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/
