Thanks to their teachers, students at Bright Futures Secondary School have been growing and selling maize.
Advertisements
1/1/26
Firstly we would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year! I had to double check that I’d written the date correctly…it’s going to take a few days to remember that it is now 2026! Bright Futures Secondary School students are learning business skills.
Today’s post is a short one but is filled with hope for a brighter future for students. They are all vulnerable, have nothing and are living in extreme poverty. We cannot begin to imagine just how hard life must be, especially with the current food crisis and the heavy rains which have destroyed homes and crops as well as infrastructure.
However, this post shows that, bit by bit, things can change for the better. This is just a tiny drop in the ocean compared to how things need to change and how much money is needed to help this community back on its feet. It is a start and is a small good news story worth sharing at the start of a new year.
Teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School have been supporting students to grow vegetables. The students had planted a field of maize and have just sold half of the fresh maize (corn on the cob) to traders to sell at the market. The students will use the money to buy more seeds and fertiliser to plant more crops. The students are learning business skills for their futures.
This is such a great cross-curricular learning experience. As well as the agricultural skills they have learned during a complete growing cycle, they are learning about business opportunities and working together as a team.
These students will have far more skills for their futures as they become increasingly confident and learn to be entrepreneurs. They live in such a rural location that it is very likely that many of them will be working on the land in some form when they leave school. Having the opportunity of secondary education means that their numeracy and literacy skills will be better and will help them whatever they do for work in future.
Look how happy they are to have achieved and have been trusted by their teachers to be part of this project. Their self-esteem is growing and, hopefully, there will be more good news stories like this to report. Your support is important to ensure these students can continue learning new skills and continue achieving. The end goal is always self-sufficiency but we need you as part of the team to ensure this can happen.
Levison specifically asked me to mention two teachers who have worked hard with the students on this project. Thank you to Mr Kanyimbo and Mr Msukwa for supporting the students in this ongoing project. Your hard work is greatly appreciated and you must be very proud of what your students are achieving.
Thanks for reading and supporting Changing Lives Malawi. If you’d like to support a specific project like this then please do email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thanks, Sarah x
The first video shows the maize being driven off to market by the person who purchased it. The second video shows students; Levi, Amos, Hilda and Bernard.
“Since the beginning of the Beekeeping Project, BFSS students are taking a great responsibility and full participation of the activities taking place.” Quote from a teacher at Bright Futures Secondary School.
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 11/12/25
I am excited to post these photos and videos of the first finished beehive. As an educator, I am genuinely delighted by the amount of cross-curricular learning that this beekeeping project has encompassed so far. Obviously, there is more learning to happen as the project continues. I apologise that I am sharing so many videos and photos…but they all help to tell the learning journey of the project and students at Bright Futures Secondary School. Look what can happen when we invest in the next generation and give them choices and chances for a brighter future. This is the story of vulnerable students and how they have worked together, learning new skills to create their first finished beehive.
Firstly, beekeeping was identified by staff as a project that might help the school towards self-sufficiency. Beekeeping will be part of the agriculture lessons which are a core subject on the Malawian curriculum. I then engaged with potential sponsors to raise funs for some carpentry tools. Also I asked for funds to buy wood to build beehives. I posted short videos that had been made by school staff and students.
Once the money had been raised and transferred, the supplies were bought and the project got underway. Firstly students researched beehive designs in books that we had sent which are in Emmas’ Rainbow Library on Bright Futures Campus. They then drew their preferred design. Students were supported by teachers and a carpenter to learn how to use the tools. Then they cut the wood to size and constructed the first beehive which has happened over a few weeks.
This week, students found a good place in the nearby woods and, with the help of their teachers, were able to place the first finished beehive to wait for the bees. Students had also been tasked with searching for some beeswax to put in the hive which will help to attract bees.
As well as learning to use carpentry tools for the first time, students have researched, collaborated, designed and supported each other to achieve. You can see from the photos and videos how much they are enjoying the project and the responsibility that they have been given. It is wonderful to see how much they are growing in confidence during their experiences at Bright Futures Secondary School.
One of the teachers who has been supporting the students told me;
“Since the beginning of the Beekeeping Project, BFSS students are taking a great responsibility and full participation of the activities taking place. So far, they have learnt the following;
knowing the requirements for beehives through research
designing the beehive through technical drawing
making the beehive with full use of carpentry and joinery skills
installing the first beehive in the nearby forest
The students are appreciating so much for the establishment of this project and wish to see the fruits of the project.” (Teacher)
I shared information about the first finished beehive with people who donated funds to enable the beekeeping project to happen. One of them made the following encouraging comments which I have shared with the teachers and asked them to pass on to the students.
“Very exciting to see how this project has been progressing. I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to update us. You might suggest that, as their next step, they research how to plant a ‘pollinator friendly’ garden, which kinds of flowers bees like (eg blues rather than pinks), the importance of keeping some flowers in bloom at all times throughout the year etc.” (Donor)
Who knows what these young people will do when they leave school? They are all living in extreme poverty and have been suffering from lack of food in their early years and have faced the trauma of losing family members and lots of other hardships. This has affected their ability to learn. If their basic needs haven’t been met then we cannot expect them to learn in the classroom.
Not all of these vulnerable students will pass their final exams at the end of S4. It wouldn’t be fair that we expected them to. Some might get grades good enough to go to college or university but cannot go because they have no funds to support themselves or to pay for their studies.
However, what we do know is that, because of the rural location, many students will find work on the land. They have had a secondary school education so, even if they don’t pass their final exams, they have had so much more education and great learning experiences than they would have if they had not had the chance to attend Bright Futures Secondary School.
Because they are attending secondary school, students have avoided the high teen pregnancy rate. They have also avoided being married off too soon. Their literacy and numeracy levels are greater than if they hadn’t had support to attend secondary school.
Some of these students may become beekeepers. Or perhaps carpenters and farmers with the skills they have learned and will continue learning through projects like the beekeeping project. With the new skills they have developed, they will be confident about their futures. Thank you to everyone who has and continues to support Bright Futures Secondary School and the vulnerable teenagers who are students.
We need to raise funds for rubber wellington boots for students to wear during their practical agriculture lessons at Bright Futures Secondary School. The rainy season has started and soon the ground will be very muddy. It’s the ideal time for planting fruit tree saplings and pine trees (which have been ordered) but will be extremely muddy underfoot. Also boots will help protect feet from the tools they are using. You can make a small donation to our appeal on DonorSee here https://donorsee.com/project/29707?share=1 or via the website Donate money and gifts to Changing Lives Malawi or message me for our bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com .
I have attached the previous two posts about the beehive projects at the end of this blog in case people haven’t seen the drawings and the start of the carpentry work. I hope you enjoyed reading about the first finished beehive. Thank you again to everyone who helps us support these vulnerable teenagers to be the best they can be.
Because of your support we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Sarah x
As Bright Futures Secondary School wants to become more self-sufficient and have projects that will help with this, we asked our supporters on DonorSee to help with an innovative beekeeping initiative.
Once we sent the funds to Malawi, wood was bought to make the beehives. Firstly, students researched possible designs of beehives from the beekeeping books in Emma’s Rainbow Library. Then they drew their chosen design. Last week they were measuring the wood and cutting it to size.
I’ve been sent some great photos and videos today by one of the teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School. Students decided that one of the hives should be built in the forest. In these photos and videos, it’s great to see the students working collaboratively and problem solving.
Although making the beehives is part of their new carpentry class, students will be studying beekeeping as part of their agricultural lessons. It is also giving them skills for life. Some students may use the knowledge they have gained at school to keep bees and sell the honey when they are older. Or some may become carpenters. It’s thanks to the kindness of strangers that they have had these opportunities. Opportunities for a brighter future.
Estimated reading time: 0 minutes
https://donorsee.com/project/29253?share=1 This is one of our other projects on DonorSee to provide material for the students to make reusable sanitary towels for all who need them, ensuring girls have the same access to school all month like the boys in their class. Or you can message me for bank details or donate via the website contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Hope you enjoy seeing the progress they are making. Your help is making a difference to these students who are living in extreme poverty. Together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you for the support, Sarah x
There’s been lots to reflect on this week. Please read today’s blog to catch up on what I have been writing about today.
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 16/11/25
For a few different reasons, it has been a difficult week. I’m feeling the weight of responsibility heavy on my shoulders with family and with the charity. Here are a few of my ramblings and what I have been reflecting on and thinking about.
Our friend and colleague, Alan Laverock, who organised (with other volunteers) the sending of containers of vital aid to Malawi, sadly passed away this week. I have been thinking about him and reading the tributes and condolences from so many people. Also, I have been reflecting on a life well lived. Alan made a difference. You can read more about Alan here Alan James Laverock: a tribute | Scotland Malawi Partnership
One consequence, and obviously this is of secondary importance, of Alan’s passing is that the Bananabox Trust containers have stopped. Currently, we have no means of sending any boxes to Malawi.
We realise that many people in Malawi are extremely concerned about this and hope that, in time, that someone else may take this on. Medical and dental equipment gets shipped regularly along with shoes, clothes and sports equipment to name but a few.
I am particularly reflecting on our School Literacy Project. Thanks to the support of Alan and his team at Bananabox Trust, we have been able to make a big difference to children’s reading by sending over 100 boxes of books.
The first 17 boxes of books that were donated to Chambo Primary School
Bright Futures Secondary School has benefited from fiction books as well as text books and bibles. Emma’s Rainbow Library (named after the late Emma Buchanan of Balfron whose family helped raise funds for the library) is well stocked. It has floor to ceiling shelves of books for all age groups.
Bright Futures Nursery has been able to give at least two books per child to take home to read and look at the pictures with their families. This is ensuring all those households have access to books of their own and looking at books together is a special everyday activity.
Chambo Primary School and then Kalanga Primary School have benefited from the gift of many boxes of books. Boxes of both factual and fiction books have been sent for different age groups. These schools have hardly any resources and p8 leavers exam pass rates were well below the national average.
Since we, with the help of our supporters, started putting books into these primary schools, the pass rate for primary school leavers certificates has gone up by 19%. This is a huge achievement for these young people. We are so proud of them and proud of the part we and our supporters have made to their literacy levels, reading comprehension and helping young people pass their exams. Without passing these primary school leavers exams, students are not allowed to attend secondary school.
We hope there will be a way to continue sending books (and other boxes of aid) as other primary schools are asking and waiting to be included in The School Literacy Project.
The rains have started in Malawi and some school buildings in Chitipa District have been damaged (thankfully, not ours). Families are also suffering because their homes are so fragile and open to the elements.
A food crisis has been declared for the whole of Malawi. I don’t think any of us realise just how dire the situation is. Prices continue to rise. There is a continued fuel shortage, meaning many goods aren’t available to purchase rurally. Levison has told me that people are suffering more than usual and it will get worse.
I have been thinking about this over the past few days and wondering how we can make a difference and protect the most vulnerable from the worst of this crisis.
What can we do? What can we do differently? There are projects helping to support sustainability in the future, however, these are for the future and people also need help now. All the fruit tree saplings will make a big difference in a few years time, and we will continue planting more, but they won’t help now.
What can we do now? Instead of sending Christmas cards ( or as many Christmas cards as usual) could you make a donation to help us buy food?
Could you organise a coffee morning or event for your friends on our behalf? Or could you organise a bonus ball competition before Christmas?
Could you purchase an alternative gift for the person in your life who has everything? Or an alternative gift for a teacher who doesn’t really need another mug. Let me know if you’d like to help or if you’ve any good ideas contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Levison had a funeral to attend earlier last week. He took a photo of Bright Futures Campus from near where the funeral was taking place. It’s a great photo. You can see the Mafinga Hills in the background and beyond that is Zambia.
Once there was nothing where these buildings now stand. Now there is Bright Futures Campus with a secondary school, a nursery, a library, offices and a staffroom and accommodation for teaching staff. Vulnerable children know this is their safe place where they can receive support, where they can play. Where there is someone to listen. There are fruit tree saplings growing and crops have been planted….nowhere near enough but it is a start. There is hope for a brighter future.
This has all been achieved with a lot of hard work and determination to ensure that the most vulnerable children have a better and brighter future. They have choices and chances that they wouldn’t previously have had. Thanks to our supporters, we are Changing Lives (in) Malawi. However, there is a great deal more to do. Will you help? Thank you for reading my ramblings. I hope you can feel the love and concern I have for the people we are supporting and how, together we can give them a helping hand until they can have a sustainable future. Thank you, Sarah x
Bright Futures Campus with The Mafinga Hills in the background. Beyond the hills is Zambia.
Sewing classes at Bright Futures Secondary School are helping S3 and S4 students learn extra skills.
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 26/10/25
Levison Mlambya, the Director of Bright Futures Secondary School, has sent these great photos and a video of S3 and S4 students who are taking sewing lessons and carpentry classes to learn skills for life.
In the sewing lessons they are learning to use the sewing machines that have been donated and sent on the container via The Bananabox Trust.
Learning skills for life will equip these vulnerable students, who are all living in extreme poverty, with a way to earn money in future, giving them choices and chances they wouldn’t have had previously. Many thanks to the donors of the sewing machines & sewing supplies.
The plan is that during sewing lessons at BFSS, they make reusable sanitary pads and bags to put these in and, when there are enough, give them out to those who need them in various local schools. Your financial support will be so helpful.
Some great drawings from students before they will make their beehives soon.
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 13/10/25
As you may have seen, we post some fundraising projects on DonorSee to raise our profile in USA and, hopefully, get some more donations.
One of these projects was to start a bee keeping project at Bright Futures Secondary School. As well as students gaining knowledge and skills for life, the honey can be sold as an income and to help the school towards self-sufficiency.
Thanks to generous donors, the project was funded recently. Some of the students have been looking at beekeeping books and designed their own drawings of beehives.
Another DonorSee project that was recently funded was for more agricultural tools and carpentry tools for Bright Futures Secondary School. Thanks to those donors for their support.
The money has been sent, supplies will be bought and a carpenter will help the students to make some hives. Have a look at these photos and we will share more when the students are making their beehives.
Do have a look at our DonorSee projects and share with your network and make a small donation if you can please. Many thanks for all the support with the Beehives at Bright Futures project, Sarah x
Here are just some of the reasons why vulnerable girls in Malawi need our help today. You can also read about some of the success stories!
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 11/10/25
Whilst we are supporting both boys and girls of all ages, girls living in extreme poverty are still living in a very unequal world. International Day of the Girl Child highlights some of the inequalities they face and how we can support them.
Many of the young people we help to support are living with extended family or with one parent. In Malawi it is illegal to marry girls off when they are children. It still happens. Girls are at greater risk of dying during childbirth as well as missing out on their education.
We have matched several girls with sponsors whose families couldn’t afford to feed them. They thought it was better to give their eldest daughter away to get married at age 11 or 12 as they would get a dowry and therefore be able to feed the rest of their family. Having a sponsor means that these very vulnerable girls are still in school, receive a monthly food parcel (if at primary school) or free secondary education with free school lunches (if at Bright Futures Secondary School). The impact of education, food and having a sponsor is huge. We are highlighting these inequalities and the challenges girls face on International Day of the Girl Child, to draw attention to how difficult things are for these vulnerable girls.
If girls do not have access to sanitary towels, they are not welcome at school for one week every month whilst they have their period. Imagine the shame they must feel for having a normal bodily function. Since we sent some donated hand turn Singer sewing machines, girls have been making reusable sanitary towels which have been given out to all who need them. This gives girls and young women confidence, dignity and the same access to education as boys have.
In Chitipa District in the far north, where the community we are partnering with is situated, teenage pregnancies are very high. Thankfully, by being able to keep teenagers in education and giving them opportunities and having choices and chances they wouldn’t normally have had, at Bright Futures Secondary School there have only been two teenage pregnancies since the school opened. (the statistics are in the link below).
In the link to another blog below, you can see we celebrated with a party for Catherine, Emily and Naomi, passing their secondary school leavers exams and also the s3 students who had passed their junior certificates of education (s2 national exams). None of them would have had this opportunity if it wasn’t for them having sponsors to support their education. We are so grateful for each and everyone of our sponsors. Thank you!
We have girls in S1 who are each needing a sponsor to help support the cost of their education at Bright Futures Secondary School. This is a small school which was built specifically to meet the needs of the very vulnerable teenagers in the community who can’t pay for their secondary education at local state run schools. Sponsorship helps cover; free education, free school lunches, free uniform, shoes and other clothes, school bags & water bottles and free stationery.
We have managed to match two girls in S1 with sponsors but these girls are still waiting for your help. It is still only £25 per month to sponsor a young person. You can sponsor as an individual, a family, friends sharing the cost, or your church, school, club or business could be a sponsor. Will you give the gift of education and a brighter future today? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Imagine the difference 5 friends could make to a girl if they each paid £5 per month to support her education. Could this be you and your friends? Thanks to everyone who supports us through sponsorship and donations. Together, on International Day of the Girl Child, we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi, Sarah x
(I had a short video chat with the S1 class last week, thanks to their headteacher, and asked each of the students a couple of questions. I’ve written their replies under their photos. Sarah) contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Schollastica helps at home by sweeping the inside of her home and the surrounding area and enjoys playing netball with her friendsLusubiro’s favourite subject is biology and she loves playing rugbyEthel loves to read and so far at school is enjoying having school uniform and booksTusalifye is enjoying being at Bright Futures Secondary School and lives a short distance away. She helps at home by sweeping and fetching water. Veronica said she likes all the books at school and that they get a free school lunch each day. Her favourite sport is netball.Susan said she really likes school so far as the uniform, shoes, bag and lunches are all for free. Her favourite subject is maths.At home, Nellie helps with digging their small farmland and fetching water. She likes reading books and her favourite subject is geography.
Thanks so much to All Saints CofE School, Maidenhead and to the charity Sal’s Shoes for making a difference to these vulnerable teenagers.
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 8/10/25
When I was a teenager, I always loved going to choose new stationery ready for returning to school after the summer holidays and, most years, I’d get a new school bag and unform and shoes too…although I really disliked our brown school uniform! There was no question that, although there wasn’t lots of spare money, there was always enough to buy the things that my siblings and I needed.
The students that have just started in S1 at Bright Futures Secondary School are living in extreme poverty. Their families cannot afford enough food, let alone any money to buy school uniform, shoes and stationery. So, last week, they were overwhelmed when gifts were handed out to each of them. They’ve never had presents like this, that we and our children all take for granted.
Thanks to individual supporters, we were able to send new and preloved school uniform; shirts and blouses and skirts and trousers. I got in touch with a wonderful charity called Sal’s Shoes who have helped us out once before. They kindly agreed to give us shoes for the students at Bright Futures Secondary School. We (and the students) are so grateful for this support. Thank you for the wonderful work you do at Sal’s Shoes, collecting and sorting preloved outgrown shoes and sending them on to protect vulnerable children’s feet.
Also, All Saints C of E School, Maidenhead, had contacted us to see if we could use some uniform that they no longer needed as they had changed their school badge. Of course we said yes and were delighted with everything that they sent. The S1 students were delighted to receive their new back packs which they had no idea they would be getting. Thanks so much for these! The clothes from All Saints C of E School, Maidenhead, will be distributed over the next few weeks amongst other vulnerable children.
I had bought water bottles for the new students which I filled with; toothbrush & toothpaste, small bars of soap, pens, pencils, rulers, erasers and sharpeners. Each student was also given some exercise books. They were amazed as they’ve never had a day of receiving this many gifts all at once and certainly not lovely new presents like this. These donations will really help to motivate them to work hard. You can see in one of the photos, one of the girls is overcome with tears of happiness because she didn’t expect to receive all these lovely gifts.
There are two videos in which the S1 students are thanking Sal’s Shoes for their new shoes and also thanking All Saints School for their school bags. If you have donated school uniform, shoes, pencils etc…you can see where your donations are going and how much it means to the recipients. Thank you everyone.
We try to match each of these vulnerable students with a sponsor to help support financially with their education. As well as paying the teachers, part of the sponsorship money goes towards providing a substantial free school lunch each day. For most of these students, it is their only meal of the day and their families can share the small amount of food they have with the remaining family members. Many of these students are orphans, living with extended family. Many in the community have been affected by AIDS and HIV.
We still need to match the following students with sponsors; Veronica, Susan, Nellie, John, Wakisa, Lindwell, Schollastica, Robert, Brian, Lumbiro, Esther, Tusalifye and Ethel. That’s 13 vulnerable young people who need your help. There is an old saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’…..can we be part of the ‘village’ for these teenagers who really need our support? It’s only £25 per month to sponsor a young person. You can sponsor as an individual, share the cost with a friend or sponsor a young person through your club or business. Get in touch to make a difference and give a student a brighter future contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Enjoy the photos and videos and I look forward to receiving your email if you’d like to give the gift of education to one of these students. Thank you, Sarah x
Students thanking the charity Sal’s Shoes for their new shoes
The S1 students are thanking All Saints School, Maidenhead, for their new school bags
Bright Futures Secondary School has another completed building. Thank you to Vets with Horsepower for their financial assistance..
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 24/09/25
Bright Futures Secondary School has another completed building. This year, as there are four years of students (and classroom four had been used as a staffroom) four new teachers have been employed in addition to the existing staff. A purpose built staffroom has just been completed and the name transferred to the new building. I think you will agree that the staffroom looks very smart.
Sadie Harmin is a little girl in America with a big smile whose grandmother & mother have been very supportive of our charity and of the projects we are helping. I have just sent Sadie’s grandmother a photo of the new staffroom and she is delighted with how it looks and with Sadie’s name written on the side.
The next building that we hope will be completed very soon, as the builders are working hard, is a two classroom block; one will be Bright Futures Nursery, and one will be an extra classroom for when extra room is needed/year group being split into two different lessons.
We are very grateful for the financial support we received last year from the charity Vets with Horsepower which made the building of this staffroom possible.
Hope you enjoy looking at these photos. There will be more from Bright Futures Secondary School in the next few days with new students looking for sponsors and school uniform and shoes being distributed. If you would like to support the education of a young person living in extreme poverty then please do get in touch. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Thanks, Sarah x
It’s International Literacy Day today! We are celebrating all the amazing children and young people we are helping to support through literacy in rural northern Malawi.
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 8/9/25
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General
“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” Albert Einstein
“Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.” Barack Obama
On International Literacy Day, we want to share some of the ways we, with the help of our supporters, are making a difference to literacy levels in rural northern Malawi.
1.School Literacy Project. How can children learn to read properly if they don’t have books to practice? So far, we have gifted 20 boxes of books to Chambo Primary School and Kalanga Primary School, both of which are in Chitipa District in the far north of Malawi. Most schools do not have enough resources, children do not have the notebooks and pencils that they need. Occasionally, we can provide a notebook and pencil for the oldest children at these primary schools, thanks to money raised from our supporters. Despite having so much stacked against them, since preloved books have been donated to these schools, the p8 exam pass rate has gone up almost 20% to 78% which is amazing! We hope to keep going with this project as it is proving to be such a success. This is a low cost project with a huge impact. The preloved books are donated, but what we do have to pay for is £17.50 per box of books on the container ship to Malawi. We need your help to support this project so that we can include other schools in our School Literacy Project. You can make a donation via the website, or our QR code or email me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
2. Emma’s Rainbow Library was built in memory of Emma Buchanan who lived in Balfron (where we are based). Emma loved being read to whilst she was ill and her family helped raise funds towards this library. There are story books for all ages, reference books, school books and a couple of computers in the library which is a fantastic resource for all the children and young people in the surrounding area. Children are learning to love books and spend quiet time reading for pleasure here. Yesterday, I attended an event by the first ever Balfron Book Festival. I had a stall where people could donate their preloved books and I was able to tell lots of people about the impact their donations are having on literacy levels.
3. Bright Futures Nursery Care Packages. The nursery was opened as pre-schoolers were hanging about with nowhere to go. They are fed at each session. Each child that starts nursery receives a bag containing; two red t-shirts, three pairs of underwear, soap, toothpaste & toothbrush, a blanket, a soft toy and two picture story books. We want every home to have at least two books that the family can share together. When the nursery children first saw the books that we were sending, they didn’t know what to do with them and didn’t know how to turn the pages on a book. Now they look forward to a story! The school teachers at Chambo Primary have said that there is a noticeable difference in the children’s literacy when they start school to those who have not attended nursery. We need your support for this important project to continue please. It costs £10 per child to receive a care package to support their wellbeing and their literacy. We would love your help.
4. Bright Futures Secondary School. There weren’t enough places for some of the young people we help to support in the nearest secondary schools and secondary schools aren’t free in Malawi. So, again thanks to our supporters, we raised funds to build a small secondary school. All the students are living in extreme poverty, most are orphans, and we match them sponsors to help support their education. Everything is free to these students; education, school uniform, stationery and they receive a free school lunch each day which, for many of them, is the only food they have to eat. The whole S2 class all passed their national Junior Certificate of Education exams which was a great achievement! The more sponsors we have, the more students can attend Bright Futures Secondary School. We ask for £25 per month per student. You can sponsor as an individual, friends, or family splitting the monthly cost. We even have a few businesses sponsoring young people. If you would like to help a young person have a brighter future please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
As you can see there is a great deal happening to support literacy in the community we are helping to support in rural northern Malawi. But there is still a lot more to do. We need financial support to keep the above projects going so that young people have choices, chances and opportunities that they wouldn’t previously have had. They are desperate for education and want to learn. Will you help please?
We are hoping to collect and send board books to distribute to the new mum’s at Chambo Health Centre as part of our Mother & Baby project so that babies can have access to books with their parents and looking at picture books will become an everyday activity before they even get to nursery and school.
Also there are plans for adult literacy classes which we hope will be able to start soon as a trial. There are so many adults who have missed out on education because they have had to work from an early age to help provide food for their family. Let’s see if we can continue, with your help, Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you so much for your support, Sarah x
Our QR code where you can make a donation to support our School Literacy Project or one of the other projects. Thank you!The S2 students at Bright Futures Secondary School all received new uniform and stationery before sitting their national exams. We are so proud as all of them passed! If you would like to sponsor a young person’s education then please do get in touch. The more sponsors we have then the more students can go to school!Children in one of the classrooms at Kalanga Primary School looking at some of the books that they have been gifted as part of our School Literacy Projectsome of the nursery children, outside the library, showing off the bars of soap they have receivednursery children with their care packagesBoxes of books gifted to Chambo Primary Schoollearning about digital literacy in Emma’s Rainbow LibraryBible Knowledge is a core subject at schools in Malawi. We received a donation of preloved bibles from a church in Edinburgh and were able to send these to students at Bright Futures Secondary School. The majority of lessons are in English with Chichewa also being a core subject in schools.One of the children from Bright Futures Nursery with his care packagePlease support literacy in rural northern Malawi. Thank you!
Great results! THE SCHOOL LITERACY PROJECT IS WORKING AND MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON LITERACY LEVELS OF CHILDREN LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY in rural northern Malawi!
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 22/8/25
There have, once again, been some great exam results from Chambo Primary School!
In 2019, 59% of p8 students passed their primary school leavers exams. In 2020 and 2021 the figure was 60% for each of these years. In 2022 the figure rose to 63% pass rate. In 2023, 69% of students passed their exams and in 2024 that figure had risen to 78% of students passing their primary school leavers exams.
This year the pass rate was again 78% but three students got such good grades in their exams, they have been offered places at one of the big government secondary schools. This is an amazing achievement for Chambo Primary School as other, bigger primary schools have not had any students selected.
Education officials, teachers, students and the community are all noticing that the help that Chambo Primary School has had, thanks to our supporters, is making a big difference. THE SCHOOL LITERACY PROJECT IS WORKING AND MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON LITERACY LEVELS OF CHILDREN LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY!
Also, these students have had notebooks (not enough for all year), girls have a toilet block, upper classes now have desks and benches, there is clean water for drinking and handwashing and also an orchard has been planted.
The children and their teachers no longer feel forgotten. They have hope of a brighter future! Thank you so much to all who have helped and supported with these projects. We are making good progress, with tangible results, and we couldn’t do this without you.
Unfortunately, we still cannot get any big charities to feed the primary school children in the rural far north…none of the primary schools in that area have a porridge programme as no big charities are working that far north. So there is still the issue of malnutrition to address which we need help with.
But for today, we can celebrate what we all have achieved, and we are including all our supporters in part of our team as you play a vital role in helping the children and young people. Well done everyone!! We are so pleased that small changes are having a big impact and giving young people opportunities, choices and chances that they wouldn’t previously have had. Also, thank you to Levison and his team for their tireless work for the children.
The school literacy project is a relatively low cost project as the preloved books are donated. We just need to buy the strong boxes and pay for the cost of shipping them on the container which is £17.50 per box, and fuel in Malawi when Levison and team collect the boxes from the container. Please help us keep sending more boxes of books by scanning the QR code and making a donation towards the cost of sending boxes. Or you can make a donation via the website or contact me for bank details. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Please do have a read at the attached two links and have a look at the photos as a reminder of how, together, we are Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x
There is lots of building work going on at Bright Futures Secondary School now that the students and teachers are on holiday. The plan is that everything is ready for the new term starting in a month’s time. These photos and video were from last week.
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 20/8/25
There is lots of building work going on at Bright Futures Secondary School now that the students and teachers are on holiday. The plan is that everything is ready for the new term starting in a month’s time. These photos and video were from last week.
As there will be four year groups next term, more teaching staff have had to be employed to cover the extra classes. A new staffroom block is almost finished which will provide the teachers with plenty of room and will be equipped with solar power. This is the building you can see in the photos.
Work has started on the foundations of a new classroom block which will provide an extra classroom as well as a purpose built nursery class which will be far better for the preschool children and will mean that the resources don’t have to always be packed away at the end of each session.
More bricks have been made and were fired at the weekend, so next week they will be ready to start building with. There are also two small semi-detached houses being built and an extension to the chicken coop and to the pig pen.
All of this progress is thanks to the support we have received from grants and donations. We are very grateful that money was in place so that this building work can happen while the students are on holiday from Bright Futures Secondary School.
We look forward to bringing more photos and videos soon and to seeing the finished buildings! Many thanks for your support, Sarah x
