A Party for the Elderly

Sarah’s blog 24/12/25

Today’s post is going to be a bit of a photo and video dump as yesterday was a very busy day, but also very rewarding, for Levison and team. They held a party for the elderly.

Lots of vulnerable elderly people in the community were invited for Christmas lunch. As you may know, there is a food crisis in Malawi and all of these elderly villagers are living in extreme poverty. They don’t have enough to eat every day.

Thank you so much to the generous people who donated money to ensure this event was able to happen. There was money for a lovely lunch and for bars of soap for each person who attended. We had hoped to be able to give each of them a small food parcel to take home but hadn’t managed to raise enough to do this. Thankfully, the donations received provided for a substantial and nutritious meal. We would love to be able to do more for the elderly on an ongoing basis, maybe a party for the elderly once a month, but obviously this has a financial cost. If you would like to help with this please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

These elderly people were so thankful to be invited to lunch and for being included. The lady with the walking pole in one of the photos with Levison, said to him

“I have been trying to get nice food for Christmas but to no avail. I didn’t know God, through your supporters, has prepared this for me. Only God knows.”

The lady in the red cardigan at the end of one of the tables told Levison

“This is the best meal I have ever had. So some people from far away value me as well? Is it for free or I must pay? I don’t have anything to pay for the food. God should bless them.”

Another lady said;

“Just a word for you my son. God should bless you and those who are supporting you.”

Senior Group Village Headman MweneIbuluma made a speech at the lunch. He said that he and all the villagers appreciate the efforts made by Levison, the Foundation and all the donors to support school attendance for the children. He said he is happy that the development is progressing well. He said;

“Who knew that this man will bring such a life changer to Ibuluma community reaching thousands of souls? Is this not a lesson to us all?”

Levison said some of the women had tears in their eyes as the headman was making his speech. Levison himself messaged me later to share the photos and videos and wanted to pass on his thanks to everyone for their support;

“I personally sincerely thank you so much for this wonderful event. These are the people who are vulnerable and most in need and they have felt joy today.”

As you can see, cooking isn’t straightforward and it is hard work. We are so grateful for those who give up their time to support feeding the vulnerable. This is why we need more cooking pots – they don’t last as long as our pots would last on an electric cooker – and the quantities of food needed are great. Your help would be appreciated. You can give via DonorSee https://donorsee.com/project/29519?share=1 or via our website Donate money and gifts to Changing Lives Malawi or contact me for our charity bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Whilst we can’t change the whole world, we can help this community to have a better and brighter future by giving them a helping hand towards self-sufficiency.

Thank you for supporting Changing Lives Malawi and the projects we help with. Thanks to those who supported a party for the elderly. You are a vital part of our team and we couldn’t do what we do without you. Together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. With best wishes for a very Happy Christmas, Sarah and the team of volunteers at Changing Lives Malawi x

31 Days in May – Sarah’s Challenge – Day 11 and 12

Sarah’s blog 12/5/22

11.30am There wasn’t much to report yesterday. I did 10km on the exercise bike and ate rice and veg. I have been finding the last few days harder, I think because it’s a bit colder and I’m wanting something a bit different from salad and rice. Last night I did open a tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce and had half of that tin with rice which was a nice change. I am currently making some soup which I am looking forward to.

6pm My soup was delicious….even if I say so myself lol. Sweet potato, broccoli and stilton. I only used a little bit of stilton to give it some flavour…it’s been nice to have vegetables in a different form today! I’ve just cycled 15km so if you think I’m doing ok then please donate and share my posts. I’m almost two weeks into my challenge and have cycled further than I first thought so I’d love your help to build a school for the children so everyone can go to school. Thanks for reading, Sarah x https://gofund.me/ca9c1629

Where is Ibuluma?

Sarah’s blog 28/04/22

I’ve put together some maps so that you can see where Malawi is in Africa. The Foundation is in the far north of Malawi. In Chitipa District. Chitipa town is the biggest local town. Chisenga is where the secondary school is. Chambo is the nearest primary school to the Foundation. The Mafinga Hills look very like Scotland and The Foundation is very near the border with Zambia.

Ekwendeni, where the container goes to the Mission Hospital, near Mzuzu, is where Levison has to travel to when he collects the boxes we’ve sent via the Bananabox Trust. Because some of the roads are small, and some are full of pot holes, it takes about 5 or 6 hours to travel from Ibuluma to Mzuzu. On the map of Africa, you can see the port of Beira in Mozambique where the container gets transferred from the ship to a truck.

You will be able to google Ibuluma yourself as the coordinates are on the photos. The shower block is not yet showing….I wonder how many buildings there will be at The Foundation by the time the photo is updated? Hope you enjoy this little bit of geography. Thanks for reading, Sarah x

This was taken before the shower block was built. You can see the sports pitches and the vegetable gardens.

Chisenga is where the nearest secondary school is
The Foundation is just outside Chambo. Chambo Primary school is the nearest to The Foundation.