Sometimes things happen that can’t be helped. People’s circumstances change and, much as they’d like to keep sponsoring a child through us, sadly they aren’t able to do so. That’s what has happened in this case. Tamara’s sponsor kindly stepped up to sponsor her and pay her fees for her first year at secondary school. Unfortunately, their circumstances have changed. We thank them for what they’ve done for Tamara this year as, without them, she wouldn’t have been able to take up her place at secondary school.
So we are looking for a new sponsor to help Tamara through secondary school please. It’s £25 per month and you can share that cost with a friend if that helps. It’s less than £1 a day to us but means the world to a sponsored young person. If you can help then please contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com and if you can’t help financially then please consider sharing posts in order to help find potential sponsors. Thank you for reading, Sarah x
Tamara is in 2nd year at Chisenga Secondary SchoolTamara, in her new uniform, about to start Chisenga Secondary School last year
It’s been another busy day at Changing Lives Malawi HQ (our house) and the Logistics Manager (my ever helpful husband, Stuart) has been kept extremely busy and I’ve been busy helping him.
At 8.30am this morning we had a delivery of 22 large boxes of school uniform. Most of it is new. Very sadly, a school closed and all of this is their excess uniform. I saw a post on a fb charity site so made contact. The lady that has collected and sent all this uniform was determined that it wasn’t all going to go to landfill.
We are only about a third of the way through repacking it in stronger boxes but here are some photos of the lovely clothes and bags that will be on their way to Malawi very soon. There will be lots of very smartly dressed children who will be delighted to have the gift of brand new clothes. We will, of course, post lots of photos when things eventually arrive at The Foundation. Many thanks for your generosity. Thanks for reading, Sarah x
approximately 20 new backpacks are on their way to the children at The Foundation, jumpers, cardigans, trousers, shorts, pinafores, skorts, polo shirts, shorts, trousers and waterproofs (and that’s only the boxes we’ve opened so far….all clothes age 4 – 10 years)
Yesterday, Levison visited the school to pay school fees for Angela and to pay exam fees for all those students taking exams this year. He was able to take some gifts of underwear, toiletries and calculators with him that arrived recently on the container.
The weather is causing such problems at the moment with the heavy rains causing flooding and making life very difficult for everyone. Levison managed to pay the fees and give out the gifts he brought for the sponsored young people. He also managed to take some individual photos before the rains came. He was absolutely soaked by the time he got home and had to shelter from the heaviest downpours. As he was on his motorbike, it was quite difficult for him on the roads home with all the flooding. Hopefully, the rains will only last another few weeks.
So if you don’t see a photo of your sponsored child in this batch of photos, they will be prioritised for a photo next time. Hope you enjoy the photos and if you would like to sponsor a young person please get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thanks for reading, Sarah x
Exam fees needed to be paid by today and Angela’s school fees too now that she has a sponsor.
Levison visited the school and was able to take some supplies to the young people that had arrived on the container recently. They’ve had underwear, toothbrushes & toothpaste and other toiletries, some clothes and calculators.
All the young people are doing well and were pleased to receive their gifts and they look very smart in their school uniforms.
Levison managed to take some individual photos too, which I will post tomorrow, before the torrential rain started again. I’ve made a note of who had photos taken and will ensure that anyone who didn’t will get their photo taken next time.
Many thanks again to all the sponsors for giving these young people opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the photos, Sarah x
The hundreds of orphans and other vulnerable children in Malawi were wearing rags and very old clothes before The William Stewart Foundation was able to gift clothes to them. Their self-esteem has improved, as has their attendance at school, as they have nice clean clothes and they know that someone cares about them. Thank you to all who have donated school uniform. We’ve had even more schools involved this time. Can you spot any familiar sweatshirts? There is still some more uniform to give out another time so there will be more photos another time. The photos of individual children….only Chisomo is sponsored, so if you wanted to sponsor one of the others or an older child then please do get in touch. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com As always, thank you for reading and supporting, Sarah x
This is just a short story about Angela. She is in 3rd year at Chisenga District Secondary School. Unfortunately, she cannot afford to pay her fees this year. She has been given one more week to find the money and then she will be asked to leave. Angela needs a sponsor for the next two years so she can complete her secondary school education. She needs to be able to concentrate on her studies and not constantly worry about whether she is going to be asked to leave due to lack of finances.
Thankfully, since my last post, a sponsor of another child gave £25 towards Angela’s fees to buy some time until we find a permanent sponsor. Can you help Angela please? It’s £25 per month for a young person to board at school & for the supplies they need. You can sponsor her as an individual or a family or split the monthly fee with a friend. It might be the most important thing anyone has ever done for Angela.
If you can help Angela stay in school and complete years 3 and 4 then please get in touch. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com thanks for reading, Sarah x
When I say HQ I mean our house lol… we certainly aren’t a big enough charity for separate premises..and we have no employees…only volunteers. Luckily we have a very large shed in the garden where donations go until we start with boxing them up again and filling the car with enough boxes to go to Dundee to The Bananabox Trust warehouse to await the next container. Today and tomorrow are boxing up days. Yesterday, someone brought some lovely hats and some wool, there was also a donation of toothbrushes and pencils and someone else contacted me about children’s books. It’s so good that people are thinking about the children, getting involved and supporting our work.
I’m trying to find a sponsor for a year three girl in secondary school whose family can no longer pay her fees. Her name is Angela and I hope to have more details soon and a photo. She needs a sponsor for 2 years to help her stay in school and give her the security of knowing that she’s not constantly worrying about the next fees being due. Sponsoring a young person is just £25 per month.
It’s on our minds all the time about trying to involve more people in supporting the feeding programme. If more people are able to commit to £5 p/m to help feed the children then they will be able to have more than one meal a week at the Feeding Programme which feeds 500 malnourished children once a week. They receive a substantial, nutritious meal but we would love to be able to support an additional meal or a cup of porridge before school. How can children concentrate on learning if they are hungry? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
One of our other trustees is currently exploring the idea of using the round metal sections of old trampolines to send to Malawi to use as the structure for polytunnels to help with food production at The Foundation. After the recent storms, I’m sure he will get a few donations to recycle!
At Dundee, there are boxes ready for the container that we’ve made up for young people going to secondary school next year. Each box has supplies for two students and they will each receive a blanket, sheet, towel, wind up torch, a school bag, calculator, dictionary, stationery, soap and toothbrush and toothpaste. Levison will still have things to buy for the young people going to school, but it will help him a lot having boxes already made up to gift to the students.
Now I’m looking at making up care packages for the nursery children. There is a nursery at The Foundation for 50 children and it meets 3 times a week, supported by donations. The children are aged 4-6 and they are fed at each session. They’ve had uniform and blankets recently gifted to them but it would be lovely if each child starting nursery was given a bag with a few useful gifts in. So from now on, every child starting at The Foundation nursery will receive a drawstring bag containing; 2 red tshirts, 3 pairs of pants, a blanket, a picture book, soap and toothbrush and toothpaste. That way we will know that every child will have been gifted a blanket…. there are still lots of children that the Foundation supports who aren’t even sleeping on a mat…they are sleeping on the bare floor and covering themselves with whatever they can. Hopefully, by making small changes like this then life will keep improving for the orphans and other vulnerable children in Ibuluma.
People are very kindly starting to collect milk carton tops for us so that they can have letters or numbers written on them and be used at the Foundation nursery or at Chambo primary school which is the nearest primary school to the foundation and where 17 boxes of children’s books were delivered recently. Education is key in Changing the Lives of those in northern Malawi.
In the photo are some resources I’ve put together for Chambo Primary School to help with numeracy and literacy. Thanks for reading, Sarah x
Tuntufye Radio in Malawi interviewed Mr Msukwa the Education Advisor for the whole of Chisenga District in the north of Malawi where the Foundation is. I hope to be able to put his interview onto our facebook page but here is a summary of what he said about Levison, The Foundation and the sponsorship programme.
“Levison Mlambya does a lot of work here in Chisenga through lots of different projects. He has supporters in the UK (and elsewhere) we call it The William Stewart Foundation. There are 30 students in Chisenga school and 2 students in Wenya school. There are 19 girls sponsored and in school. I wholeheartedly appreciate the job this young man has done for us. It’s not easy to do what he does. Instead of girls getting married, they are being kept in school. Levison Mlambya already paid all the students fees at the beginning of term and all the learners are in school. I pray they work hard. I encourage them to work hard for university. He (Levison) has done a good job and hope he continues doing a good job. He has a good heart and he his a God fearing man.”
High praise indeed for Levison who works so hard for the hundreds of children supported by The Foundation. Praise that is extremely well deserved. We are extremely lucky to have him. As we keep saying, it’s all about team work. The Education Officer, Mr Msukwa, is so appreciative of how the sponsors are supporting these children, giving them opportunities and changing their lives and it is great to receive feedback like that from the authorities that they recognise that we are all making a difference to orphans and other vulnerable young people in rural northern Malawi.
We still have 11 young people who passed their primary school leavers exams who have sponsors but did not get selected for secondary school. We have been told to wait until the education authorities see what places become available due to students who cannot afford to take up their offered places at secondary school. Hopefully, our 11 will get places then. If not then we will look at hiring a teacher for them at The Foundation.
Levison’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing since that radio interview with people requesting funding for their children. Maybe one day he might be in a position to say ‘yes’ but at the moment there are still hundreds of children supported by The Foundation who need a sponsor. 80 children matched with sponsors is an amazing achievement but we do need to try to find sponsors for other orphans and vulnerable children and give them the chance of education too.
It’s only £25 per month to sponsor a young person. You can sponsor as an individual, a family, split the cost with a friend or your business could sponsor a child. Or you could commit to our Feeding Team and sign up for £5 or £10 per month to help feed the malnourished children more than once a week. On average 500 children are fed a substantial, nutritious meal every week. It’s a great start but not enough. It costs £100 to feed 500 children one meal. Some children don’t eat every day. We appreciate the help of every single person who has committed to these children…but we need to expand our team. Please can you help? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thanks for reading, Sarah x
Levison with some of the children at their Christmas party. They were given new raincoats that had been generously donated and a pencil and lollipop each.
This morning Levison had Gogo Nyamsukwa who is in her 90s visit the Foundation. She was upset and asking for help for her granddaughter who had just been asked to leave secondary school as her fees had not been paid.
Naomi Nyondo is 16 and has finished her first two years of secondary school and passed her second year exams. Unfortunately, the extended family can no longer afford to pay Naomi’s fees. She had no choice when asked to leave school but to walk over 10km back home. This journey in itself is dangerous for a young girl by herself.
From my facebook post this morning, a lady who sponsors another child offered to pay Naomi’s first month’s fees so she could return to school whilst we look for a sponsor to support Naomi for two years until she finishes secondary school. Levison visited her and her gogo (grandma) this afternoon and Naomi cried tears of joy and was comforted by her grandmother….then you can see the huge smile as she realised her dream of a proper education isn’t over. Levison has told her to go back to school tomorrow and he will take her a proper blanket and supplies like the other sponsored children have in a few days. He will also phone the school tomorrow and get the fees paid.
So can you please be Naomi’s sponsor? It’s only £25 per month and she’s got two years to go to finish secondary school. Please get in touch if you can help contact_us@sjk1898hotmailcom
Levison will also keep an eye on this little family as there are younger siblings and they too may need sponsored so there is some food going into that home. Thanks for reading, Sarah x
It’s been a busy time for Levison, trying to get all the children sorted with what they need for school. He’s also had malaria for which he’s had medication and is now on the mend. Some last bits of school uniform are on order and should be with the young people next week. Boys shoes in big sizes had all sold out, luckily Levison had trainers to give them. Usually, the new school term doesn’t start until February, giving time to order and buy everything for those who have passed their exams and have a place at secondary school. Because of schools having been shut due to covid, they are playing catchup and that’s why the new term has started early.
A record number of students across Malawi have passed their primary school leavers exams which is good news. However, that means there are more children than places at secondary school and children are selected to have a place at secondary school. Also, more places have been made available for boys to be able to board at school, so all the boys and girls going to school, who are supported by the Foundation, will be boarding.
Unfortunately, 11 of our sponsored young people were not chosen for a place at secondary school, despite having sponsors to pay their fees and having passed their leavers exams. Levison has been twice to talk to the education department who are delighted that so many children are being supported. He has been asked to wait for a few weeks until they see how many other children have not taken up their offered places at secondary school due to lack of funds for fees and uniform. Hopefully, all the 11 young people on the waiting list will all be given places. I have written to these sponsors and will, of course, keep in touch to update them.
Currently there are 21 new starts and 12 returners to secondary school. That is 33 young people in secondary education, with another 11 hopefully gaining places too. Four girls (from the first sponsored young people) have completed their education and are now awaiting their exam results to see what their next steps are. That is an amazing achievement for Levison and his team at The William Stewart Foundation. This is only the third year that children from Ibuluma have been able to attend secondary school, previously everyone’s education stopped at the end of primary school if they even managed to finish primary school. THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE THAT HAVING A SPONSOR MAKES. YOU ARE CHANGING THESE CHILDREN’S LIVES FOR THE BETTER BY PROVIDING FOOD AND EDUCATION……THANK YOU! WE COULDN’T HELP THESE CHILDREN WITHOUT YOU.
**(11/1/21 – update. I must apologise for an error I made in the above paragraph that has been pointed out. I’ve just inserted this one paragraph subsequently. What I meant to say is that children that the Foundation supports have only been able to attend secondary school since they have had sponsors. The first few girls who were sponsored had in fact completed some secondary school before dropping out due to lack of funds. Only when sponsors were matched with these girls, and fees were therefore paid, were the girls able to restart their education. To be clear, they have not dropped out since being sponsored as fees have continued to be paid. This is the third year that the Foundation has been able to send sponsored children to secondary school. I said everyone’s education stopped after primary school. I should have said ‘most people’. I’m sorry if I misled anyone. Sarah)**
Because Levison hadn’t been well and was busy getting so many children ready for school, he didn’t manage to take photos of the returners. Once the shoes and other bits of outstanding uniform that have been ordered are in stock then Levison will take photos of all the Foundation children when he visits the school with these supplies.
You will see that BENJAMIN and LAWRENCE aren’t sponsored yet. We are hoping that generous sponsors will come forward to take over the school fees for these two young men. It’s only £25 per month. Thanks for reading, Sarah x contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
The other day I asked for kind people to sponsor 9 young people to go to secondary school. They have passed their primary school leavers exams and have a place at secondary school…..but no sponsor to pay their fees.
Imagine this was your family, living in extreme poverty, the young people have missed lots of school to try to earn a pittance to buy soap or food. No one in the family eats properly every day. The children have one good substantial meal each week at the feeding programme but they are still hungry through the week. Unfortunately, there are no big agencies feeding children in schools that far north. How are the children in your family going to complete their education? How are they ever to get out of the extreme poverty that the village is living in? Some young people are orphans, living with grandparents or older siblings. Some orphans have even been matched with foster families. If this situation is to improve, then education is the key.
Thanks to three sponsors who have come forward, we only have 6 young people left who are desperately needing a helping hand this Christmas. Because the secondary school is so far away, the young people will need to board. So sponsorship will pay for their school fees, boarding, uniform, exercise books, soap, bedding etc and transport to and from school at the start and end of each term.
Please, can you sponsor one of these young people this Christmas? It will be the best present you could ever give them. Can you share the £25 monthly payment with family or a friend? It’s less than 50p per day if you share sponsorship. Please help. Only 6 young people left to be matched with sponsors. Or can you share on social media or tell your friends? This is my Christmas wish that all these young people’s dreams come true and that together we can change their lives for the better. Thanks for reading, Sarah x contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Four of our sponsored girls (Telinah, Jean, Milliam & Dinales) have all left school now and are busy helping at The Foundation until their exam results are announced in the new year. They can then decide if they want to stay and work at The Foundation, get a job elsewhere or if they want us to try to help them into further education.
36 sponsored young people will be heading to secondary school in January. This includes 22 who have just finished primary school. As long as they pass their exams, which should be out later this week, 22 will be starting first year, 12 young people will be going into second year and 2 into fourth year. This is a huge achievement for a village where it was just accepted that children and young people do not get the chance to go to secondary school. This is one of the many ways that sponsors are helping to change the lives of these young people. SPONSORING A CHILD gives the gift of education and gives these young people chances that they never thought were meant for them. Sponsoring a child is probably one of the most important things you will ever do. £25 per month can change the future for a young person. We still have lots of primary school leavers whom we haven’t found sponsors for yet, so if you can help as an individual, two friends, a family or a business then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
As soon as Levison hears exam results and that all our children have passed we have a big list of shopping to get. Uniforms, shoes, bedding, buckets for washing clothes, bags, plates, cups, towels, flip-flops, soap, exercise books and pens and the list goes on…… Usually, the school term starts in February but this time it’s January 3rd to catch up from schools being closed due to covid last year. So if you do have £25 to spare (or two friends with £12.50 each) could you give one of these children, who still don’t have sponsors, the gift of education? Thanks for reading, Sarah x
