We were extremely grateful to receive our second grant from The Souter Charitable Trust. We had a cheque for £3,250 to spend on secondary school text books.
When Levison was in Mzuzu this week, he was able to call in at the book store to collect the order. That is a very large number of books and is a huge contribution. Thank you so much to The Souter Charitable Trust for helping us support some of the most vulnerable children in rural northern Malawi.
However, prices keep rising and Levison wasn’t able to get quite as many books as he thought. There are 12 subjects in the curriculum. He managed to get 10 books in some subjects, 15 in other subjects. So we will need to spend the same again or more just to make sure that students at Bright Futures Secondary School have the textbooks they need. Ideally, we would love all students to have their own books but we know this is far beyond our means at the moment. So our aim would be that we get enough copies for two students to be able to share a textbook. https://gofund.me/44a92444 is the link for our school fundraiser (and you can leave a comment ‘books’ or email me)
Each text book costs approximately £8-£9 currently. So to continue with our gift of education we really do need your help. Can you buy a book for a vulnerable student? If every person reading this blog donated their own coins and asked their family and friends to donate their loose change, I wonder how many text books we would be able to buy? Let’s give the gift of education. Let’s give our loose change to continue Changing Lives Malawi. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com thanks for reading and supporting, Sarah x
Thanks to The Souter Charitable Trust, Levison was able to purchase all these textbooks
Levison Mlambya is a humble man. He is an incredibly hard worker and he has a vision to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in his community. His friendship with William Stewart helped to make this vision a reality and Levison has been hard at work for long hours every day serving his community.
Since William died in January, 2021, Levison has had a difficult time, but he has kept plodding, day by day, ensuring he does everything he can for those in need who come to The Foundation every day.
There has been a lot happening for Levison this week and we, at Changing Lives Malawi, are delighted that he has had these opportunities. We are also very proud of him. He is making some great connections with people and what he and his team do at The Foundation, through the various projects, is getting recognised.
On Sunday, Levison and the children had a visit from author, Ndongolera Mwangupili who wrote ‘Sons of The Hills’ and who kindly donated a copy of his book to Emma’s Rainbow Library at The Foundation. Ndongolera was impressed with the library and spent time chatting with some of the children. Visits like this are so important so the children can see that they can aspire to be writers if they wanted to.
Levison was en route to Mzuzu and stopped off at Karonga on Wednesday. He was delighted to meet and have a meal with Mercy Sibande, Manager of The Maime Martin Fund in Malawi, and Alan Laverock, Treasurer and Trustee of The Maime Martin Fund and also Chair Person of The Bananabox Trust in Dundee. They had a good chat before Levison set off again to The Grand Palace Hotel, Mzuzu.
He was honoured to have been invited to ‘The Regional Consultation of The National Book and Reading Policy in Malawi’. Even more of an honour, Levison was asked to be a speaker about the literacy initiatives that are being implemented at The Foundation. We are so proud of you Levison for making a difference to so many children.
Of course, none of this could happen without our supporters. So if you have donated books, paid for the transportation of a box, driven boxes to Dundee, sponsored a vulnerable child so they can go to secondary school, or donated to the new school project….or anything else…THANK YOU! We value your help and support and we are glad you are on our team as we all do our own little bit to help some of the most vulnerable children in rural northern Malawi.
However, there is so much more to do and we need even more support. Here are ways you can get involved and help us:
Join in with our fundraiser by walking, running or cycling and logging your kilometres for our kilometre challenge https://forms.gle/twQYfx7LRRrtvdhx9
If you live fairly local to me…can you donate children’s books? They must be in good condition and a few £££ to help towards transportation would be really helpful. Seventeen boxes of books were already gifted to Chambo Primary School and lots more schools have said they would like books too.
Could you sponsor a box of books please? It’s £15 per box on the container.
Pencils/pens/rubbers/sharpeners/pencil cases/maths sets/scientific calculators/English pocket dictionaries are always needed.
Soap, toothbrushes & toothpaste are always needed and very welcome.
There are lots of vulnerable children still waiting to be matched with sponsors. It’s only £25 p/m to be a sponsor, or you can split that cost with a friend or extended family. Also a club or a business could sponsor a child.
Can you organise a fundraiser for us? A coffee morning? A sponsored event?
Sharing our posts online is a great way of helping more people find out about the projects that are happening in rural northern Malawi.
Can we come and speak at your event and show photos & videos from Malawi?
Author Ndongolera Mwangupili gifted a copy of his book to the library
Levison met Mercy and Alan at Karonga for a mealLevison (next to lady in green skirt) and other delegates outside The Grand Palace Hotel, MzuzuThe invite to the conference
As well as being good at cycling, Jackie is good at numbers so she is very kindly keeping a record of how many kilometres have been completed….however she does need people to record their km on our form https://forms.gle/twQYfx7LRRrtvdhx9 or if you aren’t able to do that then please message me so we can make sure your kilometres are counted contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
We need more people to join us as there are over 13,000km to cover. We are aiming to cover the distance from Balfron where the boxes of aid start from to The Foundation. One of the routes the container takes is from Dundee where the container gets loaded at The Bananabox Trust, then Grangemouth Docks, Antwerp all the way to Beira in Mosambique and through Malawi to Chitipa District where The Foundation is. So any kilometres you can add will be gratefully received….and we will be grateful for any sponsorship money too so we can help build a desperately needed school. To donate here is the link: https://gofund.me/44a92444
Jackie tells me that (including the 320km the children in Malawi completed in their run) 934.42kms have been completed so far…which equates to 7.11% of the total required. It’s a great start but we need more of you to join our team. Whether you are walking your dog, walking round the shops, running after your children or going for a jog…. get a pedometer or track your kilometres on your phone…. you can help us by just doing what you do each day!
Paul is on holiday and has recorded a lovely 5km walk on the beach. Who else is on holiday and having a stroll? Or are you in the gym and can add your cycle or running machine efforts to our total? Looking forward to hearing from you. Today’s photos are of Paul’s beach walk and Jackie’s bike ride with her eldest son Ben. Very well done all three of you! Thanks to all who are continuing to help raise funds to build a school. We really do make a great team! Thanks for reading and supporting, Sarah x
Just a quick update on the brickmaking for stage 1 of Bright Futures Secondary School. Levison has sent some photos today and everyone involved in the making of bricks has been working hard. There has now been approximately 16,000 bricks made. They are left to dry in the sun and then will be built into a kiln and baked. There will still need to be more bricks made but at least building work will be able to start once this first lot of bricks are ready.
We are really needing your support to help us fund this school so that all children have access to education. Please help https://gofund.me/44a92444 and if you’d like to get involved in our kilometre challenge here is the link to all the information you need. https://forms.gle/twQYfx7LRRrtvdhx9 Please help give the gift of education. Thanks for reading, Sarah x
working hard mixing water into the earthwater being mixed with the earth to make bricksbricks drying in the sun
As the school we are fundraising for is a community school, some of the children who are supported by The Foundation will also be walking or running a kilometre to add to our total. I’m hoping to bring you photos and videos tomorrow or Sunday of the children taking part in our challenge. Hopefully, a few people might sponsor them? It would be really good if they knew they were helping to make the school a reality by getting involved in the fundraising.
I’m going on my exercise bike soon and will log my kilometres….I’m just aiming for 5km today but will do more next time. Have you decided to join us on our virtual journey…what are you going to do? Or are you going to sponsor someone instead? Thanks for reading, Sarah x
Every child, no matter where they are in the world, deserves an education. Let’s build a school! We need you on our team.
Here is the link with the information you need to join in our challenge! https://forms.gle/twQYfx7LRRrtvdhx9 It is a huge challenge for our team to travel the 13,144 km that is one of the routes the container travels. It also includes the journey from here (Balfron, Scotland) to Dundee to the Bananabox Trust warehouse and in Malawi the distance from Ekwendeni which is the final destination of the container back to Chitipa that Levison will make. We have used Chitipa as the nearest destination on all maps to The Foundation.
So we are looking for families to join in as well as serious athletes and gentle walkers. Oh and bored teenagers who would like to keep their fitness up over the school holidays – we’d love to hear from you too! Maybe you could have an element of competition with your friends? Do you need to learn something new for your Duke of Edinburgh Award? Or do some volunteering? This challenge could be used for either of those.
The more people who help us, the quicker we can do this challenge. The more people that take part and are sponsored, the more money we raise. The more people who share our posts then the wider the audience so we aren’t always asking the same people. We would absolutely love people right across the world to take part in our challenge. This is a challenge to raise funds to build a secondary school for some of the most vulnerable children in Northern Malawi. It would be fantastic to have people from our global community taking part and raising funds to build a school and give the gift of education.
The challenge starts tomorrow, 1st July, and you can do as many or as few kms as you want. Please ask your friends to join in and please ask people to sponsor you. Together we can keep Changing Lives Malawi. Together we can build a school. Land clearing has already started and bricks are being made. Thanks so much for your continued support and let me know if you have any questions, thank you, Sarah x
I’m not very technically minded but, thankfully, I know a few people who are. Very soon, we will be launching a fundraiser where anyone who wants to be involved; wherever you are in the world, whatever your ability or age….you CAN make a difference.
We are going on a very long journey, and you can join us, by whatever means you want. The more people who join in then the more sponsor money there will be and the quicker we can complete this challenge. We need to build a secondary school as there aren’t enough places currently. We need to raise more money in order to do this. We need your help and they children are relying on your help and our help. So will you join us?
You can walk, run, cycle, hop, skip or jump or use your visit to the gym to log miles on the running machine, exercise bike or rowing machine. Kids can join in, families, individuals, friends. There can be a competitive element between friends or a whole club could see how far they got in a night by adding their miles together. Please, please join us. We can’t do it without your help.
ALL CHILDREN DESERVE AN EDUCATION WHEREVER THEY ARE IN THE WORLD. Can you help us by raising a few £££ sponsorship money or sponsoring us? Let’s do this. As a team we can build a school and continue Changing Lives Malawi. Get in touch to register your interest and watch this space for more information. Thanks for reading, Sarah x contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
we need you to join our teamplease help us raise funds for a school and have fun and set yourself a challenge!
Exciting times! Levison and his trustees have named the new school Bright Futures Secondary School! An excellent name as this new school will make hundreds, if not thousands, of children’s lives brighter and give them hope for the future.
Levison says that having a name for the school before even the first brick has been laid is important and the way things are done ahead of meetings with officials.
I’m very excited by this project but also slightly anxious as it’s my job, and our charity’s job, to raise the funds for this project as The Foundation has no funds of it’s own for such projects. Obviously, in time they will be self-sufficient and building a school is certainly providing employment opportunities for clearing ground and making bricks… and that’s just to start with.
Clearing the ground
Thank you to everyone who has given generously already but if you can donate a few ££££ please get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com for bank details or my fundraiser is still open https://GoFund.me/ca9c1629 thanks so much for helping us continue Changing Lives Malawi and providing Brighter Futures through Brighter Futures Secondary School, Sarah x
Clearing the groundBreaking up the ground to make bricksBricks being made and left to dry Bricks are being made at two sites..at the Foundation and at a site about 1km awayAdding lots of water to the soil
This is a secondary school for the most vulnerable children that the Foundation supports. Children who are orphans or their families are extremely poor. Also some other very vulnerable children from nearby villages will be able to attend.
The school will start with S1 classrooms and teachers accommodation and more of the school will be built over the next few years for S2, S3 and S4.
This is a community school for the most vulnerable in the community. This school is the key to a brighter future for this community. They need a helping hand to achieve this and that is where all of us can help.
£1,400 has already been sent to help pay the wages of locals who are making bricks and clearing land….so that is creating employment. More money will be needed for wages to complete the process of building the school.
Here are some of the ways you can help. It is a huge project for a small organisation to undertake but the children have always been the priority and all children have the right to an education. Please help us continue Changing Lives Malawi. I’ll be posting photos in the next few days of the land clearing and brick making. Thank you so much for your continuing support. Even a few £££ will make a difference so please give if you can. Sarah x
Let’s Build A School!
Help us give the gift of education. Help us build a school in Ibuluma.
Currently there are not enough secondary school places so, even if you pass your primary school exams, if you aren’t picked for a place at secondary then you can’t go. Education should be available to all and is the way to a better future. Please help us build a school.
Please buy from the following list to help us continue Changing Lives Malawi. We can send a card (from an original painting by Christine Cresswell, trustee) to the recipient on your behalf if you’d like this to be a gift, or post to yourself to give, for £1 extra. (costs can be saved on desks if anyone knows of any high schools of similar getting rid of desks/tables to send via the Bananabox Trust rather than ones being made in Malawi)
We have been fundraising to build a school in the village where The Foundation is. There currently are not enough secondary school places and the nearest secondary school is too far to walk so the children have to board. Even though students pass their primary school leavers exams, if they don’t get picked for a place at secondary school then they can’t go. The children are desperate for an education as they know that a good education is key to having a better future. Education is the way out of poverty for these young people and their future families.
I did a challenge last month for the 31 days in May…. people generously donated to my fundraiser. There’s been £1,400 sent to Levison so far for clearing the ground and making bricks. If anyone wants to donate then the link is here https://gofund.me/ca9c1629 or you can email for our bank details to do a bank transfer. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . We have lots more money to raise but work is about to start. Ground will be cleared and bricks will be made. The school, as it is obviously a big project, will be done in four stages. To start with, it will be for Standard 1 pupils who are supported by The Foundation and others locally who cannot afford to pay the fees to go to secondary school. Then year after year, classrooms for S2, S3 and S4 will be built. We are going to need a lot of support with this project as it is a big endeavour. However, it is every child’s right to have an education and we believe that everyone should have the chance to shine and be the best they can be. A school will bring employment and future self-sufficiency for a community.
There will be opportunities for you to give and have your name, or that of a loved one, written on the school. For example, a metal roof panel is approximately £30. If you bought a roof panel you could have your name, that of someone else, or a business name written on the roof panel (above and below). We are also going to be having another fundraiser in which you can be involved.
Today, one of the classrooms has been given a name…before it’s even been built! One of our lovely supporters and her mum used to sit and knit hats for the children to help keep them warm during the colder months. There are lots of knitted hats on the container that is currently on its way made by this mother and daughter team. Very sadly, the mum became ill unexpectedly and passed away shortly afterwards. All this lovely lady’s wool supplies have been donated to our charity to send to the knitting group at The Foundation. There will be some beautiful things made from the wide range of lovely colours of wool that have been boxed up to send.
At this lady’s funeral, the collection was split between three charities. This lady’s husband picked our charity as one of the three. He knew how much his wife had enjoyed making hats for the children and that their daughter also supports our charity. We are very grateful for this generous donation in memory of a lovely lady. Levison has said he would like the donation to go towards the school building and the family are very happy about that. Levison suggested that a classroom be called after her. As the family’s surname is ‘Bright’ the family have asked if the classroom could be called ‘Bright Futures’.
The futures of some of the most vulnerable children in rural Northern Malawi will be much brighter thanks to the Bright family. The name and memories of this lovely lady will live on and so many will benefit from the generosity of her family. Thank you to the Bright family for naming the first classroom ‘Bright Futures’. We are so sorry for your loss but we are grateful you have chosen to help provide a Bright Future for hundreds of vulnerable children through the new school. If you would like to name a classroom then please do get in touch. https://gofund.me/ca9c1629contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com thanks for reading, Sarah x
Levison contacted me late yesterday to tell me of a family in great need of help and asking if we can please help them. He doesn’t usually plead on behalf of families or individuals unless they really are in a bad situation. So here is what he’s told me;
Mercy is a 17 year old girl living with her mum and younger brother. Mum is a full time carer to the younger brother as he has significant additional needs. Mercy was at secondary school in S3. She has had to drop out of school as the elderly relative who was paying her fees is now ill.
So what I am looking for please is a sponsor for Mercy so she can return to school and her studies. I am also looking for a sponsor for the little boy so that it means there is regular food to top up the small amount they manage to get from others who help them. Blankets and clothes will be given and, once I’ve done a bit more investigation into the little boy’s needs, I will put together a care pack with appropriate toys and nappies (if needed).
So can you sponsor Mercy or her brother please. It’s only £25 per month per child to make a big difference to them. You can sponsor as an individual, as a family, two friends sharing the cost or a club, church or business. It’s only 85p per day to change a life. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com to make a difference today. This might be the most important thing anyone does for this family. Thanks for reading and caring about the vulnerable children in Malawi. If you can share this post I’d be very grateful. Thanks, Sarah x
Mercy needs a sponsor to pay for her school fees. She is in S3 but has had to drop out.Mercy’s mum and younger brother. He needs a sponsor as his mum is his full-time carer and therefore cannot work. Please help this little family.
It seems ages ago that I was eating rice and vegetables to represent how little to eat the children in Malawi have. I was also cycling on my exercise bike to represent how far the children have to walk to school each day. Because of your generosity, we have already sent £1,400 to Malawi for them to begin making the bricks for the new school. We obviously need more money than this but it is a very good start. My fundraiser is still open if anyone else would still like to donate then here is the link https://gofund.me/ca9c1629 Let’s build a school!
There are currently not enough spaces in the local secondary school. If you don’t get picked to go to secondary school then you don’t go. That’s not fair. Life is very hard for these children. Lots of the children are orphans, others are also very vulnerable. All have experienced loss and trauma. The Foundation is taking an holistic approach to try to give these children a better future. To try to change their lives. Let’s build a school!
We also hope to bring news of a team event soon that everyone can join in if they want and be sponsored! Let’s build a school!!
130 chairs are going on the container to Malawi this time, as well as boxes and a few tables. If anyone knows of any adult size school tables that are being updated and no longer needed then please let me know. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Let’s build a school!
We were very fortunate to receive a grant last week from The Souter Charitable Trust for 10 full sets of text books for each of the 4 years of secondary school. These will make a big difference to the young people to have a higher ratio of books per student during lessons and for homework and studying. The cheque was for £3,250 so we are very, very grateful. Let’s build this school and improve the lives of vulnerable young people. Education is their way out of poverty. Every child deserves an education. https://gofund.me/ca9c1629 . Thanks for reading and helping us to help The Foundation support hundreds of very vulnerable children, Sarah x Let’s build a school!
