literacy Archives

DonorSee is sadly closing for small projects but THANK YOU for supporting us

DonorSee is sadly closing for small projects but THANK YOU for supporting us. Here are some geat photos & ways you can continue to support us.

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Sarah’s blog 21/1/26

DonorSee is sadly closing for small projects but Thank you for supporting us. We have received amazing generosity from all the donors who have supported our projects via that platform. We are very grateful for the opportunity we have received to be a partner charity. However, your help is very much still needed. Will you help us to continue to help the most vulnerable in northern Malawi?

In total, over $9,000 USD was raised for projects including; four agribusiness groups for vulnerable people to have a sustainable business. Notebooks and pens were bought for primary school students. One appeal helped support with sending boxes of books to Malawi for our School Literacy Project. Soap was gifted to vulnerable children and elderly people. We also received help with feeding children and elderly people living in extreme poverty. Also, for Bright Futures Secondary School, money was raised to provide tools for agriculture and carpentry, fruit tree and pine tree saplings, wood for building beehives, science equipment, and pigs and goats.

A mother was helped when DonorSee donors paid for a new roof for her single room house. This enabled the family to be dry during the rainy season. They were given some food and this lady was given a place on one of the Agribusiness Groups. We managed to get sponsorship for the four children via an appeal in one of my blogs. They all have food coming into their home each month to supplement their small amount of income.

We always say it is about teamwork. You are all an important part of our team. Whether you have donated money once, or are a regular supporter, or sponsor a young person, or even share our posts on social media. THANK YOU. You are important to us and we appreciate you. DonorSee is sadly closing for small projects but THANK YOU for supporting us.

DonorSee has been a very useful way of raising money for ‘extra’ small projects that have made a big difference to the people who benefitted. For example, students at Chambo Primary School cannot afford to buy themselves notebooks. If they don’t have notebooks to write in, they have to just sit and listen to the teacher. They have to hope that they can remember what they are being taught.

The elderly people wouldn’t have had a Christmas lunch and bars of soap if it wasn’t for the generosity of supporters on DonorSee. We have also been able to provide the funding for various sporting events. Children together from local schools take part in training and tournaments for rugby, football, netball and cricket. At any event like this, we want children to have food and drink so that they have enough energy to take part. Also, to make the day extra special for them. Because of the food crisis in Malawi getting worse, most of these children do not eat every day. They need our continued support. Will you help us please? Together we can ensure they have a brighter future through education and sustainable project.

We will be looking at ways that we can try to raise funds for small stand alone projects like the appeals that have been successful on DonorSee. But, in the meantime, if you would like to make a donation for feeding children, or any other project, you can email me contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com or donate through our website Donate money to Changing Lives Malawi .

We hope you enjoy these photos from some of the small projects. Many thanks again and please continue supporting us. You can sign up to receive my blogs and follow us on social media (facebook & instagram). Thanks, Sarah x

Children at Chambo Primary were delighted to receive notebooks and pens

One of the agribusiness groups working in their maize field. The lady on the right is a young mother and her little boy is playing in the background.

One of the goats that has been bought to add to the breeding stock and will help bring in an income as well as teaching students at Bright Futures Secondary School how to care for goats in their agriculture lessons.

Students at Bright Futures Secondary School making a beehive with tools and wood bought from donations via DonorSee

Practical science classes at Bright Futures Secondary School are far more interesting now that they have more science equipment for experiments

Some of the young people who took part in the rugby training & tournament we helped to facilitate. These are some of the first youngsters in the north of Malawi to learn to play rugby.

Everyone loves a football tournament, especially when you receive a nice lunch and a smart football strip! This preloved strip was donated by Riverside Football Club in Stirling, Central Scotland.

Four students from Bright Futures Secondary School with some of the tools that were bought thanks to the appeal on DonorSee. We do need to try to raise funds for suitable footwear for the students to use to protect their feet from mud and the sharp tools they are using. Could you help please?

One of the agribusiness groups were delighted with the tools, seeds and fertiliser they received.

Mrs Ng’ambi and her four children were delighted to have a new roof on their home thanks to the donors who supported this project.

Some of the students at Kalanga Primary School with preloved books that were gifted to the school as part of our School Literacy Project. Thank you to those donors who have donated funds to pay for a box of books on the container which is currently £17.50 per box.

Vulnerable children enjoying a substantial and nutritious lunch

We need ongoing support to keep running the weekly feeding programme for 500 vulnerable children and young people.

Some of the elderly people from the village enjoying their pre-Christmas lunch. We would love to have more funding to run a lunch club for them once a month to help prevent isolation.

One of the girls enjoying learning to play rugby

Young people caring for bananas that they planted as tubers

International Literacy Day

It’s International Literacy Day today! We are celebrating all the amazing children and young people we are helping to support through literacy in rural northern Malawi.

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Sarah’s blog 8/9/25

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” Albert Einstein

“Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.” Barack Obama

On International Literacy Day, we want to share some of the ways we, with the help of our supporters, are making a difference to literacy levels in rural northern Malawi.

1.School Literacy Project. How can children learn to read properly if they don’t have books to practice? So far, we have gifted 20 boxes of books to Chambo Primary School and Kalanga Primary School, both of which are in Chitipa District in the far north of Malawi. Most schools do not have enough resources, children do not have the notebooks and pencils that they need. Occasionally, we can provide a notebook and pencil for the oldest children at these primary schools, thanks to money raised from our supporters. Despite having so much stacked against them, since preloved books have been donated to these schools, the p8 exam pass rate has gone up almost 20% to 78% which is amazing! We hope to keep going with this project as it is proving to be such a success. This is a low cost project with a huge impact. The preloved books are donated, but what we do have to pay for is £17.50 per box of books on the container ship to Malawi. We need your help to support this project so that we can include other schools in our School Literacy Project. You can make a donation via the website, or our QR code or email me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

2. Emma’s Rainbow Library was built in memory of Emma Buchanan who lived in Balfron (where we are based). Emma loved being read to whilst she was ill and her family helped raise funds towards this library. There are story books for all ages, reference books, school books and a couple of computers in the library which is a fantastic resource for all the children and young people in the surrounding area. Children are learning to love books and spend quiet time reading for pleasure here. Yesterday, I attended an event by the first ever Balfron Book Festival. I had a stall where people could donate their preloved books and I was able to tell lots of people about the impact their donations are having on literacy levels.

3. Bright Futures Nursery Care Packages. The nursery was opened as pre-schoolers were hanging about with nowhere to go. They are fed at each session. Each child that starts nursery receives a bag containing; two red t-shirts, three pairs of underwear, soap, toothpaste & toothbrush, a blanket, a soft toy and two picture story books. We want every home to have at least two books that the family can share together. When the nursery children first saw the books that we were sending, they didn’t know what to do with them and didn’t know how to turn the pages on a book. Now they look forward to a story! The school teachers at Chambo Primary have said that there is a noticeable difference in the children’s literacy when they start school to those who have not attended nursery. We need your support for this important project to continue please. It costs £10 per child to receive a care package to support their wellbeing and their literacy. We would love your help.

4. Bright Futures Secondary School. There weren’t enough places for some of the young people we help to support in the nearest secondary schools and secondary schools aren’t free in Malawi. So, again thanks to our supporters, we raised funds to build a small secondary school. All the students are living in extreme poverty, most are orphans, and we match them sponsors to help support their education. Everything is free to these students; education, school uniform, stationery and they receive a free school lunch each day which, for many of them, is the only food they have to eat. The whole S2 class all passed their national Junior Certificate of Education exams which was a great achievement! The more sponsors we have, the more students can attend Bright Futures Secondary School. We ask for £25 per month per student. You can sponsor as an individual, friends, or family splitting the monthly cost. We even have a few businesses sponsoring young people. If you would like to help a young person have a brighter future please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

As you can see there is a great deal happening to support literacy in the community we are helping to support in rural northern Malawi. But there is still a lot more to do. We need financial support to keep the above projects going so that young people have choices, chances and opportunities that they wouldn’t previously have had. They are desperate for education and want to learn. Will you help please?

We are hoping to collect and send board books to distribute to the new mum’s at Chambo Health Centre as part of our Mother & Baby project so that babies can have access to books with their parents and looking at picture books will become an everyday activity before they even get to nursery and school.

Also there are plans for adult literacy classes which we hope will be able to start soon as a trial. There are so many adults who have missed out on education because they have had to work from an early age to help provide food for their family. Let’s see if we can continue, with your help, Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you so much for your support, Sarah x

Our QR code where you can make a donation to support our School Literacy Project or one of the other projects. Thank you!

The S2 students at Bright Futures Secondary School all received new uniform and stationery before sitting their national exams. We are so proud as all of them passed! If you would like to sponsor a young person’s education then please do get in touch. The more sponsors we have then the more students can go to school!

Children in one of the classrooms at Kalanga Primary School looking at some of the books that they have been gifted as part of our School Literacy Project

some of the nursery children, outside the library, showing off the bars of soap they have received

nursery children with their care packages

Boxes of books gifted to Chambo Primary School

learning about digital literacy in Emma’s Rainbow Library

Bible Knowledge is a core subject at schools in Malawi. We received a donation of preloved bibles from a church in Edinburgh and were able to send these to students at Bright Futures Secondary School. The majority of lessons are in English with Chichewa also being a core subject in schools.

One of the children from Bright Futures Nursery with his care package

Please support literacy in rural northern Malawi. Thank you!

Great Exam Results from Chambo Primary School!

100% pass rate at BFSS for S2 students in the 2025 exams!

Two little films

School Literacy Project – Chambo Primary School

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.
Exercise books and pens and chalk have previously been donated; however they need more urgently. https://donorsee.com/project/25617?share=1
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

Facts & Figures from Chambo Primary School

Happy Children at Chambo Primary

Thank you to everyone who donated to help provide stationery for approximately 150 vulnerable students at Chambo Primary School

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Sarah’s blog 24/6/24

We are trying out a fundraising site called DonorSee where we are putting small projects that we wouldn’t usually be able to fund without support. Today’s blog is about one of those projects.

Levison had done a video appeal for notebooks and pencils for the students at Chambo Primary School. These are some of the most vulnerable children in Malawi, many are orphans, and their families struggle to feed them. There are no feeding programmes in primary schools in the far north….we can only afford to feed 500 of them once a week. Some children walk 15km or 20km for that one proper meal of the week. So there is certainly no spare money for families to buy notebooks. Children just go without.

So we put Levison’s appeal on DonorSee and there were some lovely people who saw the video and donated money. We are very grateful. Once the money was sent, Levison organised notebooks and pencils to be bought. There are three classrooms out of eight which have desks. These students were each given a notebook and pencil. They still have another month before school stops for summer holidays. There are enough notebooks and pencils left for them to have the same again in September. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed.

The three classes were brought outside when Levison visited Chambo Primary this morning. I’m sure they wondered what was going on. You can see how happy they were to get these gifts. One student told Levison ‘I don’t know how life would have been without the support we are being given.’ Levison said, apart from the obvious benefits to their education with being given stationery, it is showing these orphans and other vulnerable children that people care about them.

Here is the link to our DonorSee page DonorSee – if you can give a little donation it would be very much appreciated – there are a few different projects for you to see. Many thanks again. With help, good things are happening, Sarah x

Happy students at Chambo Primary School with their gifts

The students are thanking the donors of their exercise books and pencils

Approximately 150 students from 3 classes received stationery today

Most of these children are suffering from malnutrition and are some of the most vulnerable in Malawi. No big charities feed children in primary schools this far north so all are hungry.

Thank you for the books Balfron Primary School!

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

https://changinglivesmalawi.com/2024/05/23/sponsors-needed-for-p8-students/

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

BFSS Essay Competition – December

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Sarah’s blog 19/1/24

Just before the school term finished for the Christmas holidays, students at Bright Futures Secondary School, having finished their exams, were asked to write an essay entitled ‘What I like about Bright Futures Secondary School’.

There were several reasons for doing this exercise; so we can find out more about the students and the school, to help students get more used to writing essays and, as there is a small cash prize for the best essay in each class, it is good motivation for all of the students.

We hope you are able to read the essays. The school does not yet have a printer or scanner so a photo had to be taken of each piece of writing and then sent to me.

In S1 Phaless has been chosen as the winner. The S2 prize goes to Alexander. In S3 Daniel’s essay won as it was a very powerful piece of writing. Very well done to all three!

Unfortunately, during the rainy season, not all students are able to attend school if the rivers become too deep and dangerous to cross. This is why some students were absent that day and haven’t written an essay. We are hoping this will become a monthly exercise as it will ultimately help them when writing exams.

Enjoy the photos and the essays and thank you to everyone who helps us make a difference to the lives of these young people. The three winners were overwhelmed and couldn’t believe they’d won. They’ve never won a prize like this. Daniel cried tears of joy. Hopefully they will begin to realise that they are important and deserve our help and that they do have brighter futures. Thank you, Sarah x

PS Alexander doesn’t have a sponsor yet, so if anyone would like to support this bright young man’s education then please do get in touch. It’s only £25 p/m to be a sponsor and you can split that cost with a friend! Thanks, Sarah x contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – days 21 & 22

Clean water & quality education are being highlighted today. Please read today’s blog about some of our important projects that are having an impact.

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Sarah’s blog 22/12/23

Clean water and quality education are the highlights on 21st & 22nd of December. Thankfully, all the children using the Foundation have access to clean drinking water, handwashing facilities, proper showers and latrines. We have just facilitated girls’ latrines and clean drinking water at Chambo Primary School. Much still needs to be done in the community though as, when all the hundreds of vulnerable children return to their homes, they are drinking river water and have no toileting facilities and no soap.

The School Literacy Project is making a big difference to the education of hundreds, if not thousands, of vulnerable children. Primary schools in rural northern Malawi have hardly any resources. Thanks to our supporters, we have been sending boxes of preloved books (and many new books too) and gifted them to primary schools local to the foundation that we support. Initially, 17 boxes of books were donated to Chambo Primary School and other primary schools have benefitted to. It costs £17.50 to send a box of books on the container and we would love it if you would help by paying for a box of books to be transported. It is a fairly low cost project having a big impact on literacy, ensuring children become more confident readers.

We have included the 75 nursery children too. We want all pre-school children to have at least two books of their own to keep in their homes. All of these children have missed out on the stages of pre-literacy, sitting on an adult’s knee as a baby looking at the pictures in a book and hearing a story. Then as a toddler, knowing that the story would continue if you turned the page and being able to point to things in the pictures. One of the next stages of pre-literacy is pretending to read the story whilst moving a finger along the words.

The orphans and other vulnerable children have missed out on all of these stages. We are excited to see if the exam results will rise over the next few years in primary schools that have received gifts of boxes of books. Will you please make a donate this Christmas to ensure we can reach more children with the gift of books and quality education? https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Hope you enjoy the photos and the advent calendar video that I’ve attached. Thanks everyone, Sarah x

https://videopress.com/v/vluwUEPG?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 2

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Sarah’s blog 2/12/23

Day 2 of highlighting children and projects during advent. Yesterday’s photo was of Josephine Nyondo and her friends when they were at the nursery. They were the first children to drink clean water from the new tap.

Today’s photo is of more children in the nursery. There are between 50 and 75 pre-school children come to the nursery. It was identified as a need because vulnerable young children were hanging about all day with nowhere to go while the older children were at school. The nursery runs five days a week and the children are fed at each session as well playing and having the opportunity to use the onsite showers. #SDG3 Good Health & Wellbeing

We ensure that all children who are at nursery receive a care package. This is a bag containing; 2 red t-shirts, 3 pairs of pants, soap, toothbrush & toothpaste, a small blanket, a book and now, thanks to our supporters, a soft toy.

It had been observed that, when the first library opened, these pre-school children had no idea how to turn the pages of a book properly. They have missed out on so many opportunities for pre-literacy. As there are no books in their homes, they have missed out on looking at books and adults reading to them. So our aim, as part of the School Literacy Project, is that all the children that we help to support should have at least two books of their own at their home. We hope books become a special part of everyday life and that children become more confident readers.

However, it does cost us £12 per care package. Can you support this project or one of our other projects please this advent season? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a Thank you for all the support we receive…it truly is teamwork. Sarah x

Kalanga Primary School Visit

Levison was able to visit Kalanga primary school today with clothes and books

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Sarah’s blog 07/03/23

Chambo Primary School is the one nearest to The Foundation and the majority of the younger children who are supported by The Foundation go to school there.

Kalanga Primary School is a bit further away but some children who go there also come to The Foundation. Levison had arranged with the headteacher to visit today with clothes for the children who are all very vulnerable. There were enough clothes to ensure everyone received something.

These uniforms were very kindly donated by a parent whose children went to Sinclair House School, Fulham. This school unfortunately closed during the pandemic. However, we are so grateful that these beautiful clothes have been able to be used by children in need and who will make good use of them.

There were so many boxes of uniforms donated that some have already been given out to children who attend Chambo Primary and also some of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School. The children from yesterday’s blog were given new clothes from this school too.

Levison also took four boxes of books for Kalanga Primary School as part of our School Literacy Project to help the children have access to more books and become more confident readers. The teachers were extremely grateful for all these donations and the children were delighted to have new clothes. Hope you enjoy looking at all the photos, Sarah x

A family in need – no food to give – Changing Lives Malawi

A Generous Donation – Changing Lives Malawi

World Book Day

On World Book Day…find out the difference books are making to the orphans and vulnerable children we support in rural Northern Malawi.

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Sarah’s blog 2/3/23

On World Book Day, I want to share some photos with you. These photos aren’t the usual fun photos that will be shared all over social media today.

Children at many schools will be dressing up as their favourite characters from fiction books to celebrate World Book Day. This is great fun and celebrates the importance of reading, love of books, favourite authors and most loved stories.

The children we help to support in Malawi are aged between 4 and 20 and all deserve to have an education and access to books. Our Literacy Project is addressing literacy for those in the nursery to the students in Bright Futures Secondary School. Previously, books were few and far between. How can a child be a confident reader if they don’t have access to books?

We are gifting boxes of books to rural primary schools where reading material is at a minimum and children are sitting on the floor in classrooms. A library has been built (The Emma Buchanan Rainbow Library) which now has a full wall of books of all subjects for children to read in the library and also to borrow. There are some computers in the library too (no internet yet) where students are learning to to type and learning about using computers.

All 75 pre-school children have been given a book each to keep. There are also picture books been donated to the nursery. All of these vulnerable children, have missed out on years of pre-reading. They weren’t able to sit on an adult’s knee as a baby and have books read to them daily. They weren’t given the opportunity to turn pages and look at pictures and then pretend to read the story by following the words with their fingers. I wonder, how many hours of ‘reading’ have our children had before they even get to school? These children have missed out on all of that.

So let’s celebrate, on World Book Day, that these children now have access to books every day. Let’s celebrate that the students in the new Bright Futures Secondary School have text books, bibles and dictionaries, as well as access to the library. Because of the School Literacy Project, will we see literacy levels increase amongst these vulnerable children in the next few years? Education is their way out of poverty. Education is the key to a better and brighter future for them. Education means chances and choices. Let’s celebrate that things are changing for these children and books are a big part of this change.

Here is the link to the fundraiser for the next classrooms at Bright Futures Secondary School https://gofund.me/ece5753a We would be so grateful for any donations to ensure that we can continue to build phase 2 of Bright Futures Secondary School and ensure that the education of the most vulnerable young people can continue.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the photos, Sarah x

The first boxes of books that we sent that people had kindly donated. This was an amazing day for these children who were delighted to be able to look at these books with their friends.

Seventeen boxes of books were gifted to Chambo Primary School

Children sit on the floor at Chambo Primary School…only the p8 class has tables and chairs

At Bright Futures Secondary School – we sent bibles donated by St Michael’s Church, Slateford Road, Edinburgh

We are hoping that by gifting books to preschool children, literacy levels might start to improve as children become more confident readers

S2 students at Bright Futures Secondary School

This was the first time that these preschool had sat at tables and chairs. They enjoyed the novelty and liked choosing a book each to look at

Looking at books in Emma’s Rainbow Library – named in memory of Emma Buchanan

As well as lots of donated pre-loved books, we have sent a selection of books about black people in history and black role models, and Levison has been able to buy books written by Malawian authors

Mwiza has additional needs and isn’t able to attend school. He has been given toys and games to stimulate him and to help his muscle strength and coordination. His youngest sister has started school a year earlier than was expected because she is very able. Is this because she has had access to books at home?

We were very grateful to receive a grant from The Souter Charitable Trust which we used to buy text books for Bright Futures Secondary School

‘The time is always right to do what is right’ – Martin Luther King Jnr

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Sarah’s blog 15/1/23

I absolutely love volunteering for Changing Lives Malawi and helping to support some of the most vulnerable children in rural Northern Malawi. It is hard work and a huge responsibility but very worthwhile. They are in a very rural location so there are no big agencies working in that area yet. There are no big charities feeding children in primary schools that far north.

Everyone is hungry. Most are suffering from malnutrition and don’t eat properly every day. 500 children come to The Foundation each weekend to be fed at the Feeding Programme we help to support. They are given a nutritious, substantial cooked meal. Some of the 500 children walk up to 20kms for this one proper meal of the week. We can only afford to send enough money for the feeding programme to run once a week for that many children as we are also trying to address other issues for them like education, skills for life, clean water and projects that will help the community be self-sufficient.

If there were less vulnerable children needing support, it would be easier. Five hundred hungry, malnourished children of all ages is a big responsibility. We need to grow our supporters so that these children have a team of people lifting them out of dire poverty. We need you. The 500 vulnerable children need you.

So how can you help?

500+ children are fed once a week at the feeding programme. Can you make a one off payment to support this? or can you commit to a monthly amount of £5 or £10 each month? Can your business sponsor the feeding programme one day for a donation of £100. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
The nursery – for 75 vulnerable preschool children, They are fed every time they meet. Can you commit to a monthly payment of £5 or £10 to support nursery feeding? Or can you help by buying a bag of gifts for a child for £12 (each child receives a gym bag containing a blanket, 3 pairs of pants, 2 red t-shirts, soap, toothbrush & toothpaste and a book). contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Bright Futures Secondary School – Phase 1 recently opened and the students are being given a nutritious hot meal each lunchtime which is probably their only meal of the day. Can you commit to £5 or £10 per month towards continuing to provide free school meals at the secondary school? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
School Literacy Project – we are sending boxes of preloved books to the primary schools that are nearest The Foundation. Please could you sponsor the cost of sending a box of books for £20? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Could you sponsor a vulnerable child to help provide them with more food and help towards their education? It’s £25 p/m and you can share the cost with a friend. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Bright Futures Secondary School – through very generous support, we raised enough money to build phase 1 of Bright Futures Secondary School (two classrooms and staff accommodation). We now need your help to raise funds for classrooms 3 and 4. https://gofund.me/44a92444
Chickens & Eggs – now we have the incubator connected to solar power, it’s ready to be used to hatch chicken eggs. It can hold approximately 500 eggs and a tray of fertilized eggs costs £10. If you’d like to buy a tray of eggs then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com The incubator was bought with a generous donation from Lochlie Construction Ltd.

We all have the ability to do our little bit to help. We all have the ability to help others and do what is right. Each of us has different skills we can use. Even if you are unable to donate financially, could you keep sharing our posts with your friends? Thanks so much for reading and supporting us to continue Changing Lives Malawi, Sarah x

Some of the pre-school children having received their bags of gifts. You can provide a bag of gifts for a child starting nursery in September for £12

Each preschool child received a bag containing; a blanket, 2 red t-shirts, pants, soap, toothbrush & toothpaste and a book. Can you help us continue to provide these gifts for £12 per child? These children also receive preloved clothes at least twice a year.

Secondary students at Bright Futures Secondary School enjoying lunch at their Christmas Party – paid for by two generous supporters.

More of the 500 children who all received a nutritious meal at the Christmas Party.

Some boys enjoying their meal. This will be the most food they will have in a week. We wish we could run the feeding programme more often than once a week.

Phase 1 of Bright Futures Secondary School has opened, providing free education for the most vulnerable. We now need your help to build classrooms 3 & 4.

You can’t help but smile when you see that these vulnerable children are happy and relaxed and having fun with their friends. At The Foundation they can forget their worries for a while.

This was when the incubator was first bought with a donation from Lochlie Construction Ltd, before the power supply got even worse. Thankfully now that it is running on solar power there will soon be more eggs and chicks for the nursery children to look at.

Gifts for the nursery children

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Sarah’s blog 10/1/23

There are 75 vulnerable pre-school children, ages 4-6, in the nursery at The Foundation. All are malnourished, some have stunted growth. We are doing what we can in order to help them have a better start in life.

Today, because of the rains, only about half of them were there to receive the gifts we had sent. The others will get their gifts another day. Proper records are kept to ensure none of them miss out.

Today is an exciting day for them…it’s the first time they have received a book of their own to keep and take home. This is part of The Literacy Project. I am an Early Years Educator and so am passionate about these children having the opportunities that our children have. When we have access to books pre-reading starts when babies are on an adult’s knee, having a story read to them. They look at the pictures and can anticipate certain points in the story because of the way the adult reads and shares this special time with them. Toddlers will bring their favourite storybook to an adult in order that they can share the story together. They can point to things in the pictures, they know that you turn the pages and they ‘pretend’ to read by tracing the words with their fingers. They know that these letter shapes are where the story comes from.

The children at The Foundation nursery have missed out on all of these experiences. We want story books to become an every day part of their lives. We want every home to have at least two books to support literacy. I had a video call with the headteacher of Bright Futures Secondary School yesterday and she was delighted that books were being given to the children in the nursery. She said they are trying to ‘play catchup’ with the students at Bright Futures Secondary School as they have missed out on having access to reading materials from a young age. Many of the students missed a lot of school to work for a pittance to buy food….it’s been so hard for them. We look forward to seeing how having books at home makes a difference to these children and their families.

Today, each child received a drawstring bag containing, a blanket, 2 red t-shirts, pants, toothbrush & toothpaste, soap and a picture book. As I said in a recent post, in future, we want to be able to include a knitted teddy in each bag for children starting nursery. If you are able to help support this nursery project in any way then please email me contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Here is the link to Sunday’s post 10 Teddies – supporting the nursery children – Changing Lives Malawi Enjoy the photos and thanks for your support, Sarah x