Tag: orphans

Did you know…..?

Sarah’s blog 15/12/21

I thought another few facts might be helpful as sometimes I forget that not everyone has seen all the posts from the past couple of years. If you ever want to know about anything in particular then please let me know and if I don’t know then I’ll try and find out for you.

  1. Approximately 800 orphans and other vulnerable young people are supported by The William Stewart Foundation in rural Northern Malawi.
  2. The age range is from age 4 to early 20s.
  3. There are no other big agencies feeding children in that area.
  4. Most children suffer from malnutrition and their one substantial, nutritious meal of the week is at the Foundation.
  5. At the moment we can only afford to run the feeding programme once a week.
  6. It costs approximately £100 to feed 500 children and young people.
  7. We fundraise for The William Stewart Foundation and raise awareness of the wonderful work going on to improve the lives of the most vulnerable.
  8. The cost of maize, cooking oil and so many other things have risen in Malawi recently.
  9. Changing Lives Malawi is a small group of 7 volunteer trustees, with a few others who help us, trying hard to change these children’s lives for the better.
  10. We have over 70 children and young people matched with sponsors now but there are many more waiting in desperate need. It only costs £25 per month to give a child the gift of secondary education and food.
  11. Nursery schools and secondary schools charge fees in Malawi and the majority only attend primary school.
  12. Dependant on exam results, there are 36 young people whom the Foundation supports and who now have sponsors, who will be going to secondary school in January. Before the Foundation, and sponsorship, young people didn’t go to secondary school. This is a huge achievement and is something to celebrate.
  13. Changing Lives Malawi sends money from a donation to The Foundation each month to help run the nursery for 50 children age 4-6. This meets 3 times a week and the children are given some food at each session.
  14. A clean water supply has been installed and a shower block thanks to fundraising and generous donations.
  15. We are looking for your help. Can you buy some e-cards or e-gifts? Providing a football will make a big difference as will fruit tree saplings to provide future food and income. Can you share our posts? Do you have a jar of coins or a drawer full of coins that you could donate to us please? As there are so many orphans, vulnerable young people and the elderly needing help and support, it does cost a lot to feed and support them until the Foundation becomes more self-sufficient. But we do not take any money for admin costs here…all the money you donate is used and the small team of volunteers cover the cost of petrol for taking boxes to the container, buying boxes and buying certain things to send.
  16. We are fully committed to the Foundation that the late William Stewart and Levison Mlambya founded. It is amazing what has been achieved in a few short years. So much has been done but there is so much more still to do to change the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Will you join us on this journey? Whether you have £5 to spare or £25 per month, we need you to help us please. It’s about being part of a team of helpers and we’d love you to help us Changing Lives Malawi. Thanks for reading, Sarah x contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

The Third Sunday in Advent

Sarah’s blog 12/12/21

There’s been no rushing around for me shopping and meeting people this advent season. I am so grateful for the care and attention I received from all the NHS staff when I was in hospital recently, but it’s going to be a while before I’ll be back to normal…whatever normal is!

Advent season is about waiting and reflecting and the third Sunday is about love. Who do we love and care about? How do people know that we love and/or care about them? Hopefully, by our actions. Also by our kind words.

How do the hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children supported by The William Stewart Foundation know they are loved and cared about? by our actions. A new football means the world to them. A blanket for two children to share to help keep them warm at night. Reusable sanitary towels, pants and soap giving a teenage girl her dignity back and enabling her to attend school all month like her male peers. There are so many ways we can show these children that they are important and cared about.

So in this season of giving, we would be so grateful for an extra football, or a blanket, or soap for the children. Can you help feed them an extra meal or provide some fruit tree saplings. By your actions they will know they are loved and not forgotten. Thank you for reading and supporting us. You can donate through our website, or by contacting us contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com or through the link below. Thanks for reading, Sarah x

https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/ecards/charities/changing-lives-malawi

Sit back & relax & shop with us

Sarah’s blog 11/12/21

We never have as much time as we think we do at this time of year, there’s always an extra couple of gifts that we hadn’t thought of, or what do you buy for the person who has everything? Do you really want to sit and write 50 Christmas cards?

Relax. Here’s how we can help.

https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/ecards/charities/changing-lives-malawi

By following that link, you will see the great selection of e-cards that have been uploaded. So you simply pick your card design and the amount you wish to pay and put in the recipient’s details and it will email a card to them from you. There is also the option of sending the same card to lots of people, saving you so much time and effort and, of course, people know you are supporting the orphans and vulnerable children in Northern Malawi with any purchase.

All of our e-gifts are available by following that link too. So you could buy a child a wind-up torch so they can see to do their homework for £5, or buy a blanket for a vulnerable child for £5, a football for £10, soap for 100 children for £50, a meal for 500 children for £100 and as many fruit tree saplings as you want starting at £10 for 4. All the quantities can be altered to suit your gift needs, but every single purchase is going to make a meaningful difference to the hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children we support in rural northern Malawi.

If you aren’t very computer literate….that’s ok. Let us know what you’d like and we will help you tick off your list! Together we can change lives. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Thanks for reading, Sarah x

Meaningful Cards & Gifts

Sarah’s blog 9/12/21

Whether you’ve got gifts to post, cards to send, something to buy for the person who has everything… then stop relax… we can help you and you can help us… hassle free.

https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/ecards/charities/changing-lives-malawi

That’s the link where you can find e-cards and e-gifts to purchase. Christmas cards and for other occasions. Also you can send one card to multiple people, saving time and effort. Meaningful gifts. Gifts that are going to change lives. A blanket for a vulnerable child, a football to help children take their mind off their problems whilst they play, soap, fruit tree saplings… we have lots of gifts to choose from. It would mean so much if you could support us to support the hundreds of orphans and other vulnerable children in Northern Malawi. Whether you want to spend £5 or £50 you will be helping us http://www.changinglivesmalawi.com thank you for reading and please ask if you would like any help selecting cards and gifts. Gifts can also be printed out and posted in a lovely card on your behalf. Sarah x

The Second Sunday in Advent

Sarah’s blog 5/12/21

The second Sunday in advent is traditionally about peace and waiting. I have had no choice this week. I wasn’t going to write this but I think it’s important and I would be very grateful if you would be patient with me whilst I write this.

I have been in a very large hospital since Tuesday morning. On Tuesday afternoon I had some of my right kidney removed using robotic assistance. If this operation had taken place at my usual hospital, they would have removed my whole kidney. So I am thankful for the opportunities I have had. Everyone has been so lovely and kind and I have felt precious and cared for.

I am very conscious of the differences between my opportunities here and the lack of health care opportunities in Malawi, something we need to try to work on next year.

I feel I am being ‘asked’ to write this and believe me I am double and triple checking things as I am on a lot of medication for pain relief and my concentration isn’t good. At least I’ve kept my eyes open! My care,post op, has not gone to plan. My oxygen levels have been extremely low and, I spent two days in high dependency. Yesterday was my first day since Tuesday with no additional oxygen…again the comparison isn’t lost on me that Malawi doesn’t have enough oxygen in hospitals.

So without you having to know all my aches and pains, I am here to wait and recover. To recover from the big operation I have had but also the stress of 2021 which has been huge.

Every day has been a worry about where money will come from to feed children, to sponsor them, to provide for them. I have been volunteering 7 days a week. I can’t continue at that rate. It’s not going to do me any good, therefore the charity any good, if I don’t start putting myself first. I don’t know what the new working hours will look like but, for now, I will wait with peace and listen. Of course, I couldn’t have worked so hard without my husband who is my biggest supporter.

All of this would have been hard enough but there have been people on social media trying to destroy our charity. People who have never met me. People who are happy to side with others without knowing facts or thinking about the consequences of their actions. I cannot apply for grants for our charity at the moment because the awful things that have been written. People might not like me or like what I say (and that’s ok) but every decision I make is to benefit those hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children to make lives better for them.

Of course, I should have been at home this last week sharing posts; getting children sponsored, selling paintings for Christmas or lovely cards; sharing the links for e-cards and e-gifts and generally working as hard as I can for every £1 to help make a difference in Northern Malawi. Hopefully, people do find the items via our website and please share posts if you can. Hoping I will be home in a few days although this week away, courtesy of the NHS, has been amazing. I couldn’t have asked for better care.

So instead of being busy selling, I’ll wait patiently for what’s going to happen next. It might be that you decide you want to help, it might be a magazine wants to write about our work… who knows? But I do know that 2022 is going to be a better year and we hope that you will continue to journey with us http://www.changinglivesmalawi.com thanks for reading, Sarah x

My room with a view of the helipad

Reverse Advent Calendar

Sarah’s blog 22/11/21

Christmas is coming and the season of advent will be here next week. Some organised people might have finished all their shopping and wrapped their presents, some might have already thought about putting their tree and decorations up. Or are you a last minute type of person? If you are able, could you please spare a thought for the hundreds of vulnerable children whom we support in rural Northern Malawi. Their Christmas celebrations are very, very different to ours. We will be giving them a meal, a bar of soap and a pencil but we would love to be able to plan ahead as it takes months for gifts to arrive. It would be amazing if you could help us provide gifts for a summer and Christmas party. These children do not eat properly every day, so never have any soap, pencils or toys apart from what they are given at The Foundation. So a party and gifts mean a great deal to them and are very exciting. Let’s spread a little love this Christmas…can you help us?

If you can manage the whole Reverse Advent Calendar, that would be fantastic. But even if you manage a few of them while doing your own Christmas shopping we would be very grateful. A pack of pencils, a couple of packs of pens or a few bars of soap etc. Or some books in good preloved condition that your child no longer reads. These children and young people have had NOTHING. If we all give SOMETHING it WILL make a difference and bring joy to many. They will know that people care about them. They will know they are no longer forgotten. A little kindness goes a long way. In this season of goodwill, please help us send some joy to Malawi. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Thanks for reading, Sarah x

Another two girls are going to secondary school!

Sarah’s blog 17/11/21

Thanks to two generous sponsors these two girls now have the chance of secondary education

January is only a few weeks away and I’ve been trying to find sponsors for the young people who have finished primary school. Without sponsors they have no hope of getting to secondary school. They don’t have enough money to eat a proper meal each day…so how are they going to afford the fees for secondary school? The children and young people’s concentration, self-esteem, confidence, school attendance and their exam results have improved now that they have been given new clothes and they attend the feeding programme each weekend at The Foundation. Approximately 500 children are fed a nutritious meal once a week. If we could afford it, we would be feeding them twice a week or providing money for the children to be fed at school. There are no big charities feeding children in the far north of Malawi, so children walk from as far as 20km away for their one proper meal of the week at The Foundation.

Soon, the young people who are lucky enough to be matched with sponsors and whose lives have now amazingly changed direction, will all need measuring for school uniform and shoes. All their bags, soap, exercise books, pencil cases etc will all need to be bought too. It’s going to be a busy time.

However, there are some young people still waiting for that chance of education. There are photos of some of them below. It’s £25 per month to support a young person to go to school. You could be a sponsor as an individual, a family, split the cost with a friend or sponsor from your club or business. Every little helps as the saying goes…it might not seem like much to us, but to one of these young people it will be the biggest gift they’ve ever received. To change a life please email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com or send us a message. We are on facebook, instagram & twitter. Thanks for reading, Sarah x

E-cards & E-gifts helping the children in Northern Malawi

Sarah’s blog 10/11/21

Just wanted to share the link to our e-cards & e-gifts. You can do your Christmas shopping and send your Christmas cards without leaving your sofa…and all for a great cause. Click on the link and have a look. Thanks, Sarah x

https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/ecards/charities/changing-lives-malawi

A small act of kindness with big rewards

Sarah’s blog 5/11/21

What have you spent money on today? There are things we need and bills to pay but could you spare 85p per day? What do we waste money on that we don’t need to? Every penny counts when it comes to these children. They don’t have money to waste…they don’t even have enough food to eat every day. They need food and they need secondary education to help them have a chance at a better future. These children cannot afford secondary school fees. Unless they have a helping hand the cycle of poverty will never be broken. Can you help please? Get in touch via the website or by emailing contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Please help us changing lives. You can also help by sharing posts to reach potential sponsors. Thanks for reading, Sarah x

A few photos

Sarah’s blog 27/10/21

Hi, I’m sharing a few photos of sponsored children and the apprentices who received some clothes today. All the apprentices received work trousers and a t-shirt and some of the apprentices who are sponsored received care parcels. The apprentices who don’t have sponsors were given donated clothes by Levison.

There are some photos too from younger sponsored children who received care parcels. Each sponsored child now has their own page on our website. There have been lots of photos taken that we have to go back and look through but from now on, if there are photos taken of sponsored children like these, the photos will be posted to the child’s page. They can be accessed at any time and it will be easy to see the positive changes that having a sponsor has made. Please sign up to receive blogs and updates and share with anyone who might be interested in being a sponsor. Thanks, Sarah x

Saving a Life

Sarah’s blog 26/10/21

Chikambusko is an orphan. She was living with her grandad who went into hospital and subsequently passed away. Chikambusko was alone, suffering from malnutrition and malaria. Levison found her a sponsor and a home with another sponsored child, Timothy, and his grandmother who is now fostering Chikambusko. Although she has been through so much trauma and upset, as you can see from today’s photos, she is looking well, settled and happy. Who knows what would have happened to Chikambusko had The Foundation not helped her. As an holistic approach is taken (not just feeding them) caring about each of them, over time they start to blossom. Today’s photos have made my heart glad. Thanks to her sponsors for their support. If you would like to make a difference to a child like Chikambusko then please get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . It’s only £25 per month. There are so many people helping in small ways and part of the team and together we are Changing Lives Malawi. You can sign up to receive updates. Thanks for reading, Sarah x

The 3 C’s of life: Choices, Chances, Changes

Sarah’s blog 22/10/21

The 3 C’s of life: Choices, Chances, Changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.

This is very true for most of us. However, if you are living in poverty, a lot of those choices might not be choices that are open to you. They are only choices for other people. Those choices don’t apply to people like you. You are too poor to get yourself out of the situation you are in. You are stuck without choices, chances and changes.

What if the choice is to go to primary school today hungry, or work all day for 10p to try to buy some food?

What if the choice is to buy some food or to buy a candle so you can have light to do your homework?

What if you want to go to get a job but you’ve no shoes and and only have rags to wear?

What if you’ve worked really hard at primary school, passed your leavers exams but you cannot go to secondary school because you can’t afford the school fees?

The hundreds of vulnerable children supported by The William Stewart Foundation don’t have the choices that we take for granted. Choices aren’t for the most vulnerable. Chances for a better future aren’t going to happen by themselves. Change cannot happen without help. Without our help. Without your help.

These children want to have choices, have chances and make changes. They need opportunities and they need us. Eventually, they will be self-sufficient, but they need our compassion and commitment in the short term. Can you help a vulnerable young person to go to secondary school for four years? It’s less than £1 a day to sponsor a young person and give them choices and chances to make positive changes. Can you help us change lives in Malawi? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com The young people below are all looking for a sponsor to have the chance of education. thanks for reading, Sarah x