work has started on the foundations of phase 2 of Bright Futures Secondary School, however we still need your help to reach our target https://gofund.me/ece5753a
Sarah’s blog 10/8/23
Today’s blog is a bit of a photo & video dump to share how busy it has been during the last few days. Because the new school term starts in September in Malawi, there will be another intake of vulnerable students wanting to continue their education if they pass their primary school leavers exams.
Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed so far….work on phase 2 of Bright Futures Secondary School has started. However, we haven’t reached our target yet. We are taking a leap of faith that by the beginning of September we will have enough funds to buy everything that is needed. Work had to start otherwise, should we reach our target, work would never have been completed in time for the new school year.
Using bricks left over from phase 1 last year, the builders are starting on the foundations. The thousands of bricks that have been made over the last few weeks will begin to be fired at the weekend and we will share photos of that.
If you are a business or an individual wanting to support the education of some of the most vulnerable young people in Malawi, then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . A donation of £500 or above can have your name written above a classroom door or on the building. Without your help, these young people cannot achieve their potential and will not find their way out of poverty to a brighter future. These young people, most of whom are orphans, have experienced loss, hunger, extreme poverty and missed periods of school to work for a pittance to try to feed themselves. We CAN help them.
Please consider being part of the team around these young people and future students who will benefit from Bright Futures Secondary School. The link to our fundraiser to help us ensure that classroom 3 is ready by the start of September is: https://gofund.me/ece5753a. Please give if you can and share this post. Young people are depending on us to help them out of poverty. Education is the best way to do this. Help us continue Changing Lives Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x
Thank you to Fakenham Town FC for the kit they donated via Julian and his ‘Wear a Sports Shirt Day’ Charity. Julian you do amazing work.
Sarah’s blog 2/8/23
Further to my post yesterday about the generous donation of football kit via Julian from Wear a Sports Day Charity, here is a news article about football kits from Fakenham Town FC. Julian travels all over England every weekend collecting football kits that can be repurposed and sent to teenagers in Africa that don’t have football kits. Receiving new football tops and shorts makes such a difference to morale and the young people know that people they’ve never met are thinking about them.
Fakenham Town FC have previously donated kit to us via Julian for which we are very grateful. I’m delighted to see this article (which has some photos of the children we support wearing Fakenham Town kit) giving Julian some recognition for the work he does week in and week out, quietly making a difference. Thank you again Fakenham Town FC for the kits you gifted to us and thank you Julian for all your hard work and the help that you give to so many organisations supporting young people.
Thank you so much to all the people who have donated via Wear a Sports Shirt Day
Sarah’s blog 1/8/23
Julian of ‘Wear A Sports Shirt Day’ spends every weekend travelling round England to collect preloved sports wear from football clubs and other sports clubs. He donates these to charities like ours that will benefit young people who don’t have matching football strips. Julian also collects items like toys and bikes that he gifts to people in need in the UK.
He has been supporting us regularly by sending a couple of boxes out on each container for Levison to give the orphans when they are playing team sports. Julian also supports other organisations in Malawi, as well as other countries, so his hard work and dedication is making a big impact to a huge amount of people. So thank you so much Julian for everything you do.
Also there are a few clubs to thank; Borden Village FC, Poole Borough FC, and Swale Ladies FC. We are very grateful that you donated your preloved kit.
Also thank you very much to Neale Gorman for the polo shirts from Monks Orchard Primary School.
One thing they are short of is footballs….so if anyone has any footballs to donate we would be really pleased to hear from you contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Apologies that this has been a bit of a mixture of photos….I will post each club/organisation individually too…. we are just delighted to have the support of so many people. Hope you enjoy the photos of lots of smiling happy faces wearing their new kit. Thanks again, Sarah x
Please show your support for Joanne who is fundraising for a new classroom for Bright Futures Secondary School. Read today’s blog to find out how brave and strong she is.
Sarah’s blog 31/07/23
My sister is amazing. My sister is strong, brave and determined. She has been through so much in the last few years; finding out she had breast cancer, having her breast removed, several operations, lots of infections, not to mention the mental trauma of all of that.
Whilst she was waiting for her original surgery, she raised money towards the shower block by doing a walking challenge. Now, whilst she is waiting for reconstruction surgery and needing to reduce her BMI slightly, she has taken on another challenge for us. Thank you Joanne.
Bright Futures Secondary School opened last year with two classrooms. Secondary education needs to be paid for in Malawi and none of the teenagers we help to support could afford this. There will be another intake of vulnerable teenagers wanting to start at Bright Futures Secondary School in September, but we need to build another classroom. As there will be more students, we also need to build another toilet block. Will you help us?
She set herself the challenge of walking 200km in July….she’s almost finished…5km left to go and this is her last day. It’s pouring with rain here today, so she would welcome some support. Can you help?
Joanne’s fundraising link is here: https://gofund.me/91721cad If you could spare a few £££ it would be much appreciated. Joanne has taken photos from her walks round the village of Killearn where she lives. If you are a business in Killearn who would like to support Joanne we will give you lots of mentions on social media. We welcome businesses partnering with us to help support the hundreds of orphans we help in rural northern Malawi.
Hope you enjoy Joanne’s photos and please support her if you can. Thank you, Sarah x
Thanks to Allander Rotary Club for their generous donation
Sarah’s blog 30/07/23
I was invited to speak at a meeting of The Allander Rotary Club last month and the response to the photos and videos I showed was really positive. They were really interested in the progress that is being made in Malawi through the various projects we help to support.
One way that they have been able to help us is by donating a laptop and three ipads, all of which are nearly new. These were delivered yesterday along with some football kit.
We are extremely grateful for this support and the laptop and ipads will be used to support learning at Bright Futures Secondary School.
Our fundraiser for phase 2 of Bright Futures Secondary School is https://gofund.me/ece5753a and if you can spare a few £££ towards the next classroom and toilet block to ensure the next intake of vulnerable students have a classroom we would be very appreciative. Thanks for supporting us, Sarah x
Some orphans learning how to use the computers in Emma’s Rainbow Library at The Foundation. The laptop and three ipads will be great additional resources.
This isn’t a long blog tonight. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed today, as there is so much to do, so as the saying goes ‘a picture paints a thousand words’. Please help if you can. Thanks, Sarah x
Levison and his helpers arrived back safely yesterday afternoon from Ekwendeni with all the boxes and parcels. Boxes will be opened over the next few weeks and a bit at a time. The first box to be opened contained workwear that had been kindly donated by West Group Technical Services. They replace clothes for their staff each year and asked us if we could make use of their preloved uniform.
Members of staff and apprentices were delighted to receive a polo shirt each today with the West Group logo. There are still sweatshirts and fleeces that will be given out when the weather is a bit cooler. We would like to thank West Group Technical Services for their generosity and for partnering with us in this way to make a difference to the young people we are helping to support.
Most of the young apprentices we help to support are helping care for the goats and crops. Jean is becoming competent at sewing and cooking and Loveness supports the preschool children in the nursery and also coaches team sports. Soon, some of these young people will be helping on the project to bring clean water from the health centre to Chambo Primary School. Anold is Levison’s right hand man and supervises the apprentices and other young people who are learning how to grow crops.
West Group Technical Services are a growing, well respected electrical contractor based in central Scotland and their website link is https://www.westgrouptechnical.co.uk Thank you again for supporting our young people, Jack Lyon and team.
Hope you enjoy looking at the photos and there will be more photos soon when other boxes have been opened. Thanks, Sarah x
before receiving their new t-shirts from West Group
It’s a long process to send boxes to Malawi. Firstly, we take the boxes to Dundee to The Bananabox Trust warehouse. When their warehouse is full of boxes (from individuals and other organisations) they order a container which goes to Ekwendeni, near Mzuzu. We are charged £17.50 per box to cover the cost of the container. It takes approximately 3 months for the container to arrive in Ekwendeni which is still several hours drive south of where The Foundation is.
Levison and two helpers left last Wednesday to be in Ekwendeni for Thursday when they were hoping the container would be there. Unfortunately, the lorry that the container was on broke down and only arrived this morning. So there has been a lot of wasted time, waiting around, and a lot more expense for meals and overnight accommodation.
However, this morning, the waiting was over and the container was opened. The boxes and other items were all unloaded and handed to the people from charities and organisations who were there patiently waiting to collect them. It’s always a good time to catch up with friends and acquaintances when everyone gathers on container day and Levison was able to spend time with several people he knows.
Once they were sure they had everything safely, it was time to pack the truck. They are now on their way home with all the boxes which will be opened over the next few weeks. Levison is also delivering boxes to a football coach in Chitipa on behalf of Community Sports Leaders Africa (who donated the netball posts in recent photos). There are resources for Bright Futures Secondary School, lots of baby knitting and primary school uniform donations as well as three big boxes of school shoes from charity https://www.salsshoes.com for the students at Bright Futures Secondary School. They will be amazed and delighted when they see the gifts and resources that have been sent.
We want to thank The Bananabox Trust in Dundee for their hard work in organising the container and the volunteers who label the boxes and pack the container and everyone in Ekwendeni who helps on container day. It’s difficult for Levison, travelling from a long distance away, to collect the boxes we send (most people are local to Ekwendeni or Mzuzu) but we are very grateful for those friends who give of their time and offer assistance to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
We are looking forward to bringing more photos when boxes are opened and of the progress of building the next phase of the school. My sister, Joanne, has been doing a wonderful job with her walking challenge in July. She is trying to raise money towards the next phase of Bright Futures Secondary School whilst facing personal challenges. Her story and the link to her fundraiser is here https://gofund.me/91721cad . If you can share a few £££ then please do head over to her fundraising page to keep encouraging her towards the end of her challenge. Showing your support will make all the difference to her and to the orphans in Malawi who need another classroom. Many thanks for all the support so far, Sarah x
Levison surrounded by boxessome of the donations from Community Sports Leaders AfricaLevison’s truck
https://gofund.me/ece5753a We really need your help to have phase 2 of Bright Futures Secondary School ready for the next intake of students. Please help?
Sarah’s blog 15/07/23
Thousands of bricks are being made for classroom 3 of Bright Futures Secondary School. Classroom 3 needs to be completed and ready for the new term starting in September 2023. Land is starting to be prepared today. Foundations will be done for classrooms 3 and 4 but, currently, we only have enough funds for classroom 3. As long as classroom 3 is built then classroom 4 can be completed at a later date. Thank you so much to The Inverclyde Trust for their generous donation of £4,000 towards phase 2 of Bright Futures Secondary School.
We also need funds for latrines and more teachers’ accommodation, so need to raise approximately £10,000 for these to ensure there are enough toilet facilities for the extra intake of new students and also accommodation for the extra teachers that need to be employed.
Will you help us to ensure this happens please? Can your company help sponsor this? Your name can be painted on a building. Can you donate £500 or more and you can have your name (or someone else’s name) above the classroom door? or above the doors of the teachers’ accommodation? or how would you like to sponsor a toilet? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com £10 x 200 people will pay for a toilet block…. will you donate £10 or more towards new toilets? Privacy, safety, dignity and hygiene are priceless and something every teenager deserves….especially the girls need to have safe, adequate toilet facilities. Will you help us help them? https://gofund.me/ece5753a We cannot do this on our own. We always say it takes teamwork. Will you be part of our team? Can you spare a few £££? Please? If enough people will help then we will reach our target. The students need us.
During the first year of opening it was decided that there would only be very vulnerable students who wouldn’t have to pay school fees, or for uniform, school supplies or school lunches. The majority of places at Bright Futures Secondary School will still be for these vulnerable students. However, from September 2023 there will be ten places in each year group for fee paying day students which will help towards expenses at the school. These fees still won’t be as much as other schools charge but will provide an option for those who can afford to pay to send their children to Bright Futures Secondary School if it is nearer than the other secondary schools. Bright Futures Secondary School has smaller class sizes than other secondary schools and offers computer lessons and encourages practical agricultural classes in addition to the core curriculum subjects.
Please help us to provide a brighter future for up to 120 of the most vulnerable teenagers (3 classes x 40 students). These teenagers receive a substantial and nutritious school lunch each day which is their only proper meal of the day. School lunches are helping them concentrate in school and supporting their overall development. This is a big commitment we have made to these students but they need people to believe in them. They need people to give them choices and chances. They need opportunities to thrive and to shine. Will you help us continue Changing Lives Malawi? Please email me on contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com if you’d like more information or you would like to help with ensuring Bright Futures Secondary School is ready to welcome more students and teachers in September. The link to our fundraiser is https://gofund.me/ece5753a these vulnerable teenagers really do need your help. Thanks for reading and supporting, Sarah x
some of the vulnerable students at Bright Futures Secondary School with their solar lamps enabling them to see to study at home as it is dark year round at 6pm in Malawi. (solar lamps were bought with money donated by The Souter Charitable Trust)
students at Bright Futures Secondary School planting sweet potato vines
This rugby kit was kindly donated by Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh – students are outside the first classroom block – classrooms 1 & 2
A while ago, Lochlie Construction generously donated money for an incubator to be bought.
Electricity has been so sporadic that it meant the incubator wasn’t able to be kept at the proper temperature so eggs didn’t hatch.
The incubator was linked up to the solar power kit that we sent on the last container and we thought that there would soon be lots of chicks hatching. Nothing is ever straightforward though. A few batches of fertilized eggs were bought but Levison ended up asking for a refund as none of these hatched.
So last month a few eggs were gathered each day until 103 had been placed in the incubator. Thankfully, 68 of those have hatched. They need to be kept warm until they have grown a bit bigger and, hopefully, they will all survive.
This is such amazing news and far bigger than just 68 chicks successfully hatching. Here are some of the reasons we are all so excited about this good news story;
more eggs can be hatched each month in the incubator
some of the chicks can be sold as a regular income for the Foundation
some chicks will be kept to increase the amount of ‘chooks’ in the Foundation flock.
The Foundation flock will, when big enough, be able to provide eggs for sale bringing in extra income. Eggs and (occasionally) chicken will be able to supplement The Feeding Programme.
Hopefully, there will be employment opportunities created once the number of chooks increases.
There is a possibility that vulnerable families could be given a couple of chooks, meaning they would have their own eggs helping them to feed their families.
So this is just the start and we need to keep our fingers crossed that these chicks survive and the next batch are successfully hatched in the incubator too. This is one of the ways that The Foundation will start to become self-sufficient. They are proud and clever people. They don’t want handouts. They just need helping hands just now as things are so difficult and malnutrition is rife. Let’s hope this is the start of a brighter future.
This chicken project is going to take a long time before it starts making a difference. The feeding programme is providing 500+ hungry orphans with a substantial meal once a week. Some children are walking from up to 20km away. No one is feeding children in schools in this area. We need your help to help us continue the feeding programme as prices continue to rise. Can you commit to £5 or £10 per month please? Our bank details are Bank of Scotland, Changing Lives Malawi, A/C 21081462, S/C 80-22-60 and use the reference ‘feeding’ please. Your help WILL make a difference to hungry, malnourished children. Thank you for your continued support, Sarah x
Yesterday, 72 children were given a hat each. A few of these were sun hats but most were knitted hats that had generously been knitted by talented supporters. All children were given food and also a pencil.
At this time of year it is cold at night and in the early mornings. These vulnerable children live in brick or mud houses that aren’t watertight and are full of draughts. They don’t have comfortable beds with duvets and pillows. If they are lucky, they have a reed mat and a thin blanket. There is obviously no heating so a hat will help to keep them warm.
Hats are given out regularly, as talented people knit for us, and if children haven’t received one this time then they will next time. My auntie Margaret is one of the people who are generous with their time and talents. She is staying with my parents this week and yesterday showed me her latest creations for the children we help to support…..she has knitted 150 hats….each one is different. Thanks to Auntie Margaret and all the other knitters. Children love receiving gifts and these will make a real difference in helping to keep them warm.
We are also grateful for knitted baby blankets, baby cardigans & hats and knitted teddies. Thanks for reading & supporting, Sarah x
Brick making has started ahead of classroom three being built. An area had to be cleared, the trees will be used for wood for the kilns and new trees planted to replace them. It’s a long process to make the bricks as so many need to be made. They need to be left to dry then stacked in a kiln. The kiln is fired and takes two weeks for all the bricks to cool down again.
We don’t yet have enough money for classroom three but had to start making the bricks in the hope that we do have enough funds in place once the bricks are ready to use.
We were very thankful to receive a cheque today from The Archer Trust for £3,000 towards phase 2 of Bright Futures Secondary School. We appreciate the support they have given towards ensuring there is an extra classroom in place for the next intake of students in September.
Please could you contribute to our fundraising page? https://gofund.me/ece5753a The vulnerable students we help to support deserve a brighter future full of choices and chances. They deserve a quality education to be the best they can be. Please help us to help them. Thank you for reading and supporting, Sarah x
clearing the ground to start making bricksthese bushes will be used to fire the kilnsmaking the bricks by hand and then leaving them to dry
