Tag: school uniform

A Difficult Journey

It’s been a really difficult few days for Levison and his colleagues. This blog tells the story…..

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Sarah’s blog 2/2/26

I want to use today’s blog to explain how hard and exhausting things can be for Levison and his team in Malawi. I don’t think any of us can begin to understand quite how challenging life can be for Levison and his colleagues. Yet they continue to work hard to support their community. Despite the difficulties, they continue to be committed to making a difference. We are so thankful that we have such caring partners in Malawi. Thank you Levison and team. This is the story of a difficult journey.

As the village they live in is at the foot of the Mafinga Hills (near the borders with Zambia and Tanzania) they have to travel a long way to collect the boxes we send. It is approximately 300km each way but, as you will read, it is far from straightforward and is a difficult journey.

The truck set off from Ibuluma, between Chisenga and Chitipa, on Thursday early afternoon and travelled to Karonga. The three colleagues slept at Karonga and set off very early on Friday morning to reach Ekwendeni (near Mzuzu) by 10am when the container was due to be unloaded.

On the way they had a scheduled stop to get two new batteries for the truck. Once the batteries had been fitted, Levison then needed a welder to replace the bars covering the batteries which help prevent them from being stolen.

It is currently the rainy season. When it rains, it really rains. Recently, some bridges and roads have been damaged, houses and schools have been destroyed and crops washed away. Driving on country roads is always a difficult journey, but more so during the rains.

Thankfully, the lorry carrying the container arrived from Lilongwe after having to have a crack in its water tank repaired. Levison and his two colleagues collected all their boxes and loaded them onto the back of the truck. Everything was tied down and covered with tarpaulins to protect the boxes from the weather.

Levison had suggested to others travelling in the same direction that they go in convoy so that it would be safer in case of breakdowns, accidents or robberies. It gets dark in Malawi at 6pm all year round so much of their journey was undertaken in darkness, making it more dangerous.

Unfortunately, the people who had agreed to travel north with Levison changed their minds and drove off. Levison phoned them and they said they’d wait but again drove off. It’s disappointing when not everyone looks out of each other despite having had help and support from Levison previously.

As Levison’s truck was travelling slowly, in the dark, avoiding potholes at Jalawe, they were suddenly aware of people on the truck. They think there were a lot of people hiding in the bushes. They managed to chase two people off the truck once they stopped and got out of the cab. Unfortunately, the people had ripped the tarpaulin covering the boxes and made off with at least three boxes.

The thieves have had training shoes, school uniform for Bright Futures Secondary School and other clothes and shoes. A skirt was found at the side of the road that had been dropped as the robbers ran off. I am so thankful that Levison noticed quickly and they managed to scare the people away and that more things weren’t stolen or anyone hurt.

This incident has been reported to the police.

Once they arrived at Karonga, a new tarpaulin had to be bought to keep the worst of the rain from ruining the boxes and their contents. They rested at Karonga before continuing their journey. Something also broke on the truck due to the roads being so bumpy. Levison messaged to say that they were going to get the truck fixed once the torrential rain stopped.

Finally, exhausted, Levison and his two colleagues have arrived back safely at 4am on Sunday morning, the fourth day. As you can see, it’s a difficult journey. Nothing is straightforward. Could we do this for those in need? Would we go to all this effort?

All the boxes have had to be crosschecked to check what has been stolen. Many of the boxes are wet due to the tarpaulin being ripped open. Hours of extra work is now taking place trying to dry everything out before it all gets ruined. As we carefully label each box to say which project/who it is for and what it contains, all the wet things need to be kept together to ensure that they go to the correct place. It will take a lot of organisation and disruption to ensure everything is ok. This has taken all of today, both here and in Malawi, helping Levison with identifying boxes, what they contain and which project it is for. Tomorrow, all the wet items will need to be sorted and hung up to dry.

Despite all the challenges they carry on supporting the most vulnerable in their community. This is the story of a difficult journey. There are challenges every day; sourcing enough maize for the weekly feeding programme, finding fuel for the truck or having to wait days until the petrol stations have had a delivery. Daily, people are turning up asking for help. People cannot feed their families because of the food crisis in Malawi.

Hopefully, this gives blog more of an insight into just how challenging life can be for Levison and his team. This is one difficult journey. Every day there are difficult decisions. Things are getting better but there is still so much to do. We need your help and support to ensure that life continues to improve for the hundreds of vulnerable young people and their families. All are living in extreme poverty and need a helping hand through education, feeding and sustainable projects.

I apologise if I sound upset and frustrated. I am, on behalf of Levison and his team. So much extra work has been caused by these thieves ripping the tarpaulins. Many of the boxes have been soaked by heavy rain. Hopefully, most things can be dried and saved and that we will be able to share photos of items being given to those most in need over the next few weeks.

Thanks everyone for your continued support. To Levison and team, thank you for all your hard work and commitment. Also, thank you to all the volunteers at Bananabox Trust who organise the container. Together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi, Sarah x If you’d like to get in touch our email is contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Everything needs covering with tarpaulins and tied down. As it is the rainy season, it was raining whilst they were loading the truck. The tarpaulins are vital to keep the worst of the weather from the boxes of aid that have been sent.
This is the tarpaulins after they have been ripped open by people climbing on the truck to steal what they could.

International Day of Education

It is International Day of Education. Every young person deserves an education and to be the best they can be. Today’s blog shares photos from our projects.

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Sarah’s blog 24/1/26

Today is International Day of Education. I’m sharing some photos that reflect some of the projects and young people we are helping to support. There is still much to do. But, thanks to the help of our supporters, young people in rural Northern Malawi have a brighter and better future. It is always about teamwork and we’d love you to join our team of supporters. You can help enable even more young people to reach their potential on International Day of Education.

These are just a few of the ways we are involved in supporting the education of the most vulnerable children and young people. If you would like to help then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com or you can donate via our website. On International Day of Education will you help a child succeed? Together, we can give young people more opportunities and support education. These children are amazing and want to succeed. They want to learn and are hard workers. They just need a helping hand.

Also, I am visiting Malawi for the first time this summer and am getting very excited about my trip. Here is a fundraiser and I’d be grateful if anyone would like to make a small donation. It is to help some of the projects which I will be helping during my visit. https://gofund.me/db5496892 As always, a big THANK YOU for all the support and help we receive, Sarah x

Literacy at Chambo Primary School and Kalanga Primary School is improving thanks to the preloved books we have sent as part of the School Literacy Project. Students are becoming more confident readers now they have a range of books to read and exam pass rates are rising.
Young people have been involved in planting fruit tree saplings and pine trees, supporting their education, giving them skills for life and planting future food.
Students at Chambo Primary School were delighted to receive notebooks and pens
We have matched some of the most vulnerable children with sponsors and they receive a food parcel each month. Children cannot learn if they are suffering from malnutrition. Unfortunately, the food crisis in Malawi is getting worse.
Thanks to everyone who has supported the building of Bright Futures Secondary School. There are now 5 classrooms and a dedicated classroom for Bright Futures Nursery.
The newest classroom block has a classroom dedicated to sewing and textiles and another classroom for Bright Futures Nursery
Children walk for miles as they are so hungry and know that they will receive a proper meal once a week at the feeding programme. We need your support to continue feeding them with rising food costs and scarcity of food.
There was great excitement when the first boxes of preloved books arrived
Students at Bright Futures Secondary School have designed and built their first beehive and are now waiting for the bees to move in
Students are learning skills for life at Bright Futures Secondary School. They are also supporting the Period Poverty Project by making reusable sanitary towels for all who need them to ensure girls do not miss school for one week each month.
Some of the science equipment bought with a grant received from The Clive Richards Foundation for Bright Futures Secondary School
Periodically, children are given clothes that we have sent. These children in red tops attend Bright Futures Nursery.
Students at Bright Futures Secondary School receive free education and free school lunch thanks to their sponsors. They also receive free school uniform, stationery, water bottle, school bag and shoes all free of charge. The more vulnerable teenagers we can match with sponsors, the more teenagers can be helped through education.
Happy students with their gifts. They have also received toothbrush, toothpaste and soap.
We helped with the introduction of rugby to the north of Malawi. Young people are enjoying learning and playing a new sport.
Thanks to the many clubs who have donated preloved sports kit, making a difference to the confidence and self-esteem of hundreds of young people who are now proud to be part of a team.
Students at Bright Futures Secondary School are working hard to pass their exams
Four of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School with some of the new tools they received
Two new classrooms
Celebrating Success at Bright Futures Secondary School
Bright Futures School’s Innovative Beekeeping Initiative

World Children’s Day

Today’s blog has great photos of happy children on World Children’s Day!

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Sarah’s blog 20/11/25

World Children’s Day …what does it mean? And is there a point? None of these children know about World Children’s Day. And does it apply to them? Or is it for children not living in extreme poverty?

World Children’s Day, November 20th, marks the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is for all children around the world. However, many children still do not have all the rights that they should do. UNCRC_summary-1_1.pdf

How many do not have a safe home? How many do not have enough to eat? How many do not have safe drinking water? How many do not have proper health care? The list could go on.

We are doing what we can to help hundreds of the most vulnerable children, living in extreme poverty, in rural northern Malawi. Things are better, but they aren’t good enough, there is still so much to do. That is why we are very grateful for all our supporters as it is always about teamwork and together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi.

These are some great photos that were sent to me a couple of days ago. These children are in p5-p7 at Chambo Primary School. There are so many children needing support that the best way is to help a few at a time. They all received new clothes. The team cannot give out too many things at once as families are so desperately poor they would sell some of the clothes to try to buy some food. So, periodically, Levison and his team give out clothes to those most in need.

I can see donations from Balfron Primary School, Strathblane Primary School, Cherry Tree Nursery and All Saints C of E Junior School in Maidenhead. Can you see any other schools or nurseries I have missed? If you message me then I’ll add them in contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Many thanks to everyone who has donated clothes and school uniform to make the lives of these children a little bit better.

These are a couple of ways you can help support children to have a better and brighter future. https://gofund.me/72d809c06 or https://donorsee.com/project/28717?share=1 or you can email me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Thank you for helping to make these children smile, Sarah x

Bright Futures: Helping Vulnerable Students Thrive

Thanks so much to All Saints CofE School, Maidenhead and to the charity Sal’s Shoes for making a difference to these vulnerable teenagers.

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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
Uniform Donation – All Saints Junior School, Maidenhead
Please help sponsor my education at Bright Futures Secondary School

100% pass rate at BFSS for S2 students in the 2025 exams!

Well done students at BFSS for 100% pass rate in JCE exams. We are so proud of each of you for passing your S2 exams!

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Sarah’s blog 18/8/25

Some amazing news to share with you today. We have just heard that all of the S2 students at Bright Futures Secondary School have passed their national JCE exams. We are so proud of how hard they have worked and delighted for each of them.

Each of these students lives in extreme poverty. Most rely on their free school lunch as their only meal each day as there is not enough food at home. Many of them are orphans and live with extended family. All of them have the odds stacked against them achieving their goals.

In Malawi, secondary education needs to be paid for. None of these students would be in school if it wasn’t for the fact that they have each been matched with a sponsor who helps to support the costs of their education at Bright Futures Secondary School, which was built especially for these students who couldn’t afford to pay to go to one of the government secondary schools. Sponsorship is only £25 per month per student and you can sponsor a student as an individual, a group of friends or family or even through your business. We are looking for more sponsors for the new S1 students. If you would like to help then email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

At Bright Futures Secondary School, class sizes are much smaller than at other schools. Students receive all of the following for free: education, uniform, school bag, stationery, torch, toiletries and of course their lunch at school each day. The school uses a holistic approach as theses students need nurturing as well as educating. And look at the results…100% pass rate for the S2 students in their exams. You have all done brilliantly, against the odds, and worked so hard.

We would like to thank the teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School for their hard work and dedication to their students. Great team work everyone, and to Levison for leading the team, well done, another successful school year completed. Also to each of the sponsors, thank you for giving these young people a chance to succeed and shine. They wouldn’t have had the opportunity to study for and sit these exams without your support. Thank you so much, Sarah x

S2 students received new uniform and stationery before sitting their national exams. Well done all of you for passing your JCE (Junior Certificate of Education). We are so proud of your achievements.
Thank you to the sponsors for supporting these vulnerable students at BFSS. Thanks to you, and of course their teachers, they have all passed their S2 exams. They should each be very proud of themselves for all their hard work and dedication.

BFSS – S2 JCE Exams

Good luck to the second year students at Bright Futures Secondary School as they start their national exams tomorrow!

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Sarah’s blog 2/6/25

We wish the very best of luck to the S2 students at Bright Futures Secondary School as they start their national exams tomorrow. Secondary school is over four years in Malawi, with national exams being done at the end of year two and year four. The BSFF students’ exams are over the first 6 days of the timetable.

None of these young people would have had this opportunity if it wasn’t for the generosity of their sponsors. They are all living in extreme poverty and, despite having passed their primary school leavers exams, that would have been the end of their education as none of their families could have afforded the secondary school fees. Most of the students at BFSS are orphans, living with extended family. Most don’t eat at home, so their free school lunch is vital.

They have all been given new pens & pencils and school uniform so they look and feel smart and confident. The exam centre is at Chisenga School so they will be getting taxis there and back each day. Until recently, they had never been in a car before! Once there are more students at Bright Futures Secondary School, students will be able to take their exams at their own school. We need to match more sponsors with students so that they too have the opportunity for a secondary education and have choices and chances that they wouldn’t have had.

We are still asking only £25 per month per student – so if you would like to give a young person a brighter future then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com to make a difference.

So, good luck to the S2 class – Leonard, Timothy, Maggie, Asante, Phaless, Wongani, Wongani, Mphatso, Martha, Brave and Aaron – we are very proud of how hard you have been working and everything you have overcome to get this far! Thanks so much to their sponsors and teachers, Sarahx

Here is the link to help raise money for Bee Keeping at BFSS as part of their agricultura lessons. https://donorsee.com/project/25476?share=1

Lots of boxes to send- please help

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Sarah’s blog 29/08/24

Today has been all about boxes. Thank you to Stuart for driving another carload of boxes to The Bananabox Trust warehouse in Dundee. Once their warehouse is full, they order the next container. We are always grateful to all their volunteers who process the boxes and pack the container. Once Stuart returned from Dundee, he and I spent time packing more boxes this afternoon. Jackie, our numbers guru, and I have just been discussing how much money we have available to send boxes on the next container. Unfortunately, there is never enough in the kitty, so we have to appeal for your help (bank details are at the end of my blog).

Some of our boxes at The Bananabox Trust Warehouse in Dundee

Sending boxes of aid to Malawi is always a bit challenging. Is it economical to send boxes via a container ship then truck to the orphans and other vulnerable children? Should they be buying goods in Malawi instead? There are lots of issues but I’ll try and explain our reasoning for doing what we do.

There are over 500 orphans and other vulnerable children who are living in extreme poverty. Lots of families have been affected by AIDS/HIV so many orphans are living with extended family and are trying to earn a pittance to feed themselves. Therefore, they do not have any spare money to buy clothes. Before we started sending clothes, children were wearing rags. Desperate mothers, who come with their children to ask for help, are able to receive clothes thanks to our supporters.

hundreds of vulnerable children receive preloved school uniform and their self confidence has improved now they have nice clothes to wear.
  1. We appeal for preloved school uniform as it is hardwearing and is usually outgrown while it is still in good condition. It is a way for more people to learn about us and what we do. It is a way to recycle preloved clothes. We also send shoes, baby clothes and blankets which new mothers are so grateful for.
  2. If we didn’t send clothes for the children but sent some money instead, Levison would not be able to buy enough suitable clothing at local markets for the children. Because of the very rural location, this makes accessing shops difficult too. Also purchasing clothes for all those children would cost far too much.
  3. It can get cold at night and as children don’t have enough warm blankets, they need jumpers and hats to keep them warm as they sleep on the floor cuddled with their siblings.
  4. Eventually, because we have sent sewing machines, there won’t be as much need to send as many clothes as they will have the skills to make clothes.
  5. A large percentage of the boxes going on the next container are boxes of children’s books for the School Literacy Project. Primary Schools in rural northern Malawi have minimal resources. We are hoping to raise attainment levels and help children to become confident readers. The books are preloved, from individuals and from local schools and nurseries, so they haven’t cost us anything. We only have to buy the strong boxes to pack them in and pay for transportation. There would be no way of providing books for our project like this if we were to purchase them in Malawi. There aren’t second hand books readily available because owning a book is a precious thing and people, if they are lucky enough to have a book, keep their books. Education is the way out of poverty for thousands of children who will benefit from the School Literacy Project. For £17.50 per box of books – that is a low cost project with the potential to make huge changes.
The first 17 boxes of books gifted to Chambo Primary School. Preschool children in the library had trouble knowing how to turn the pages of these books as they hadn’t had the opportunity to read books before. Some resources I made from bottle tops to support literacy.

Once the community is more self-sufficient and more people have paid employment then they will be able to provide for their own children, both food and clothes. Even daily food is out of reach of some of the people we are helping to support. When the children have better exam results because they’ve had more opportunity to read many more books, they will be able to go on to secondary education (if we can match them with sponsors as secondary education is not free in Malawi).

We will not always send as many boxes as we do currently. The end goal is and has always been helping the community towards self-sufficiency. Hopefully, you will see from this explanation the thought process involved in sending boxes and the huge amount of children who benefit thanks to our supporters. However, we do need financial support to continue helping so many children through all the different projects. It costs £17.50 per box on the container then there are the transport costs in Malawi to collect the boxes from the container. This is such a long journey that it always involves an overnight trip.

So if you are able to help support the sending of preloved shoes and school uniform or to support our School Literacy project we would be very grateful. Financial donations can be made via the website or here are our bank details: Changing Lives Malawi, Bank of Scotland, Sort Code 80-22-60, Account Number 21081462. We always say it’s about teamwork and we couldn’t do what we do without your help and support. If you’d like to get in touch then please email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Thank you, Sarah x

I always remember this photo of Lucia and Rodrick…him wth no top and just one shoe. Lucia with no shoes, their tummies distended due to malnutrition. There are six children in their family. Thankfully, they were given clothes and we were able to get sponsors for three of them, meaning more food goes into their home each month to supplement the food they already have. Please let me know if you would like to sponsor a young person.

Changing Lives Malawi is (nearly) 5 years old!!

As part of our 5th birthday celebrations, we are launching an appeal for preloved books, school uniform and footwear and also asking people to sponsor the cost of sending a box on the container.

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Sarah’s blog 01/05/24

At the end of this month our charity, Changing Lives Malawi, will be 5 years old! To mark this amazing milestone, we will be sharing stories throughout the month, looking back at how things were and what has been achieved. To start the month I’m sharing our birthday appeals.

We have been fortunate that so many people have donated their preloved books to our School Literacy Appeal; individuals, adults, children, local nurseries, schools, church congregations and you all have been making a big difference to literacy levels in the far north of Malawi.

We have been able to stock the shelves in Emma’s Rainbow Library, as well as donating boxes of books to local primary schools. These schools have hardly any resources and our aim is to support children and young people to become more confident readers. How can they practice reading without any books?

The pre-school children in the nursery have missed out on years of pre-reading skills; they haven’t had the picture books to turn pages, to sit on an adult’s knee as a baby and have a favourite story read to them. This was evident when the pre-school children first encountered books that we had sent. They had no idea how to turn pages or what to do with the books. Now, thanks to the support we receive, we are ensuring each child at Bright Futures Nursery has at least two books to take home with them to keep. We want every home to have some books and families to start looking at these books together.

We are appealing for people to get involved and donate preloved books as part of our 5th birthday celebration. We are also appealing for preloved school uniform, shoes, crocs, sliders, trainers (all sizes) but they must be in very good, clean condition. If you can make a small financial donation with your books, clothes or shoes then please do as that will really help us with the costs of transportation.

We are also appealing for people to sponsor a box of books, clothes or shoes. It costs us £17.50 per box on the Bananabox Trust container plus there are additional costs of collecting the boxes in Malawi. We will write your name, name of a loved one, your business or even a funny message on a big label on your box. It would make such a difference if there were enough people covering the cost of boxes and would, therefore, make it such a team effort!

For more information, or to get involved you can email me on contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Together, we CAN continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you to everyone who supports us, Sarah x

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 17

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Sarah’s blog 17/12/23

17th December – The hundreds of vulnerable children who are supported by the Foundation are living in extreme poverty. Many are orphans living with extended family. None have spare money to buy clothes.

As a way of highlighting this community that we are helping to support, we started collecting preloved school uniform to send to the children. School uniform is hardwearing and there is always lots of preloved uniform as children grow so quickly.

The children and young people have loved receiving new clothes and there is always great excitement when they know that new boxes have arrived. There will be another gift day next weekend and lots of sorting into different sizes has been happening this week.

Today’s photo is just some of the schools that we have had uniform from….there have been many more. We are grateful for all the help and support with giving hundreds of children decent clothes to wear. Please note that each box costs us £17.50 to send on the container plus other costs in Malawi to collect the boxes so we really do need financial support to keep repurposing these much needed clothes to the children.

The hope is that, as with other projects, the community can become self-sufficient and the need to send clothes will reduce. However, although a group of girls have started learning to make clothes, they are a long way from being self-sufficient. When there is more money in the community then they might have money for clothes.

If you’d like to donate to this or one of our other projects, then the link is here https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a Thank you to everyone who helps us and supports our projects…we couldn’t do what we do without you. Thanks for reading, Sarah x

New uniform & shoes for the S1 students at Bright Futures SS

This year’s S1 students at Bright Futures Secondary School. They have received gifts of uniform, shoes and school bags.

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Sarah’s blog 20/09/23

Firstly, I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has donated school uniform and school bags for the vulnerable students at Bright Futures Secondary School. Levison said that one of them had said ‘we never expected to have such good quality clothes as this’. So thank you for making a big difference to them and helping them feel important and valued for a change.

Secondly, another huge THANK YOU to the charity Sal’s Shoes Our Story – Sal’s Shoes (salsshoes.com). We were gifted three big boxes of shoes for the teenagers at Bright Futures Secondary School. We are very grateful for this support and we know the young people are delighted to have proper shoes to wear. It has such an impact on their confidence and self-esteem that people who don’t even know them have shown they care about the students by donating uniform and shoes. Now they all look smart and are able to have a sense of pride in their appearance. Proper shoes are also very important when the young people are walking the long distances to and from school across rough ground. Thank you again Sal’s Shoes for all that you do, all the hard work of your volunteers and for everyone who donates shoes to you to pass on to those who need them.

Here are photos of the new S1 students at Bright Futures Secondary School. All of them are vulnerable. All have been given shoes, uniform and school bags. The Only a few of them have sponsors to support their education through secondary school. If you are able to support one of these young people then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com It’s £25 per month to sponsor a young person. Or you could commit to £5 or £10 per month to help pay for school lunches. Each student gets a nutritious cooked lunch each day at Bright Futures Secondary School….for many it is their only proper meal of the day. These young people cannot be expected to concentrate and learn if they have no food in their tummies. Your help would be very much appreciated. The more people who help us support these young people, the more young people we can help and then we can offer places at Bright Futures Secondary School to additional young people. Thank you, Sarah x

Martha, Mphatso and Aaron are choosing shoes from one of the boxes that Sal’s shoes donated
New shoes for Aaron, Martha and Mphatso – thank you
looking very smart in their new uniforms and shoes
John and Asante pose in their new uniform and shoes
Thanks to Sal’s shoes for these very smart shoes that John and Asante are delighted with
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Kalanga Primary School Visit

Levison was able to visit Kalanga primary school today with clothes and books

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Sarah’s blog 07/03/23

Chambo Primary School is the one nearest to The Foundation and the majority of the younger children who are supported by The Foundation go to school there.

Kalanga Primary School is a bit further away but some children who go there also come to The Foundation. Levison had arranged with the headteacher to visit today with clothes for the children who are all very vulnerable. There were enough clothes to ensure everyone received something.

These uniforms were very kindly donated by a parent whose children went to Sinclair House School, Fulham. This school unfortunately closed during the pandemic. However, we are so grateful that these beautiful clothes have been able to be used by children in need and who will make good use of them.

There were so many boxes of uniforms donated that some have already been given out to children who attend Chambo Primary and also some of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School. The children from yesterday’s blog were given new clothes from this school too.

Levison also took four boxes of books for Kalanga Primary School as part of our School Literacy Project to help the children have access to more books and become more confident readers. The teachers were extremely grateful for all these donations and the children were delighted to have new clothes. Hope you enjoy looking at all the photos, Sarah x

A family in need – no food to give – Changing Lives Malawi

A Generous Donation – Changing Lives Malawi

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