Today, a villager called Mzolewa, came to help at The Foundation. The significance of people volunteering to help is huge. Local people can see that Levison and his team are working hard and making a difference to their village and to their children. A villager coming to help shows they support The Foundation. A villager coming to help means they see that good is happening in that area and that everyone will benefit in the future.
Mzolewa helped to prepare an area for planting flowers and was staking tree saplings to protect them and help them grow. Thank you to Mzolewa and to everyone else who shows support to Levison and his team who are working long hours to change the lives of hundreds of the most vulnerable children. Your support means more than you realise. Your support brings a boost and a little bit more energy to continue supporting the most vulnerable who need a helping hand. Thank you for your support and thank you for reading, Sarah x
A villager volunteering at The FoundationA volunteer from the village helps make a flower bed at The Foundation
There is an orchard at the Foundation with lots of fruit tree saplings. The children have been caring for the saplings by weeding and watering them.
People have generously donated money to buy more fruit tree saplings and yesterday over 100 were planted. These will give future food for the children and hopefully be a source of income too for the Foundation from selling surplus fruit. This will help towards their end goal…self-sufficiency.
Obviously tree planting is very important for the planet and the hope is that the trees will also help in the rainy season by providing protection for the crops from the wind and rain.
The first photos are from a few months ago and the rest are from planting the saplings yesterday before heavy rain storm in the afternoon.
Also, a few weeks ago we had an appeal for a few families whose houses had been damaged in the wind and hailstorm. Thank you to the people who had contributed to that appeal. I’d like to thank the people who donate clothes etc to us as these people were given gifts yesterday for which they were very thankful.
They received clothes and shoes, maize and walking sticks for the very elderly. They were also gifted fruit tree saplings to plant near their homes. The photos of the recipients of these gifts are after the photos of planting the fruit tree saplings. Hope you enjoy the photos and, as always, if you want to get in touch it’s contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com thanks for reading, Sarah x
Work never stops at The Foundation. Whether it’s looking after the animals or preparing the fields, farmers the world over will know that there’s always something to do, something to plan ahead for. Over the last few days, the fields have been prepared and today maize and groundnuts have been planted. The rainy season is just starting so it’s the perfect time for planting seeds. As you can see, people are working hard and would love to be self-sufficient. Because there are so many mouths to feed and the situation has been so bad, they need our help for a while.
We have money for approximately 100 fruit tree saplings that have been bought as Christmas gifts for which we are very grateful. Levison will choose which fruit varieties are best to buy for future food and sustainability. Again, this is the perfect time to plant them. If anyone would like to contribute towards seed costs or fruit tree saplings then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Even a small donation would help feed the hundreds of malnourished children.
We still have 5 young people looking for a sponsor to help them get to secondary school. Sponsorship is £25 per month and one of the best things you can every do for one of these children. Thank you for reading, Sarah x
It would have been my lovely mother-in-law’s birthday today. After she passed away, we sent money to Levison for him to buy fruit tree saplings in memory of her. Levison has kindly taken photos of some of the saplings for me to add to this post and we are sending more money to mark her birthday and to buy some more tree saplings.
As you know, it’s so important for the planet to plant more trees and we are hoping that people will join this initiative and support us. With COP26 having just finished and there still being a huge amount of work to do, it’s so important to plant hundreds of tree saplings to protect the environment and planet.
As wood has been the only source of fuel for cooking and warmth, previously lots of wood has been needed. However, Levison and team are going to look at making briquettes from agricultural waste and the eco-stove project is continuing so much less wood will be used in future. The eco-stoves use far less fuel and are enclosed so they are much safer to cook on.
Although these fruit tree saplings are small, Levison assures me they will grow fast during the rains which will be coming within the next few weeks. There should be fruit in the next couple of years. This project benefits the planet and the people. The most vulnerable people. The William Stewart Foundation supports over 800 orphans and other vulnerable young people and there are no agencies feeding children in schools in that area. Approximately 500 malnourished children are fed a nutritious meal once a week at the Foundation. That is their one substantial meal of the week. Imagine being able to add fruit to their diet too? A huge orchard of fruit trees will mean a healthier community. It will also create employment and any surplus fruit will be able to be sold as a source of income for the Foundation, helping them on the road to self-sufficiency.
Four fruit tree saplings are £10. I am buying 8 today in memory of Isa Black, my lovely mother-in-law. We would love your help to support this project to plant a sustainable future in rural northern Malawi. I can change the wording on e-gifts for any occasion and personalise them. You could also have a sign in the orchard in memory of a loved one. Just let me know and I can help. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Thanks for reading, Sarah x
As the world is highlighting changes that we all need to make to protect our planet at COP26 in Glasgow, we are doing our bit too. We would love you to help us support The William Stewart Foundation by expanding their Eco Stove Project. Levison would also like the apprentices to start making briquettes from agricultural waste, saving trees and also planting a large number of fruit tree saplings, bringing food for the future and planting for the planet. Please join us by buying fruit tree saplings as alternative, sustainable gifts. We can presonalise messages, and send either by email or by post with a card. Contact us via the website or facebook or by emailing contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com and we will help you purchase your gifts to plant a sustainable future in Northern Malawi. Thanks for reading, Sarah x
