Tag: SDGs

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 17

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Sarah’s blog 17/12/23

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 16

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Sarah’s blog 16/12/23

Every day people like Mrs Ng’ambi and her children come to the foundation asking for help. They have no money, no food and, much of the time, are dressed in rags. It is heart breaking to see the amount of poverty that many in the community are living in. Children with their extended tummies are showing visible signs of malnutrition and are so hungry. Unfortunately, there is not enough money to help all of these vulnerable people.

Sometimes they can be given some new clothes or a small amount of food. They are able to have a shower. Sometimes they are given a small amount of money for doing some piece work like helping to weed a field. Life is so difficult, beyond what we can imagine.

Eventually, the aim is that the Foundation is self-sufficient and has enough food to feed the children. There will be more people employed meaning that more money is going back into the community. Until then, they need our help. Can you make a one off donation to support feeding malnourished children please? Or could you commit £5 or £10 per month to ensure the most vulnerable are fed despite food scarcity and prices continuing to rise?

People like Mrs Ng’ambi and her children deserve some happiness and to be healthy and to know that people care about them. If you can help please donate to https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Together we can make a difference and continue Changing Lives Malawi. Thank you, Sarah x

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 15

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Sarah’s blog 15/12/23

On day 15 we are again highlighting the need for quality education. The children and young people we are helping to support have all had extremely difficult lives and are living in extreme poverty. Secondary education needs to be paid for in Malawi and none of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School would be able to afford to pay these fees.

We are extremely proud of Chancy Chisale who is the first sponsored young person to have passed their s4 national exams and is going on to further education. Chancy’s family had paid for some of his education but then ran out of money. Chancy was a very hard worker and a promising student so we managed to match him with a sponsor and we are glad to say that he was successful. We wish him every success for the future.

Bright Futures Secondary School has only been open for just over a year. We were absolutely delighted that the whole S2 class passed their national exams in the summer. This was an amazing achievement for them and we are very proud of them.

Class sizes will always be smaller than government run schools. However, currently, Bright Futures Secondary School is running at approximately 50% capacity. We cannot afford to support more students without sponsors to help support their education costs. The decision was made that all students at Bright Futures Secondary School will get a free school lunch each day. This, for many, is their only proper meal. For some, it is their only food each day. They cannot study and concentrate without being fed at school. But this costs money.

Can you sponsor a vulnerable young person to study at Bright Futures Secondary School please? It’s only £25 per month. You can be a sponsor as an individual, a family or two friends or even a business or a school. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Or can you make a one off donation towards school lunches? or commit to paying £5 or £10 per month to ensure the young people get the nutrition they need through a free school lunch each day? https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a Together we can keep Changing Lives Malawi. Thanks so much, Sarah x

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 14

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Sarah’s blog 14/12/23

14th December – reducing inequalities in so many ways. How often do we say or think ‘Life isn’t fair.’ I’m sure we’ve all done that at some point. Compared to Maria’s life, we are so very fortunate.

When Maria was age 11, we were asked to try to find her a sponsor. Her parents had died, so she was an orphan living with her grandparents. They are so poor that they couldn’t afford to feed Maria and they were contemplating marrying her off as a child bride at age 11. Despite this being against the law in Malawi, unfortunately it still happens. Child brides suffer from horrendous injuries by their husbands and then whilst giving birth, even resulting in death.

Thankfully, Maria and girls like her are supported by the foundation and are free from the worry that they will be married off too soon. Maria was matched with a sponsor and has a monthly food parcel at home to supplement her grandparents’ income. She is able to attend the weekly feeding programme where 500 children are fed a substantial and nutritious meal once a week.

Unfortunately, no big charities are feeding children in the rural far north so all children that we help to support are suffering from varying degrees of malnutrition. We only have enough money to feed these children once a week. Please can you help us to continue feeding these children? Food prices are rising and food is becoming more scarce. As a small charity run by volunteers, 100% of the donations we receive go to our projects. Please can you help us continue to feed 500 children?

Maria had missed lots of school to work and earn a pittance to help her grandparents and buy some food. Thanks to the help she is now receiving, she is back in school and doing well. Maria knows that people care about her and that she has a brighter future thanks to her sponsor.

If you would like to sponsor a young person like Maria, it’s only £25 per month. You can sponsor as an individual, a family or two friends sharing the cost. It’s less than £1 per day… it might be the most important thing you do for one of these young people. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Or can you donate to the feeding programme or one of our other projects please? the link is here https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a Thank you so much to everyone who supports us. It’s always about teamwork. We have achieved so much together but there is still so much to do. Thanks, Sarah x

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 13

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Sarah’s blog 13/12/23

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 12

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Sarah’s blog 12/12/23

On 12th December we are highlighting construction of new buildings and how these projects have brought employment.

There is a secondary school, a library, a clean water supply, a shower block, an office block and teachers accommodation where there was nothing a few years ago. Thanks to our supporters and grants that we have received, change is happening. There are currently seven permanent teachers at Bright Futures Secondary School and more will be employed next year when there will be four classes of students. There are also other jobs like cooks who are supporting the school students. Eventually, there will be dormitories at the school which will also create more employment. Bright Futures Secondary School, as well as giving educational opportunities to vulnerable students, is providing permanent employment.

There have been many people benefit from temporary employment during the construction process of each building. From the truck driver, to brick makers, to labourers to bricklayers, carpenters and electricians…many people in this poverty stricken area of rural northern Malawi are benefitting from the building work that is ongoing. Therefore, they will have money to spend in their community and more people will benefit from the economic growth.

Your help and support have been vital in helping this community out of the terrible poverty they have found themselves in. We still have a lot to do to help them to self-sufficiency and sustainability so if you would like to donate the link is here https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a or email us at contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Together we can make life better. Thank you, Sarah x

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 11

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Sarah’s blog 11/12/2023

It’s the 11th December already! Today we are highlighting the Eco Stove Project. Chancy is one of the young men who has been making eco stoves for the most vulnerable people in the community.

Eco stoves are made of brick and mud and are an enclosed method of cooking. These are far safer than cooking on an open fire, especially when children are around or elderly people are cooking. As it is an enclosed method of cooking, it holds heat for longer and can give off a lot of heat if sitting near it. Eco stoves use far less fuel because they are enclosed, so they are much better for the environment as less wood is needed for cooking.

If you’d like to support this project or one of our other projects then please donate at https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a or email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thank you for supporting us to continue Changing Lives Malawi, Sarah x

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 9

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Sarah’s blog 09/12/23

Today, 9th December, we are highlighting the Mother & Baby project. You may have seen my blog from a few days ago when students from Bright Futures Secondary School visited Chambo Health Centre with boxes of baby clothes and blankets.

We are so fortunate to have people donate their time and talents knitting baby clothes, hats and blankets to be shared on the maternity ward at the health centre. The new mothers are always very grateful to have something warm to dress their babies in. Also, if the new mothers bring their babies back to the health centre after a few weeks, they will be able to receive some more clothes for the baby. This also gives the staff at the health centre another chance to have a chat with the mums and check they and their babies are ok.

This project is such a good way of involving some of the most vulnerable people in the community and letting them know that they are valued and cared for.

Here is the link with the photos from the visit last week Knitting & Babies Thank you to everyone who supports this project. It costs £17.50 to send a box on the container so, even if you aren’t able to knit, you might like to support this project by paying for a box of knitting to get to these vulnerable babies. Here is the link where you can donate to this and other projects. https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a Thanks, Sarah x

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 6

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Sarah’s blog 6/12/23

For day 6 of the advent calendar we are highlighting good health and wellbeing. This is my favourite photo from a few years ago. An holistic approach is taken to supporting the children. There will be photos similar to this from all over the world. Children are relaxing, chatting, playing and having fun with their friends. You can see the enjoyment the girls are having from skipping with a piece of rope. This is what childhood should be like all the time. Things are improving for these vulnerable children but there is still so much that we need your support with. Together, as a team we can continue making a difference.

Hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children know that the Foundation is a safe place for them. They have all experienced trauma and very difficult childhoods. Until recently, they felt like they had been forgotten. All are malnourished. All do not have enough to eat. All are living in extreme poverty. Very basic mud or brick one room housing which let in water during the rainy season. All sleeping on the bare floor. If they are lucky they have a sheet or a reed mat to sleep on. None of the families have spare money for clothes or blankets so the children sleep in their clothes which are rags. Many are orphans, living with a grandparent or extended family if parents have died. Most have missed periods of school whilst they try to earn a pittance to buy some food for themselves and their families.

The Foundation is a place where they can just be children for a little while. Where their worries go away whilst they play with their friends. The Foundation is a place where adults will listen if they need to talk. It’s a place where they can have a shower to get clean. They receive new clothes from time to time. We send small blankets to be given to as many as possible. Some of our supporters have knitted hats for the children which helps to keep them warm at night.

They learn skills for life like planting & looking after vegetables, making mats, knitting & sewing and looking after the chickens and goats. The library is open to the children and young people and quite often teenagers will be seen reading fairy stories and other books for younger children….they have missed out on all of that. Team sports are an important part of life at the Foundation and most enjoy playing football, rugby and netball.

And of course, 500 children are fed a nutritious meal once a week. That number is expected to rise to 700 as food is scarce and costs keep rising. This is why we need your help please to keep this vital feeding programme going. We need your help to plant more fruit tree saplings to give future food security and an income when selling surplus fruit. This project will, of course, help the planet too. We need your help to get the pig project up and running so that piglets can be sold to bring in an income. And we need your help to feed the orphans. Please, if you can, will you help us? https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 4

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Sarah’s blog 4/12/23

Today, 4th December we are highlighting food poverty and our feeding programme. I know I do go on about feeding children and education but it’s something I’m passionate about. So here are a few facts to read and we really would appreciate any help you can give.

  1. Did you know that there are no big charities feeding children in schools in the area we are supporting in the rural far north of Malawi?
  2. We send money to feed 500 orphans and other vulnerable children once a week. That’s all we can afford.
  3. This feeding programme was just intended for malnourished children in the immediate area, however word spread and the need is so great that some children will walk up to 20km for this one nutritious meal of the week.
  4. Teachers at Chambo Primary School have noticed an improvement in the concentration of these children even from one meal per week. Imagine if we could feed them more?
  5. Food prices are going up all the time and food is getting more scarce now the rainy season has started.
  6. Children are taught how to grow crops as agriculture lessons are a core subject on the curriculum, and important life skills to learn.
  7. Maize, sweet potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables are grown to be used to feed the children. However, these do not last long for 500 hungry children.
  8. Fruit tree saplings were planted a couple of years ago. Some bushes had fruit for the first time this year. However, the nursery children were so hungry that they picked the fruit and ate it. We have sent money to plant more fruit tree saplings now the rains are starting. This will provide much needed food and an income in the future and will, of course, also help the planet.
  9. Children in the nursery are fed 5 times a week.
  10. Students at Bright Futures Secondary School are fed 5 times a week.

Please will you help us as the situation is serious. Children are malnourished and hungry. Can you donate money for food please? or commit to £5 or £10 p/m towards the feeding programme. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a Thank you, Sarah x

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 3

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Sarah’s blog 3/12/23

On day 3 of our advent calendar we are highlighting education. Secondary education needs to be paid for in Malawi. Did you know that all of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School would not have been able to attend secondary school without support? Their education wouldn’t have gone past primary school. Even if they had passed their primary school leavers exams they would not be able to attend secondary school because they are so poor. Also, the nearest secondary school did not have enough spaces. All these students have missed chunks of education whilst at primary school so they could work for a pittance to try to buy food. They are all older because of that. The older they are, the more vulnerable and poor they are.

Thanks to our supporters and some generous grants, Bright Futures Secondary School was built. At the moment, class sizes are small because we cannot afford any more free places. However, every new sponsor matched with a young person ensures a brighter future for that vulnerable teenager. Education is their way out of extreme poverty. Being a sponsor only costs £25 per month. You can sponsor as an individual or a family or two friends can share the cost.

Students at Bright Futures Secondary School receive a cooked free school lunch each day. This is the only proper meal these young people eat every day, so it is vital for their wellbeing as well as being able to concentrate on their lessons. Could you support us with the cost of feeding the students please? Several people, committing £5 or £10 per month to ensure there is enough food for these teenagers each day will make a big difference. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

We were delighted that all S2 students passed their national exams in the summer. The fact that Bright Futures Secondary School had only opened in November 2022, it was an amazing achievement that the whole class passed. This story was even picked up by the national news, putting Bright Futures Secondary School well and truly on the map.

As part of our School Literacy Project, we are gifting books to the preschool children and putting boxes of books into local primary schools to raise attainment and help children be more confident readers. How can children learn to read properly if they don’t have books to practice with? Hopefully, we will start seeing the benefits of this project in the next few years as exam grades continue to rise.

Obviously, if primary school children were receiving food every day then this would make a huge difference too. Unfortunately, we can only afford to feed 500 once a week, with some children walking up to 20km to receive this nutritious cooked meal. Due to food scarcity, their currency being devalued again and prices continuing to rise, it is expected that the number of children attending this weekly feeding programme might increase to approximately 700 children. No big charities are feeding children in the rural far north and we cannot do this on our own without your support. Please help?

Please help us to support the children. Education is their way out of poverty. Thank you for reading and supporting, Sarah x https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

Advent Calendar – highlighting projects & children – day 2

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Sarah’s blog 2/12/23

Day 2 of highlighting children and projects during advent. Yesterday’s photo was of Josephine Nyondo and her friends when they were at the nursery. They were the first children to drink clean water from the new tap.

Today’s photo is of more children in the nursery. There are between 50 and 75 pre-school children come to the nursery. It was identified as a need because vulnerable young children were hanging about all day with nowhere to go while the older children were at school. The nursery runs five days a week and the children are fed at each session as well playing and having the opportunity to use the onsite showers. #SDG3 Good Health & Wellbeing

We ensure that all children who are at nursery receive a care package. This is a bag containing; 2 red t-shirts, 3 pairs of pants, soap, toothbrush & toothpaste, a small blanket, a book and now, thanks to our supporters, a soft toy.

It had been observed that, when the first library opened, these pre-school children had no idea how to turn the pages of a book properly. They have missed out on so many opportunities for pre-literacy. As there are no books in their homes, they have missed out on looking at books and adults reading to them. So our aim, as part of the School Literacy Project, is that all the children that we help to support should have at least two books of their own at their home. We hope books become a special part of everyday life and that children become more confident readers.

However, it does cost us £12 per care package. Can you support this project or one of our other projects please this advent season? contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com https://gofund.me/d3cf8c3a Thank you for all the support we receive…it truly is teamwork. Sarah x

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