme. In addition, students at Bright Futures Secondary School, even though the school term has finished, will be planting fruit tree saplings too. So it will be a very busy week! I look forward to sharing more photos and videos with you as I get them.
This is the link if you’d like to contribute to the children’s Christmas party https://donorsee.com/project/25004?share=1 and this link is for notebooks and pencils for the students in the senior classes at Chambo primary school https://donorsee.com/project/25617?share=1 We would be so grateful if you could make a small donation. Thank you, Sarah x
Blessings, age 10, tests out the microphone for the first time
It will be interesting to see what the other children think of the microphone and speaker
Planting Christmas trees at Bright Futures Secondary School today as part of their practical agriculture classes.
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Sarah’s blog 19/12/24
The rains have started in Malawi. Thankfully, the only damage from the recent cyclone was that one of the solar power systems was hit by a lightening strike and will need to be repaired.
The students at Bright Futures Secondary School finished their exams yesterday so were happy to be out of the classroom and starting on an environmental project. The pine tree sapling planting has been planned for a while and over 300 saplings were on order. Now the ground is softer and the saplings will be well watered, now is the right time to get busy planting!
There are several reasons for planting pine tree saplings; to provide a wind break, help prevent soil erosion and flooding, replace trees that have been cut down, and to provide shade. Planting trees is obviously helping combat climate change too.
Pine trees will be planted around the edges of fields to help prevent crops being washed away. There will be more tree planting on Monday and students at BFSS will each be given a Christmas tree to take home and plant on Monday afternoon. As well as the above reasons for planting trees, this will help spread the message through the community about how important tree planting and reforestation is.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to enable these pine tree saplings to be bought. We do hope that we can raise some more funds for reforestation during this rainy season. This is the link to our small fundraiser to buy more pine tree saplings https://donorsee.com/project/25914?share=1 or you can donate via the link on our website Donate money and gifts to the Changing Lives Malawi foundation . I hope you enjoy these photos and videos from earlier today. This work that the students are doing is very important and I am hoping that they are able to see that their efforts are appreciated by this project growing and getting the attention it deserves. Well done students and teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School! Thanks for reading and supporting, Sarah x
Look at this amazing first harvest for the agrigroup. They have worked so hard and are grateful for the opportunity they have been given.
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Sarah’s blog 10/12/24
Levison sent these great photos and video yesterday. The first agribusiness group have worked so hard and yesterday they harvested their first crop of beans. This crop will be bought by The Feeding Programme at market value and the money will be reinvested into the Agribusiness to purchase more seeds to grow more vegetables.
The group are absolutely delighted with the success they have had from their hard work and are thankful for the opportunity they have been given. All the adults we are supporting are living in extreme poverty and volunteer their time to help hundreds of orphans and other vulnerable children. So these adults are hard workers and deserve to have this opportunity to start up their own small business.
Thank you to those who donated to help start up this project. We are trying to raise enough money to fund a second group. Will you make a small donation please so that we can buy some tools and seeds for a second agribusiness group?
Will you help us fund our small projects for #GivingTuesday please? The Team at DonorSee will top up the funds we raise.
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Sarah’s blog 2/12/24
Tomorrow, 3rd December, is Giving Tuesday. This day of giving to charity was established in 2012. As some of you know, we have some fundraisers for small projects on DonorSee which is a great way for people to give, whether the donation is big or small. Although the currency is shown in $$, it will automatically be converted whatever the currency is where you live.
We’ve had the following information from the team at DonorSee:
Based on funds raised on DonorSee, between now and midnight (ET) December 4th, 2024, they will gift us the following amounts;
A gift of $100, if you raise between $250 and $499.00
A gift of $250, if you raise between $500 and $999.00
A gift of $500, if you raise $1,000+
WE NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE. This opportunity of a top up donation is too good to miss. Together, we can make this happen and use #GivingTuesday to make a big difference to hundreds of children, living in extreme poverty, in rural northern Malawi. Click on the link DonorSee and have a look at our open projects and choose which one you’d like to donate to.
So please do help us make the most of this great offer.DonorSee Will you choose to help fund the Christmas Party for 500 orphans? Or to make a small donation towards purchasing science equipment for the vulnerable students at Bright Futures Secondary School? Or will you give to one of the sustainable, income generating projects that will help the community become self-sufficient? DonorSee
I have attached our Advent Calendar from last year. The son of one of our sponsors gave me some help putting it all together. It’s a good reminder of all the positive things that are happening with the help of our supporters. It’s good to pause and reflect that if we all make a small donation, together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you everyone so much, Sarah x
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.
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
Some of the children queuing up to be fedchildren are fed in age groups with the youngest ones being firstPlease help us ensure that there is funding for the children’s Christmas PartyYour support means that some of the most vulnerable children in Malawi will receive an extra meal and a fun time with their friends.
Projects like this are going to make a huge difference both in education and generating income. Have a look at these great photos and see what the next project will be.
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Sarah’s blog 28/11/24
Thanks to money we have received from generous donors, banana suckers have been bought and the students at Bright Futures Secondary School planted them yesterday.
Banana plants grow quickly and can be split to grow more plants so everyone is very excited for this sustainable project. As well as being able to grow their own food, the students are learning about being self-sufficient and learning skills for life in their practical agriculture classes. Hopefully, they will be able to sell some of the bananas and use that money to buy seeds or other things the school might need.
The aim is to set up lots of income generating projects that will help the community be self-sufficient and provide a good educational opportunity. We are trying to raise funds to make beehives and start a beekeeping project at Bright Futures Secondary School. Would you help us with this project please? https://donorsee.com/project/25476?share=1 The more practical learning opportunities the students get, the better equipped for life they will be. The more income generating, sustainable projects we help them set up, the quicker they will become self-sufficient.
Teachers and students worked hard yesterday with planting. The roots of the banana suckers have to be treated to prevent some diseases/pests, which is why they are being dipped prior to planting. I hope you enjoy the photos and videos. Thanks to everyone who helped with this project. When the heavier rains come, then more fruit tree saplings will be planted too. Together we are Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x
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
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
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. A warm welcome to today’s visitorsSome of the visitors from Namapasa Secondary School approx 40km awayEveryone enjoying their lunchStudents from Namapasa School enjoying their lunch
Sharing food and showing hospitality to today’s visitorsThe Bright Futures Secondary School Boys Football TeamNamapasa Secondary School Boys Football TeamNamapasa Secondary School and Bright Futures Secondary School boys football teams
Namapasa Secondary School netball team Namapasa Secondary School Girls’ Netball Team Bright Futures Secondary School Girls’ Netball Team
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.
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!
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
Three amazing days of touch rugby. Thank you Arnold Clark cars, Jack Mphande, Malawi Rugby Development Officer, Levison Mlambya, and everyone who donated sports kit and the volunteers who make this a huge success.
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Sarah’s blog 19/10/24
What an amazing three days of rugby for the Chisenga Zone Schools this week. Jack Mphande, Malawi Rugby’s Development Officer, based in Lilongwe, made the long journey north again for training and tournaments.
Rugby had never been played in the far north until Jack introduced touch rugby a couple of years ago. The children, all of whom are living in extreme poverty, absolutely love touch rugby and have enjoyed being part of this year’s rugby initiative once again.
Arnold Clark cars, who are the new Scotland Rugby Team sponsor, gave us a donation to fund Jack’s visit, the training and the tournament for the Chisenga Zone Rugby initiative. So we are very grateful to Arnold Clark cars, Jack Mphande and also Levison Mlambya who has put in a huge amount of work behind the scenes.
On day 1, Jack was instructing teachers from local schools in the theory and practical skills of rugby. On day 2, Jack visited local schools to supervise the teachers leading a rugby training session. Day 3 was the tournament.
All the schools involved came together for a day of touch rugby matches and had a wonderful time. As no big charities feed children in primary schools in the far north, many are malnourished, all are hungry. We will not facilitate a sporting event like the rugby tournament without the children (and adults) having a proper meal and a drink. Their health is important and we cannot ask them to play sport without offering sustenance. Also, a nutritious meal is a treat for them, so they will have enjoyed their special day even more because they went home will full tummies.
Here are some more photos and videos. Congratulations to Kayilizi Primary School – both the boys team and the girls team were the overall winners. All schools were given new sports kit to take back to their schools. Each student who took part was given a pencil and notebook.
We are trying to raise funds for a football tournament (same format) then a netball tournament. Here is the link if you’d like to donate https://donorsee.com/project/24384?share=1 or you can email me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Your support will be much appreciated. Thank you everyone, Sarah x
A nutritious lunch and a fizzy drink as a treat
Great video here from Facebook Live of all the teams after the rugby tournament. https://fb.watch/vjxnhI59zT
