Thank you to all the clubs and donors for the fantastic preloved football kits. These vulnerable children have a real confidence boost when they wear their new kit.
Sarah’s blog 26/11/25
Thanks to our supporters, we had funds to get a few schools together for a day of football. Football is one of Malawi’s national sports. Of course, everyone likes a football tournament, whether they are taking part or watching.
As I have mentioned previously, because the children we help to support aren’t eating properly each day, we will not hold a sports event without giving children something to eat and drink. The food shortage in Malawi is getting worse. Feeding children at an event like this makes it even more of a special, exciting day. The young people know they will have enough energy to play competitive sports with their friends. They will also probably sleep better that night with food in their tummies.
Thank you to everyone who donated money to help us feed everyone who took part. Also, a big thank you to those who donate preloved sports kit. This means a great deal to the young people. Previously they either didn’t have matching kit or it was full of holes because it was so old. Preloved sports kit is shared out to various primary schools and grassroots sports teams, as well as being kept for use by the orphans and other vulnerable children who play sport at the weekends.
Some of the people we need to thank for football kit are; Julian Chenery from the charity ‘Wear a Sports Shirt Day’. Julian spends almost every weekend collecting preloved football kit from different clubs and we are very grateful for his tireless work. He has sent a huge amount of preloved football kit to the children we help to support in Malawi. Paul Goodwin, another football enthusiast and collector of football kit who lives locally to me, gave us a few preloved football kits, some of which have been used in this tournament. And, of course, thank you to the clubs and supporters who have donated their preloved kit; Kilsyth Athletic FC, Collingham FC, Little Common FC, Seaton Town FC, Borden Village FC, Seafar Villa FC. I apologise if I have missed anyone…let me know and I will amend my post.
Most of these students have been matched with a sponsor, however a few in S1 are still needing a sponsor to help us support their education.
Sarah’s post 21/11/25
I’ve been sent these great photos of students and teaching staff at Bright Futures Secondary School. Most of these students have been matched with a sponsor, however a few in s1 are still needing a sponsor to help us support their education.
As Bright Futures Secondary School was funded by our supporters and is a private secondary school, part of the money we receive from sponsors goes towards paying the salaries of the teaching staff. Only primary school education is free in Malawi so sponsors play a vital part in the running of the school.
The more sponsors we get, the more vulnerable teenagers can attend Bright Futures Secondary School and receive a free, quality secondary education. It’s only £25 a month to be a sponsor and you can do this as an individual, a family, friends sharing the cost, a club or a business.
At Bright Futures Secondary School, as well as learning core curriculum subjects in the classroom, students are taking part in practical subjects like carpentry, sewing, animal husbandry and growing crops. These will provide students with skills for their futures.
At BFSS each of these students receives free education, free stationery, free uniform and other clothes, free shoes, soap, toothbrush & toothpaste, a free school bag, free water bottle and a free solar lamp to use at home as it gets dark at 6pm every day year round. None of their homes have electricity so, unless they had a candle, they would be in complete darkness after 6pm each night. By having a lamp these students can do some reading once their chores are completed.
A big part of sponsorship money goes towards school lunches. Each student receives a free substantial and nutritious school lunch each school day. For most, this is their only food each day. As many are orphans living with extended family or from single parent families, everyone is living in extreme poverty. Knowing that this student has been fed a decent meal each day means that, at home, the meagre amount of food that they have is shared amongst the remaining family members. There still might not be enough food to make a meal each day.
How can we expect teenagers to walk to school and back, concentrate on their studies and reach their potential without feeding them? Your support plays a vital part in helping these teenagers to have a better and brighter future. So if you would like to help one of these students, send me a message contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
The first group of photos are of the S1 students, followed by S2, S3 and S4.
In S1 Scholastica, Nellie, Lidwell, Veronica, Tusalyfe, Susan, Ethel, Robert, Brian and John are needing the support of a sponsor.
Thank you so much to all of our sponsors for giving the gift of education. Sarah x
Lusuwiro Msukwa, S1, age 14Veronica Ng’ambi, S1, age 16Tusalifye Nyondo, S1, age 15Esther Kaonga, S1, age 15Myless Ng’ambi, S1, age 16 Susan Kitha, S1, age 16 Robert Kanyika, S1, age 16Ethel Ng’ambi, S1, age 16 Khumbo Nyondo, S1, age 16Brian Nyondo, S1, age 15Lidwell Nyondo, S1, age 16Mitren Nyondo, S1, age 16John Msango, S1, age 16Wakisa Chiona, S1, age 16Nellie Ng’ambi, S1, age 16Kumbukani Nyondo, S1, age 15 Scholastica Banda, S1, age 16Saviour Mnyenyembe, S2, age 15, John Ng’ambi, S2, age 16 Lloyd Ng’ambi, S2, age 16 Philimon Ng’ambi, S2, age 17John Junior Kaonga, S2, age 16Hilda Silwamba, S2, age 17Agness Mnyenyembe, S2, age 16Bernard Ng’ambi, S2, age 16Monica Phiri, S2, 17Ethel Chizumira, S2, age 17Asante Sichali, S3, age 15Mphatso Simwayi, S3, age 17Wongani Kaonga, S3, age 17Brave Nyondo, S3, age 18Aaron Sinyiza, S3, age 17Timothy Kaonga, S3, age 17Leonard Simphosya,, S3, age 17Chancy Mvula, S3, age 17Wongani Mlenga, S3, age 16Phaless Nyondi, S3, age 16Maggie Kabaghe, S3, age 17Martha Mwanyasi, S3, age 17Levi Sichilindi, S4, age 19Agness Nyondo, S4, age 18Mastano Munthali, S4, age 20Gift Mnyenyembe, S4, age 19Amos Simphosya, S4, age 19Pilirani Ng’ambi, S4, age 20Teaching Staff; left to right; Miss V Chilongo, Mr D Msukwa, Miss L Kamwambi, Miss R Thawi, Mr L Silungwe, Miss E Chisenga (HT), Mr P Vitrinyu, Miss F Munthali, Mr E Kanyimbo (DHT), Miss L Mkandawire
As Bright Futures Secondary School wants to become more self-sufficient and have projects that will help with this, we asked our supporters on DonorSee to help with an innovative beekeeping initiative.
Once we sent the funds to Malawi, wood was bought to make the beehives. Firstly, students researched possible designs of beehives from the beekeeping books in Emma’s Rainbow Library. Then they drew their chosen design. Last week they were measuring the wood and cutting it to size.
I’ve been sent some great photos and videos today by one of the teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School. Students decided that one of the hives should be built in the forest. In these photos and videos, it’s great to see the students working collaboratively and problem solving.
Although making the beehives is part of their new carpentry class, students will be studying beekeeping as part of their agricultural lessons. It is also giving them skills for life. Some students may use the knowledge they have gained at school to keep bees and sell the honey when they are older. Or some may become carpenters. It’s thanks to the kindness of strangers that they have had these opportunities. Opportunities for a brighter future.
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https://donorsee.com/project/29253?share=1 This is one of our other projects on DonorSee to provide material for the students to make reusable sanitary towels for all who need them, ensuring girls have the same access to school all month like the boys in their class. Or you can message me for bank details or donate via the website contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Hope you enjoy seeing the progress they are making. Your help is making a difference to these students who are living in extreme poverty. Together we can continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you for the support, Sarah x
There’s been lots to reflect on this week. Please read today’s blog to catch up on what I have been writing about today.
Sarah’s blog 16/11/25
For a few different reasons, it has been a difficult week. I’m feeling the weight of responsibility heavy on my shoulders with family and with the charity. Here are a few of my ramblings and what I have been reflecting on and thinking about.
Our friend and colleague, Alan Laverock, who organised (with other volunteers) the sending of containers of vital aid to Malawi, sadly passed away this week. I have been thinking about him and reading the tributes and condolences from so many people. Also, I have been reflecting on a life well lived. Alan made a difference. You can read more about Alan here Alan James Laverock: a tribute | Scotland Malawi Partnership
One consequence, and obviously this is of secondary importance, of Alan’s passing is that the Bananabox Trust containers have stopped. Currently, we have no means of sending any boxes to Malawi.
We realise that many people in Malawi are extremely concerned about this and hope that, in time, that someone else may take this on. Medical and dental equipment gets shipped regularly along with shoes, clothes and sports equipment to name but a few.
I am particularly reflecting on our School Literacy Project. Thanks to the support of Alan and his team at Bananabox Trust, we have been able to make a big difference to children’s reading by sending over 100 boxes of books.
The first 17 boxes of books that were donated to Chambo Primary School
Bright Futures Secondary School has benefited from fiction books as well as text books and bibles. Emma’s Rainbow Library (named after the late Emma Buchanan of Balfron whose family helped raise funds for the library) is well stocked. It has floor to ceiling shelves of books for all age groups.
Bright Futures Nursery has been able to give at least two books per child to take home to read and look at the pictures with their families. This is ensuring all those households have access to books of their own and looking at books together is a special everyday activity.
Chambo Primary School and then Kalanga Primary School have benefited from the gift of many boxes of books. Boxes of both factual and fiction books have been sent for different age groups. These schools have hardly any resources and p8 leavers exam pass rates were well below the national average.
Since we, with the help of our supporters, started putting books into these primary schools, the pass rate for primary school leavers certificates has gone up by 19%. This is a huge achievement for these young people. We are so proud of them and proud of the part we and our supporters have made to their literacy levels, reading comprehension and helping young people pass their exams. Without passing these primary school leavers exams, students are not allowed to attend secondary school.
We hope there will be a way to continue sending books (and other boxes of aid) as other primary schools are asking and waiting to be included in The School Literacy Project.
The rains have started in Malawi and some school buildings in Chitipa District have been damaged (thankfully, not ours). Families are also suffering because their homes are so fragile and open to the elements.
A food crisis has been declared for the whole of Malawi. I don’t think any of us realise just how dire the situation is. Prices continue to rise. There is a continued fuel shortage, meaning many goods aren’t available to purchase rurally. Levison has told me that people are suffering more than usual and it will get worse.
I have been thinking about this over the past few days and wondering how we can make a difference and protect the most vulnerable from the worst of this crisis.
What can we do? What can we do differently? There are projects helping to support sustainability in the future, however, these are for the future and people also need help now. All the fruit tree saplings will make a big difference in a few years time, and we will continue planting more, but they won’t help now.
What can we do now? Instead of sending Christmas cards ( or as many Christmas cards as usual) could you make a donation to help us buy food?
Could you organise a coffee morning or event for your friends on our behalf? Or could you organise a bonus ball competition before Christmas?
Could you purchase an alternative gift for the person in your life who has everything? Or an alternative gift for a teacher who doesn’t really need another mug. Let me know if you’d like to help or if you’ve any good ideas contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Levison had a funeral to attend earlier last week. He took a photo of Bright Futures Campus from near where the funeral was taking place. It’s a great photo. You can see the Mafinga Hills in the background and beyond that is Zambia.
Once there was nothing where these buildings now stand. Now there is Bright Futures Campus with a secondary school, a nursery, a library, offices and a staffroom and accommodation for teaching staff. Vulnerable children know this is their safe place where they can receive support, where they can play. Where there is someone to listen. There are fruit tree saplings growing and crops have been planted….nowhere near enough but it is a start. There is hope for a brighter future.
This has all been achieved with a lot of hard work and determination to ensure that the most vulnerable children have a better and brighter future. They have choices and chances that they wouldn’t previously have had. Thanks to our supporters, we are Changing Lives (in) Malawi. However, there is a great deal more to do. Will you help? Thank you for reading my ramblings. I hope you can feel the love and concern I have for the people we are supporting and how, together we can give them a helping hand until they can have a sustainable future. Thank you, Sarah x
Bright Futures Campus with The Mafinga Hills in the background. Beyond the hills is Zambia.
Sewing classes at Bright Futures Secondary School are helping S3 and S4 students learn extra skills.
Sarah’s blog 26/10/25
Levison Mlambya, the Director of Bright Futures Secondary School, has sent these great photos and a video of S3 and S4 students who are taking sewing lessons and carpentry classes to learn skills for life.
In the sewing lessons they are learning to use the sewing machines that have been donated and sent on the container via The Bananabox Trust.
Learning skills for life will equip these vulnerable students, who are all living in extreme poverty, with a way to earn money in future, giving them choices and chances they wouldn’t have had previously. Many thanks to the donors of the sewing machines & sewing supplies.
The plan is that during sewing lessons at BFSS, they make reusable sanitary pads and bags to put these in and, when there are enough, give them out to those who need them in various local schools. Your financial support will be so helpful.
Celebrating success at Bright Futures Secondary school is becoming a tradition. All students in S3 had passed their national exams at the end of S2 – Junior Certificate of Education. They were given a party on Friday. Other students joined in at lunchtime but the S3 class were given the afternoon off and were free to continue celebrating and having fun.
Knowing that hard work and effort is celebrated at Bright Futures Secondary School helps to motivate the S1 and S2 students as they look forward to having a party to celebrate their success.
None of these young people have enough food at their homes. Most are orphans living with extended family. All are living in extreme poverty and have suffered trauma. None have money for school fees, new clothes or shoes, stationery or school lunches. That is all free at Bright Futures Secondary School, thanks to their sponsors.
So celebrating their achievements is important. Helping them feel valued is important. Raising their self-esteem is important. Nurturing them to be the best they can be is important. Counselling students and listening to them when they are struggling is important. Supporting these students holistically is important.
A student at Bright Futures Secondary School can expect more than just lessons and passing exams. They can expect support. They can expect understanding. They can expect encouragement. They can expect to be listened to. They can expect the best at Bright Futures Secondary School.
That’s why the staff at BFSS are far more than teachers. We are so grateful for the care and understanding they give to these vulnerable students who have been through so much already. These teachers can and do make a difference and their support and encouragement for the students in their care and the ethos of the school will give these vulnerable teenagers a much brighter future. They are positive role models for these students and we are pleased that they want to help students be the best that they can be.
There are still some new students in S1 who are waiting for a sponsor to help us support their education. Could you give the gift of education and help us continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
Celebrating success at Bright Futures Secondary School is important… and look at these smiles which are wonderful to see. Thank you for reading and supporting our work. We need you as part of the team supporting these vulnerable teenagers. Enjoy the photos and videos, Sarah x
We have some projects on fundraising site DonorSee for Bright Futures Secondary School. You can donate via the link or email us for bank details. https://donorsee.com/project/29095?share=1
Some great drawings from students before they will make their beehives soon.
Sarah’s blog 13/10/25
As you may have seen, we post some fundraising projects on DonorSee to raise our profile in USA and, hopefully, get some more donations.
One of these projects was to start a bee keeping project at Bright Futures Secondary School. As well as students gaining knowledge and skills for life, the honey can be sold as an income and to help the school towards self-sufficiency.
Thanks to generous donors, the project was funded recently. Some of the students have been looking at beekeeping books and designed their own drawings of beehives.
Another DonorSee project that was recently funded was for more agricultural tools and carpentry tools for Bright Futures Secondary School. Thanks to those donors for their support.
The money has been sent, supplies will be bought and a carpenter will help the students to make some hives. Have a look at these photos and we will share more when the students are making their beehives.
Do have a look at our DonorSee projects and share with your network and make a small donation if you can please. Many thanks for all the support with the Beehives at Bright Futures project, Sarah x
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
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
Having a sponsor is making a huge difference to some of the most vulnerable children and young people we help to support. All of them are living in extreme poverty. All are hungry. Many are malnourished. Many are orphans living with extended family.
Sarah’s blog 11/9/25
Having a sponsor is making a huge difference to some of the most vulnerable children and young people we help to support. All of them are living in extreme poverty. All are hungry. Many are malnourished. Many are orphans living with extended family.
One way that sponsors are changing the lives of children is that the younger ones (those not at secondary school) receive a monthly food parcel/care package. As you can see in these photos, as well as maize, they have each received a bottle of cooking oil and two bars of soap.
Usually, students at Bright Futures Secondary School don’t receive this monthly parcel, as they receive a free school lunch each day instead. This, for most, is their only meal each day so it is vitally important that free lunch is supplied as well as free education. The small amount of food that the family has at home can be shared amongst other family members as they know the student has had a nutritious lunch. As it is school holidays, the sponsored students at Bright Futures Secondary School have received a food parcel instead of school lunches.
There were some children and young people who didn’t attend to receive their parcel but it has been kept for them and, hopefully, we will have photos of the remaining sponsored children and young people within the next couple of weeks. As it is school holidays, some have gone to stay with relatives slightly further away, others are working in the fields to try to bring in a tiny income for their families to use to buy food.
Life is really hard for them all as there are no big charities feeding children in primary schools in the far north of Malawi. We can only afford to support a feeding programme once a week whilst sustainable projects are being set up to help the community be self-sufficient. However, everyone can see that life is much better than it was. Having a sponsor for the most vulnerable is giving them hope of a brighter future.
Secondary School needs to be paid for in Malawi and none of the young people we help to support could afford to pay school fees. They can attend Bright Futures Secondary School free of charge if we can match them with a sponsor to help us with the cost of their secondary education and school lunches.
Will you please sponsor a vulnerable young person who is waiting for a place at Bright Futures Secondary School? It’s only £25 per month and you can sponsor as an individual, friends or family or your business can sponsor a young person. Email if you’d like to help contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com .
I’d just like to take a moment to apologise that there haven’t been more updates on sponsored children & young people recently. The last 18 months had been really difficult for me with caring responsibilities and therefore I haven’t been able to dedicate as much time as I would have liked. However, I am now catching up with everything and aim to get more information and updates to sponsors more often.
Our sponsored children section on our website also needs updating and is on the list of jobs to do. Every child or young person who is matched with a sponsor will have their own page on our website that I will update with information and photos regularly and sponsors will be able to click on the link for their child or young person.
So here are the first photos of children & young people looking so much healthier and happier thanks to support of their sponsors. Many thanks as we couldn’t do what we do without your help. Together we are Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thanks for being so supportive, Sarah x
It’s International Literacy Day today! We are celebrating all the amazing children and young people we are helping to support through literacy in rural northern Malawi.
Sarah’s blog 8/9/25
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General
“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” Albert Einstein
“Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.” Barack Obama
On International Literacy Day, we want to share some of the ways we, with the help of our supporters, are making a difference to literacy levels in rural northern Malawi.
1.School Literacy Project. How can children learn to read properly if they don’t have books to practice? So far, we have gifted 20 boxes of books to Chambo Primary School and Kalanga Primary School, both of which are in Chitipa District in the far north of Malawi. Most schools do not have enough resources, children do not have the notebooks and pencils that they need. Occasionally, we can provide a notebook and pencil for the oldest children at these primary schools, thanks to money raised from our supporters. Despite having so much stacked against them, since preloved books have been donated to these schools, the p8 exam pass rate has gone up almost 20% to 78% which is amazing! We hope to keep going with this project as it is proving to be such a success. This is a low cost project with a huge impact. The preloved books are donated, but what we do have to pay for is £17.50 per box of books on the container ship to Malawi. We need your help to support this project so that we can include other schools in our School Literacy Project. You can make a donation via the website, or our QR code or email me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
2. Emma’s Rainbow Library was built in memory of Emma Buchanan who lived in Balfron (where we are based). Emma loved being read to whilst she was ill and her family helped raise funds towards this library. There are story books for all ages, reference books, school books and a couple of computers in the library which is a fantastic resource for all the children and young people in the surrounding area. Children are learning to love books and spend quiet time reading for pleasure here. Yesterday, I attended an event by the first ever Balfron Book Festival. I had a stall where people could donate their preloved books and I was able to tell lots of people about the impact their donations are having on literacy levels.
3. Bright Futures Nursery Care Packages. The nursery was opened as pre-schoolers were hanging about with nowhere to go. They are fed at each session. Each child that starts nursery receives a bag containing; two red t-shirts, three pairs of underwear, soap, toothpaste & toothbrush, a blanket, a soft toy and two picture story books. We want every home to have at least two books that the family can share together. When the nursery children first saw the books that we were sending, they didn’t know what to do with them and didn’t know how to turn the pages on a book. Now they look forward to a story! The school teachers at Chambo Primary have said that there is a noticeable difference in the children’s literacy when they start school to those who have not attended nursery. We need your support for this important project to continue please. It costs £10 per child to receive a care package to support their wellbeing and their literacy. We would love your help.
4. Bright Futures Secondary School. There weren’t enough places for some of the young people we help to support in the nearest secondary schools and secondary schools aren’t free in Malawi. So, again thanks to our supporters, we raised funds to build a small secondary school. All the students are living in extreme poverty, most are orphans, and we match them sponsors to help support their education. Everything is free to these students; education, school uniform, stationery and they receive a free school lunch each day which, for many of them, is the only food they have to eat. The whole S2 class all passed their national Junior Certificate of Education exams which was a great achievement! The more sponsors we have, the more students can attend Bright Futures Secondary School. We ask for £25 per month per student. You can sponsor as an individual, friends, or family splitting the monthly cost. We even have a few businesses sponsoring young people. If you would like to help a young person have a brighter future please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
As you can see there is a great deal happening to support literacy in the community we are helping to support in rural northern Malawi. But there is still a lot more to do. We need financial support to keep the above projects going so that young people have choices, chances and opportunities that they wouldn’t previously have had. They are desperate for education and want to learn. Will you help please?
We are hoping to collect and send board books to distribute to the new mum’s at Chambo Health Centre as part of our Mother & Baby project so that babies can have access to books with their parents and looking at picture books will become an everyday activity before they even get to nursery and school.
Also there are plans for adult literacy classes which we hope will be able to start soon as a trial. There are so many adults who have missed out on education because they have had to work from an early age to help provide food for their family. Let’s see if we can continue, with your help, Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you so much for your support, Sarah x
Our QR code where you can make a donation to support our School Literacy Project or one of the other projects. Thank you!The S2 students at Bright Futures Secondary School all received new uniform and stationery before sitting their national exams. We are so proud as all of them passed! If you would like to sponsor a young person’s education then please do get in touch. The more sponsors we have then the more students can go to school!Children in one of the classrooms at Kalanga Primary School looking at some of the books that they have been gifted as part of our School Literacy Projectsome of the nursery children, outside the library, showing off the bars of soap they have receivednursery children with their care packagesBoxes of books gifted to Chambo Primary Schoollearning about digital literacy in Emma’s Rainbow LibraryBible Knowledge is a core subject at schools in Malawi. We received a donation of preloved bibles from a church in Edinburgh and were able to send these to students at Bright Futures Secondary School. The majority of lessons are in English with Chichewa also being a core subject in schools.One of the children from Bright Futures Nursery with his care packagePlease support literacy in rural northern Malawi. Thank you!
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
There is lots of building work going on at Bright Futures Secondary School now that the students and teachers are on holiday. The plan is that everything is ready for the new term starting in a month’s time. These photos and video were from last week.
As there will be four year groups next term, more teaching staff have had to be employed to cover the extra classes. A new staffroom block is almost finished which will provide the teachers with plenty of room and will be equipped with solar power. This is the building you can see in the photos.
Work has started on the foundations of a new classroom block which will provide an extra classroom as well as a purpose built nursery class which will be far better for the preschool children and will mean that the resources don’t have to always be packed away at the end of each session.
More bricks have been made and were fired at the weekend, so next week they will be ready to start building with. There are also two small semi-detached houses being built and an extension to the chicken coop and to the pig pen.
All of this progress is thanks to the support we have received from grants and donations. We are very grateful that money was in place so that this building work can happen while the students are on holiday from Bright Futures Secondary School.
We look forward to bringing more photos and videos soon and to seeing the finished buildings! Many thanks for your support, Sarah x
