Tag: malawi

Stolen Maize

Growing maize is a lot of hard, back breaking work. How would you feel if your crop was stolen?

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Sarah’s blog 25/4/26

Life seems to be getting harder for the most vulnerable people. Levison messaged me this morning to tell me about stolen maize from one of the fields.

Levison himself plants maize, along with students at Bright Futures Secondary School who are all living in extreme poverty. Also, the four agribusiness groups that were supported to grow their own crops have been growing maize and other crops. It is a hard existence growing crops and doing everything by hard… but people want to feed themselves and their families.

I don’t think we can imagine how heart breaking it must be to find out that your crop of maize has been stolen. It’s backbreaking work and a hand to mouth existence. This stolen maize would have helped to feed hungry children who are malnourished and suffering. The stolen maize is a big loss.

Thinking about it from the point of view of the people who stole the maize. Were they just opportunistic? Lazy? Selfish? Or were they struggling to feed their families? No one should be stealing from anyone else, however this is the reality of life in rural Northern Malawi currently. What would we do if we had nothing to feed our children? Would we cross that line?

It’s only three and a half weeks until Liz and myself head off to Malawi for two weeks. It’s going to be a wonderful experience to be able to meet and spend time with everyone. Also, to be able to see the projects, see what is working well and assess the reasons other projects aren’t working as well as we might have expected. We will be taking lots of photos and videos to share with you.

However, I think we are going to struggle seeing the level of poverty for the first time. It is going to be hard to see little ones who clearly do not have enough food in their tummies.

That is why we are asking for your help please. If people are struggling to feed themselves and their families, they do not have enough money to buy soap. We want to be able to purchase soap in Malawi, enough for all the children and young people and all the new mums at the local health centre. The more money we raise, the more soap we can buy.

We are also going to be giving notebooks to the oldest children at the two nearest primary schools to Bright Futures Campus. Writing materials are another thing we take for granted.

It would be great if you could help us please to buy food for the children to have an extra meal whilst we are there. Your support will make a difference to hundreds of children who are living in extreme poverty beyond our comprehension.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already made a donation. If you haven’t, please will you make a small contribution? Will you also share our fundraiser with your friends? The link to our fundraiser is here https://gofund.me/536aba9a5 or you can make a donation via the website. Alternatively, you could email us for the charity bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com .

We appreciate the support we’ve had and continue to receive, it is always about teamwork and we couldn’t do what we do without your help. I’ve attached a report from an online news agency from this week, a video that Levison took of the field that the maize was stolen from and our fundraiser. Thank you again, Sarah x

Thank you Edinburgh South Community Football Club

There will be lots of happy children in Malawi when these wonderful preloved kits arrive and are shared.

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Sarah’s blog 17/4/26

It’s been another busy day at CLM HQ. Stuart headed over to Edinburgh this morning to collect an amazing donation of kids football kit. Thank you Edinburgh South Community Football Club for supporting us again.

There will be a lot of happy and excited children when these lovely football kits are distributed to primary schools which don’t have matching sports kit.

As well as helping to reuse and recycle preloved kit, these children, living in extreme poverty, will feel wonderful. This football kit will boost their mental health and self-esteem as they dream of being great footballers in their new (to them) kit. Kit which fits. Kit which matches the rest of their friends. Kits which aren’t ripped and full of holes. These kits help foster their sense of identity and sense of belonging. Thank you for making a difference.

So despite the fact that they don’t know any of the people at Edinburgh South Community Football Club, they know that they are there are people who think about them and care about them. That is so important to the wellbeing of children who are mostly orphans and all have suffered trauma. They are no longer forgotten.

Here are a few photos of the kit that has been boxed up. Thank you to JP for arranging the collection of kit and sorting it into the various teams. Thank you to Edinburgh South Community Football Club for sharing their preloved kit. Also, thank you to Stuart for, once again, being our Lifter and Shifter (his words) and driving to Edinburgh and back this morning.

We will share more photos and videos when the kit eventually arrives in Malawi. I am going to visit our projects next month, along with Liz, another trustee and there are sports matches organised for during that time. There will be lots of photos and videos to share.

Thanks again for supporting us and sharing with the children we help in rural Northern Malawi. Sarah x

p.s. We love this little video that was made of the football kit being collected. https://fb.watch/Gy6C1rsvUP

Pine Tree Planting

Some of the students from Bright Futures Secondary School helped to plant pine tree saplings during their school holidays.

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Sarah’s blog 12/4/26

Despite it being school holidays in Malawi, some of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School volunteered for a couple of hours of pine tree planting. They can see the difference their hard work is making.

Students are very aware of the importance of planting more trees to help regenerate the local forests. They are replacing the trees that have been cut down for building and fuel. Students are also trying to prevent soil erosion and crops being washed away during the rainy season as well as helping the climate. The ground is soft as there have been rains for the past few months. It is an ideal time for students to be digging and planting and they are keen to help.

As well as the pine tree planting, students have prepared the ground for more fruit tree saplings. These will be planted in their agricultural classes after the school holidays. The fruit tree saplings are for future food and to sell some of the fruit for a sustainable income. Agricultural classes at Bright Futures Secondary School are providing student with skills for life.

Thank you to the students for giving back to their community. Thank you to everyone who has made financial donations to support the purchasing of tree saplings. Together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Would you like to help provide fund this ongoing project?

Liz and I are heading to Malawi in just over a month’s time. We are looking forward to visiting the different projects. We will be taking more photos and videos to share with you. If you’d like to get in touch about any of my blogs or to make a donation then our email address is contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thanks, Sarah x

Liz and Sarah’s trip to Malawi

It’s less than 6 weeks until Liz and Sarah head to Malawi…. still lots of planning to do and vaccinations to get.

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Sarah’s blog 9/4/26

Liz and Sarah’s trip to Malawi isn’t far away! Liz, who is another trustee of Changing Lives Malawi, and myself are counting down now to our two week trip to Malawi. It’s just over 5 weeks time until we set off and it’s all starting to feel very real.

I’ve had my second lot of injections today, Liz has had her first today. We are both going for yellow fever injections on Saturday…not really a fun day out in Stirling…but you have to have a vaccination certificate to show to enter Malawi.

I have been collecting supplies for the new nursery classroom and Liz has been on a camera course and we have our train tickets and flights all booked.

We will hopefully be able to blog from Malawi and take lots of photos and videos at Bright Futures Nursery and Secondary School to share with you. Meeting the people we have been helping to support is what I am most looking forward to.

We have paid for our own train tickets, flights, vaccines, travel insurance, visas etc… but we would like to be able gift a bar of soap to each young person at the nursery, secondary school and feeding programme. Also, we would like to be able to provide bars of soap for each new mother at Chambo Health Centre.

This will be approx 1,000 bars of soap at approx 30p-40p per bar. So that is at least £300. Costs have risen hugely in Malawi and none of the families we help to support can afford to buy soap…they are living in extreme poverty and struggling to buy food every day.

You can click on the link to our fundraiser https://gofund.me/e2cc483aa to find out what other projects we are trying to raise funds for….any small donations will be very gratefully received. Or you can donate via our website or email for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com .

Many thanks for your continued support, Sarah x

Thanks to St Mary’s School, Melrose

Thank you to St Mary’s School Melrose for your support. We are delighted that you have collected books & clothes for the orphans we help to support.

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Sarah’s blog 6/3/26

Thanks to St Mary’s School, Melrose for this great support. I was contacted by Joanna a few months ago, asking if we would like some school uniform and books. One of the classes has been collecting these as part of their class work.

Joanna messaged recently to say that 20 boxes of books and clothes had been packed for us and they were in the process of raising the £17.50 per box to cover the cost of sending these boxes on the container to Malawi.

Joanna and her husband, Malcolm, took the 20 boxes to Dundee at the weekend to await the container. Thank you so much for your help both of you!

Once a container is packed, it takes at least three months to reach the final destination in Malawi. So we have to plan ahead and keep a note of what has been sent as it is a surprise to me too when boxes are opened in Malawi unless I check my list!

Primary schools in Malawi have 8 year groups. There can be up to 60 children in one class. Young people leaving primary school have to sit exams. They can only attend secondary school if they pass these exams. Since we started donating boxes of preloved books to two primary schools who had hardly any resources, the exam pass rate has risen by 19% which is amazing! How can children learn to read if they have no books? Our School Literacy Project IS making a difference to vulnerable young lives.

Thank you to the young people who have helped with collecting clothes & books and to their teachers for supporting them. Thanks also to those who have paid for a box to go on the container and helped St Mary’s reach their fundraising target. If you follow us on facebook and/or instagram, or sign up to receive my blogs by email, you’ll see the latest stories and photos from our projects in northern Malawi.

Myself and another trustee are visiting the projects we are helping to support in May… it’s only a few weeks away and we are getting very excited. There is lots of planning happening to ensure we make best use of our time. You can read about our trip on our GoFundMe page https://gofund.me/53c2955c2 Whilst we have paid for our own flights, insurance and injections etc, we are trying to raise some funds for the projects we are supporting and would be very grateful for a small donation. Please also tell your friends about our trip and the projects we are supporting. If you’d like to get in touch then our email is contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Many thanks again to everyone who has been involved from St Mary’s School, Melrose. We really do appreciate your kindness and support. There will be more photos once the boxes arrive in Malawi. Thanks again, Sarah

https://changinglivesmalawi.com/2025/08/22/great-exam-results-for-chambo-primary-school/

Giving out gifts from the Balfron 10k

Thank you for the donations from the Balfron 10k last year. Some great photos from Malawi. We will be collecting preloved shoes at this year’s event too.

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Sarah’s blog 3/3/26

We were at the popular Balfron 10k race last year collecting preloved training shoes to send to the vulnerable people we support in rural northern Malawi. We were given almost 100 pairs of training shoes (children’s and adults) to send. Over the last few days, Levison and team have been giving out gifts from the Balfron 10k event.

There were t-shirts left over from previous races and the organisers kindly gave these to us. As you know, it takes a long time for things to arrive at their destination. However, last week, trainers and other shoes were given out to students at Bright Futures Secondary School and also to staff and volunteers. Everyone was very thankful for these gifts.

Yesterday, staff and volunteers were gifted the Balfron 10k t-shirts. On behalf of everyone who received these gifts, thank you so much. They are delighted to have been thought about. A small gift like a t-shirt means a great deal to the people who are living in extreme poverty.

We are going to be at this year’s Balfron 10K race again on Sunday 3rd May…exactly two months from now. Changing Lives Malawi will again be collecting trainers and other shoes of all sizes (no heels please). We must ask that all footwear is in good CLEAN condition. Would you be still happy to wear them? Do they have holes in the soles? The people receiving your preloved shoes and trainers walk miles every day, so the footwear needs to be functional and clean.

Can you tell your friends and spread the word so that we collect more than 100 pairs this year? There are hundreds of children and adults that we help to support and they would all love a new (to them) pair of shoes. Also, we would be grateful for a donation of £1 per pair of shoes to help towards transport costs. We are based in Balfron so this is our ‘home event’. Lets make it another successful one this year. Thanks also to Shoe Share Malawi who also donated training shoes to us and put us in touch with the organisers of the Balfron 10k event. Thanks so much, Sarah x

Also, some other news to share, myself and another trustee, Liz, are visiting the projects we support in Malawi for the first time in May. We are very excited and you can read about our plans here https://gofund.me/866bf18f0 and if you’d like to get in touch, our email is contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Enjoy the photos. Thanks again, Sarah x

Balfron 10K – collecting shoes

Sewing Classes at Bright Futures Secondary School

Sewing lessons at Bright Futures Secondary School are giving vulnerable students skills for life and giving back to the community.

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Sarah’s blog 26/2/26

Students have been busy in their Sewing Classes at Bright Futures Secondary School. To start with, they are helping with the Period Poverty Project. We are very proud of their efforts.

Girls miss one week of schooling every month because they do not have any sanitary pads and therefore have to stay at home. This is wrong that girls cannot access education because of a natural bodily function. We are helping to ensure that as many girls as possible can benefit from the gift of reusable sanitary pads. Will you help us?

Students, both male and female, have been learning to sew. They have been improving their hand sewing skills and using the sewing machines that we sent. They have been making bags and sanitary pads. These students are ensuring that girls will have equal access to education. Why should girls miss out on their education?

The Period Poverty Project aims to give out a bag containing ; underwear, reusable sanitary pads, soap and a health information leaflet. Through the sewing classes at Bright Futures Secondary School, students are giving back to their community. Students are also learning important skills for their futures.

Once enough supplies have been made for the local girls, students will move on to making something of their choice. I wonder what they will decide to make next? The Period Poverty Project sewing can be revisited again when the next group of students start sewing classes at Bright Futures Secondary School.

To get in touch with us our email is contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . If you like the projects we are supporting and want to contribute financially, you can donate via our website or to our charity bank account – A/C no 21081462, Sort Code 80-22-60, Changing Lives Malawi, Bank of Scotland. The Period Poverty Project is an ongoing project, so more fabric and soap will need to be bought. The more supplies that can be made, the more girls that can be supported.

Thanks to teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School for supporting the students to learn new skills and for sending these photos. Thanks also to everyone who supports the students and projects like this. Together, we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x

Sewing Lessons at BFSS

Lichfield Spires Netball Club

Lichfield Spires Netball Club – your donated kit has arrived in Malawi. Thank you so much for helping to make a difference to vulnerable young people.

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Sarah’s blog 19/2/26

Last summer wrote a blog about a huge donation of netball kit that we received from Lichfield Spires Netball Club. I will attach that blog so you can read about how the kit made the first part of the journey to Malawi.

Netball and football are the two national sports and young people very much enjoy playing these team sports. We have had lots of donations of other sports kit. But, apart from some netball bibs, this is the first proper netball kit that has been donated for use by vulnerable children and young adults. We bought some velcro squares with players positions to stick on to the kit. We also bought a couple of netballs and boxed everything up to go to Malawi.

This week, some of the girls at Bright Futures Secondary School tried on their new netball kit. This kit will make such a difference to their confidence levels and self-esteem. They know that people care about them to send such lovely netball kit. They play netball in school and amongst other local schools and at weekends. It is hoped in future that they will be able to join a netball league. Some of the girls are a bit shy as they’ve never worn netball kit before and aren’t used to being the centre of attention.

So to everyone at Lichfield Spires Netball Club – thank you for making a difference to these vulnerable young people. Most of them are orphans living with extended family. To Paul and Stuart who met halfway between us (central Scotland) and Lichfield, thank you for ensuring that this wonderful donation was able to reach us and then to Dundee in time for the container going to Malawi.

We will continue to share more photos and videos from actual netball matches but, for now, thank you again for making a difference and helping us continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. If you’d like to get in touch, our email address is contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Enjoy the photos, follow us on social media, sign up for my blogs and watch out for more photos! Sarah x

Lichfield Spires Netball Club Supports Malawi Youth Sports
BFSS Students’ Favourite Subjects

BFSS Students’ Favourite Subjects

Student at Bright Futures Secondary School have written about their favourite subjects. Have a read of today’ blog.

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Sarah’s blog 17/2/26

Here are some great photos of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School. Also, in today’s blog, is writing about BFSS Students’ favourite subjects at school. Thank you to the teacher who organised the photos and the students’ writing. Thank you to the sponsors who support these very vulnerable teenagers to be able to attend secondary school. Because of you, these vulnerable students are having opportunities that they wouldn’t have had. As well as free education, free uniform and stationery, they are receiving a free nutritious lunch each day. For most, this is the only food they eat.

If you’d like to be a sponsor, it’s only £25 per month. You can sponsor as an individual, two friends splitting the cost, a family, a club or a business. Will you make a difference to a young person’s future? Will you help them to have a bright future? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thank you to everyone who helps us to continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Your kindness is much appreciated. Thanks, Sarah x

Bags of kindness

Female teachers, staff and volunteers were delighted to receive gifts this week. They know their hard work is valued and appreciated. Thank you to our supporter for making these bags of kindness.

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Sarah’s blog 11/2/26

There is a lovely lady who we know called Lilian. She is a person who always thinks of others and likes to keep busy. She is extremely good at sewing and reusing fabric. Lilian uses curtain fabric and other material to make bags. She gave us a box of bags which were on the container that has recently arrived in Malawi. I’m calling them bags of kindness.

Yesterday, female volunteers, staff and teachers were all delighted to receive one of Lilian’s bags of kindness. They also received bars of soap. They were surprised to receive these gifts and so happy as you can see from these photos. We wanted them to have these gifts so they know they are appreciated.

The nursery teacher, Mercy, also helps students at Bright Futures Secondary School with sewing classes. She said she would like to try making this style of bag and then show the students how to make them.

Mercy also said “This is a true sign that people out there think about us here at Bright Futures.”

Thank you Lilian for these bags of kindness and thank you everyone who helps us support vulnerable people in rural northern Malawi.

Kindness does matter. Kindness does make a difference. Even if we think we’ve not got a lot to give – it’s more than they have in Malawi – and together we can make a difference. If you’d like to help then you can email for bank details or donate through our website. Also you can donate via our QR code. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Together, we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x

Sunday Sports for Students

Thanks to teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School for organising Sunday sports for students!

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Sarah’s blog 10/2/26

We were delighted to receive these photos and videos yesterday from the deputy head teacher at Bright Futures Secondary School. It was a day of Sunday sports for students and we are grateful to the teachers for organising this event. It looks like everyone had great fun playing football and netball.

Yesterday taught these vulnerable teenagers, who are mostly all orphans living with extended family, that they are important. It shows that people care about them enough to organise events for them. It shows that people care about them enough to send preloved sports kit for them. These young people are enjoying opportunities that they wouldn’t previously have had. As well as having fun with their friends, team sports are good for their confidence and self-esteem. Students at Bright Futures Secondary School are also learning skills and self-discipline.

Everyone also received a nutritious lunch to make the day even more special and to ensure they had enough energy to take part in the team sports. We are thankful for those who support us to send preloved sports kit to those who need it. If these are photos of preloved kit from your club then why not share with your friends and ask them to follow us on social media?

Sports kit (depending on sizes) is shared between primary and secondary schools and grassroots sports teams. Everyone is delighted to receive smart, matching kit. Julian Chenery, whose charity is ‘Wear a Sports Shirt Day’, spends his weekends travelling to various football grounds collecting preloved kit, watching football matches and enjoying the odd pint! We are so pleased that he includes the young people we are helping to support on his list of recipients of the preloved kit he collects.

In these photos kit is being worn from Bromley and Beckenham Hockey Club, Maidstone United Football Club, Borden Village Football Club and Seaton Town Football Club. As you can see, these preloved sports kits have a new lease of life and young people are enjoying wearing them proudly and confidently. Acts of kindness like this make a huge difference. There will be photos in the near future of more sports kit that has arrived on the latest container.

Would you like to help to pay for a box of sports kit to go on the container or would you like to contribute to providing food for a sporting event like this? Please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com or you can donate via our website or QR code. It’s always about teamwork. Thank you for being part of our team, Sarah x

Gifts for Students

Thanks to one of our supporters who sent these gifts for students at Bright Futures Secondary School to make their lives a little bit better.

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Sarah’s blog 5/2/26

Thankfully, the contents of boxes, soaked by heavy rain due to the tarpaulin being ripped, have now been dried out. That took three days to do and created so much work. You can read the story of what happened below if you didn’t see my last blog. Yesterday, the first gifts for students were distributed.

One of our supporters had kindly bought these gifts for students at Bright Futures Secondary School. The young people can arrive at school soaked through during the rainy season. Whilst these gifts for students aren’t going to solve all the issues the students face during the rains, this act of kindness will go a long way to helping the young people feel valued. Their journeys to and from school will be a little bit easier.

Some students homes have a leaking roof, some students cannot cross swollen rivers after the heavy rains. Some students, who have a thatched roof on their basic homes, have bugs and mosquitoes living in the twigs and branches.

Here are a few photos from yesterday when students were surprised and delighted to receive these ponchos. Kindness matters and small acts of kindness go a long way to helping people feel valued and making the world just a little bit better. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us to help these vulnerable young people. Sarah x

A Difficult Journey
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