school Archives

International Day of the Girl Child

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!

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).

Why vulnerable teenagers need sponsors

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!

Celebrating the success of 3 girls

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

We have a few small projects that we are fundraising for with our partners DonorSee DonorSee Here is one of them from which girls are benefitting. https://donorsee.com/project/28717?share=1

(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 friends

Lusubiro’s favourite subject is biology and she loves playing rugby

Ethel loves to read and so far at school is enjoying having school uniform and books

Tusalifye 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.

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.

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

Sadie Harmin’s Staffroom

Bright Futures Secondary School has another completed building. Thank you to Vets with Horsepower for their financial assistance..

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

Please help sponsor my education at Bright Futures Secondary School

Please help sponsor my education at Bright Futures Secondary School

Please support the education of one of these students. All are living in extreme poverty and all want a brighter future through secondary education.

Sarah’s blog 21/9/25

Levison and some of the teachers met with students today who want a place at Bright Futures Secondary School when the new term starts again tomorrow. Each young person has been interviewed to ensure that they are serious about their education and will work hard.

These are the young people who need a sponsor to help support their education. Everything is free at Bright Futures Secondary School for these students who are all living in extreme poverty, many of them are orphans living with extended family. As well as free education, these students will receive a free school lunch each day. This is, for most, their only food each day so it is vital that they receive a nutritious meal each lunchtime. The small amount of food in their homes can then be shared amongst the rest of the family.

Students also receive school uniform, underwear and shoes. They have school bags and water bottles and the stationery they need. Each student receives soap, toothbrush & toothpaste and a solar lamp to use at home as it gets dark year round at 6pm in Malawi.

Will you sponsor one of these young people please? Will you give them a brighter future with choices and chances that they wouldn’t otherwise have had? Will you help change the life of a teenager through education? It is only £25 per month to sponsor a young person. You can do this as an individual, a family, friends sharing the cost, a club or a business. Anyone can be a sponsor. Will you help? It might be the most important gift anyone can give to one of these teenagers. Which young person would you like to give the gift of education to today? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Levison said they had put their best clothes on to come and see him today. Many of those clothes had been gifted to them from the boxes we send. But look at Lidiwero’s shoes. They are too small for him and starting to fall apart. He will receive new shoes this week. Ethel, you might notice, has been affected by malnutrition when she was younger and her growth has been stunted. Yet despite the challenges they face, these young people are determined that they want to have an education and have a brighter and better future.

Will you help one of them today please? The more students that we can match with sponsors, the more students can attend Bright Futures Secondary School. Together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you for caring. Sarah x

Great Exam Results from Chambo Primary School!

Kumbukani, thankfully, is already sponsored

Lichfield Spires Netball Club Supports Malawi Youth Sports

It’s great to hear from someone new asking if you would like sports kit. Paul, who is connected with Lichfield Spires Netball Club had contacted me a few months ago. He said they were getting new kit and would we want to send their preloved kit to Malawi. I said YES PLEASE!

Sarah’s blog 20/9/25

It’s great to hear from someone new asking if you would like sports kit. Paul, who is connected with Lichfield Spires Netball Club had contacted me a few months ago. He said they were getting new kit and would we want to send their preloved kit to Malawi. I said YES PLEASE!

Netball is one of the national sports in Malawi and, so far, all we have managed to send is some netball bibs. We’ve sent plenty of football and rugby kit but have been very aware that the netball teams hadn’t had as much attention. Until now. Paul explained that their club has several teams, spanning different age groups so we would be receiving kit in children’s and in adult sizes.

What has been so helpful is that some members of the club donated money to help send the kit to Malawi. Often we have people who are keen to donate items to us but then we are left having to fundraise to cover the cost of sending boxes on the container. It costs £17.50 per box to cover the cost of the container which is organised by a charity in Dundee, The Bananabox Trust. We are very grateful for all the hard work from their volunteers with receiving and labelling boxes and packing the container which is used by lots of organisations sending aid to Malawi.

Today shows how much people care about making a difference to the vulnerable children we help to support. The town of Lichfield is approximately 300 miles from where we live. Paul very kindly offered to meet my husband, Stuart, halfway. So this morning, Paul and Stuart met up in a carpark in Penrith and Paul handed the boxes of netball kit to Stuart. That is such an act of kindness. Both men will have had other things they could have prioritised today but they ensured that these kits were handed over to be reused. Thank you both.

This netball kit is going to be an amazing gift to the young people in rural northern Malawi. Until a few years ago, when we (and others who support us) started sending sports kit to Malawi, there was no matching sports kit. The children and young people love team sports. They love being able to forget about the traumas they have in their lives. They love the sense of belonging. They love being with their friends. And they love having smart, matching sports kit which they wear with a sense of pride.

Having matching kit is a real boost to their self-esteem. People in a different country have cared enough about them to want to make their lives a little bit better. Kindness matters. These children and young people, all of whom live in extreme poverty, most of whom are orphans living with extended family, are no longer ignored and side-lined. They know that they matter and they want a brighter future for themselves through education and learning new skills.

So this is a big thank you to Paul for organising all the netball kit collection and for bringing it halfway today to hand it over to Stuart. We are very grateful. Also to everyone who donated kit and those who have helped towards shipping costs, thanks so much. Stuart, what would we do without you? You do so much for the charity and ensuring everything gets boxed up properly for the long journey to Malawi. Thank you, Stuart.

Please sign up to receive my blogs so you’ll see when the netball kit arrives, and follow us on social media for lots of photos. Please do tell your friends too.

I’m adding the QR code to this post in case anyone does want to make a small donation. I need to buy some netballs to send with the kit. If you’ve liked reading this post and want to help then a donation of £5 would be really helpful. Or you can donate via the page on our website too.

Hope you enjoy these photos and hopefully, in a few months time, there will be happy photos from netball teams wearing their Lichfield Spires Netball Kit with pride. Thanks again everyone, Sarah x

ps I’ve attached the link to International Literacy Day if you’ve not managed to read about our School Literacy Project – we are very proud of the young people we are helping to support. Sarah x

International Literacy Day

Paul from Lichfield Spires Netball Club with one of their club tops

Paul (left) and Stuart with one of the shirts from Lichfield Spires Netball Club

approx 300 miles between Balfron and Lichfield…we were very grateful that Paul offered to meet Stuart at Penrith.

Here is our QR code where you can make a donation to one of several projects.

International Literacy Day

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.

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 Project

some of the nursery children, outside the library, showing off the bars of soap they have received

nursery children with their care packages

Boxes of books gifted to Chambo Primary School

learning about digital literacy in Emma’s Rainbow Library

Bible 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 package

Please support literacy in rural northern Malawi. Thank you!

Great Exam Results from Chambo Primary School!

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

Two little films

Great Exam Results from Chambo Primary School!

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!

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

School Literacy Project – Chambo Primary School

Facts & Figures from Chambo Primary School

Building work during the holidays at Bright Futures Secondary School

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.

Sarah’s blog 20/8/25

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

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!

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.

Independence Day in Malawi

It’s Independence Day in Malawi. Here are some facts and a couple of ways that you can help students living in extreme poverty become independent and self-sufficient.

Sarah’s blog 6/7/25

Happy Independence Day to all of our friends in Malawi. Here are a few facts about Malawi;

Malawi’s Independence Day is celebrated on 6th July.
It is their 61st Independence Day today.
Malawi gained independence from the United Kingdom.
Malawi was previously known as Nyasaland prior to gaining independence.
Dr Hastings Banda played a significant role in leading the country to independence and later became the first president of Malawi.
Independence Day is a national holiday in Malawi marked with celebrations.
The flag of Malawi features three horizontal stripes of black, red and green, with a red sun in the black stripe, symbolizing the rising sun of freedom and the unity of the country.
Malawi is sometimes referred to as the “Warm Heart of Africa” due to the friendly nature of its people.
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a high percentage of its population living in poverty. Over half the population lives in poverty, this is much higher in rural locations.

We are pleased that, with the help of our supporters, we are making a difference to the hundreds of children and their families who live in extreme poverty. Our end goal is always self-sufficiency and sustainability. The difficulty is that children need feeding now which we have to address as well as supporting the community towards self-sufficiency. The situation is extremely serious in the rural far north of Malawi and most children and young people are suffering from malnutrion. All are hungry. No children are fed in primary schools in the far north of Malawi.

Through educational projects like our School Literacy Project, where we collect and send books to primary schools which hardly have any resources, exam pass rates at the end of primary school are rising. The young people know that education is their way out of poverty and are keen to learn.

We also match vulnerable young people with sponsors to help pay for their secondary education at Bright Futures Secondary School. Secondary education has to be paid for in Malawi and none of these young people would have been able to attend. Thanks to our supporters, we have built BFSS which is bringing hope for a brighter future for young people living in extreme poverty. We are appealing for more sponsors to join us in supporting new students going into S1 in September. It is only £25 p/m per student. If you would like to help a young person gain a secondary education please get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

At Bright Futures Secondary School, students study agriculture as a core subject and they are learning skills for life through practical agricultural lessons. They are growing their own fruit and vegetables to help supplement their free school lunch that they get each day. This is a really important meal as, for most, it is their only meal each day. Their families can share the small amount of food they have amongst the other members of the family, knowing that young person has already been fed.

We are appealing for help to buy more fruit tree saplings for future food and for a sustainable income as excess fruit can be sold at the market. We are also appealing for money to buy extra gardening tools so that all students are able to join in with practical agricultural lessons instead of just having to wait and take turns. Also we are hoping that, if we can provide funds for carpentry tools, then students can learn how to make simple furniture.

Will you help these students towards independence please? They are keen to work hard to help themselves. They just need a helping hand then they can be independent and proud of their achievements.

This is the link to help buy more fruit tree saplings; https://donorsee.com/project/27708?share=1

This is the link to help buy carpentry and agricultural tools https://donorsee.com/project/27684 or you can email me for our bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far. If you can give a little then it would be very much appreciated by us and the students at Bright Futures Secondary School. Please sign up to receive my blogs and you can follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with the most recent news. Together we can help a community towards independence and self-sufficiency. Thanks so much, Sarah x

A lovely photo taken at Chambo Primary School when boxes of books were donated recently as part of our School Literacy Project.

New books donated to Kalanga Primary School as part of our School Literacy Project. Literacy rates are increasing now they have more books to read.

Students at Bright Futures Secondary School have planted banana tubers.

Students at Bright Futures Secondary School queuing up for their free school lunch. For most of them this is their only meal each day. It also helps their families to share their small amount of food between the remaining family members and not worry about including the students as they have already had a substantial and nutritious meal.

Agribusiness Groups 2 & 3

Sarah’s blog 23/6/25

Here is the proof that your help makes a difference! Thank you to the people who helped fund these two groups of ladies from our DonorSee appeals. There had been a slight delay in them getting started. The land that they are going to be farming had crops growing which had to be harvested. This has now happened so the ladies are ready to start work.

These women are some of the poorest in their community and most in need. As they are living in extreme poverty, they have been unable to provide for themselves and their families. Some of the women have been affected by HIV and are bringing up their families alone.

Maria, in group 2, had been a student at Bright Futures Secondary School. She became pregnant and had her little boy. Maria’s aunt looked after the baby whilst Maria returned to school. She has tried so hard to continue her education but, they live a long walk from school and her little boy was failing to thrive. Maria was sitting in class worrying about him. She was exhausted. Maria decided to drop out of school. She has been working for farmers doing piecework to earn a pittance. Maria is a very hard worker and is delighted to have the opportunity to be part of agribusiness group 2 (she holding the watering can in the photo). Her little boy, Wakisa, now has a sponsor to ensure that he has a food parcel each month.

Agribusiness Group 2

Mrs Ng’ambi, whose house was repaired through another DonorSee project, struggled to feed herself and her four children. She is delighted with the new roof on her house. She has been offered a place in agribusiness group 3. Her future is looking much happier. She is on the left of the photo. Both groups have been given seeds, fertiliser, spades and watering cans. Thank you everyone who helped to give these ladies this opportunity and hope for a brighter future.

Agribusiness Group 3

We have a few projects on our DonorSee site to try to give some of the poorest people a helping hand so that they can help themselves. Everyone wants to work hard and be self-sufficient but things are so difficult for them that they need our support. Will you help please? If lots of us give a little then change will happen.

We know that our supporters care about our projects. We are asking for your help to buy more fruit tree saplings and banana tubers to help feed all the hundreds of orphans that rely on the weekly feeding programme. There are no porridge programmes in primary schools in the rural far north of Malawi. Most children are suffering from malnutrition. All are hungry. How can they concentrate at school when their bodies don’t have the nutrients they need? How can they get to sleep at night when their tummies are empty and sore? Do you want to support children to have enough to eat?

Students are learning skills for life through planting and caring for the saplings that have already been planted. We want them to be self-sufficient in years to come and have fruit to eat and surplus fruit to sell. However, when there are 500+ children who do not have food at home to eat and rely on the weekly feeding programme, that is a huge amount of fruit tree saplings and banana tubers that will be needed. Will you help them have a brighter future? Will you help us try to ensure that less children are suffering with malnutrition? Here is the link to donate https://donorsee.com/project/27708?share=1 or you can contact me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

We are also appealing for more tools to help students with their practical agricultural classes and also start doing some basic carpentry classes. These are all skills for life for students living in such a rural location and will help them earn a living in the future. https://donorsee.com/project/27684?share=1 or send me an email for bank details.

Many thanks for your continuing support of our charity, where you know that all money goes to the projects we support, as we are all volunteers, passionate about making a difference to the community we are helping in rural northern Malawi. However, it is always about teamwork and our donors are a valuable part of our team. We couldn’t do what we do without you. Thanks again, Sarah x

Agribusiness Update

Tag: school

Agribusiness Groups 2 & 3

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