It is International Day of Education. Every young person deserves an education and to be the best they can be. Today’s blog shares photos from our projects.
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Sarah’s blog 24/1/26
Today is International Day of Education. I’m sharing some photos that reflect some of the projects and young people we are helping to support. There is still much to do. But, thanks to the help of our supporters, young people in rural Northern Malawi have a brighter and better future. It is always about teamwork and we’d love you to join our team of supporters. You can help enable even more young people to reach their potential on International Day of Education.
These are just a few of the ways we are involved in supporting the education of the most vulnerable children and young people. If you would like to help then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com or you can donate via our website. On International Day of Education will you help a child succeed? Together, we can give young people more opportunities and support education. These children are amazing and want to succeed. They want to learn and are hard workers. They just need a helping hand.
Also, I am visiting Malawi for the first time this summer and am getting very excited about my trip. Here is a fundraiser and I’d be grateful if anyone would like to make a small donation. It is to help some of the projects which I will be helping during my visit. https://gofund.me/db5496892 As always, a big THANK YOU for all the support and help we receive, Sarah x
Literacy at Chambo Primary School and Kalanga Primary School is improving thanks to the preloved books we have sent as part of the School Literacy Project. Students are becoming more confident readers now they have a range of books to read and exam pass rates are rising.Young people have been involved in planting fruit tree saplings and pine trees, supporting their education, giving them skills for life and planting future food. Students at Chambo Primary School were delighted to receive notebooks and pensWe have matched some of the most vulnerable children with sponsors and they receive a food parcel each month. Children cannot learn if they are suffering from malnutrition. Unfortunately, the food crisis in Malawi is getting worse.Thanks to everyone who has supported the building of Bright Futures Secondary School. There are now 5 classrooms and a dedicated classroom for Bright Futures Nursery.The newest classroom block has a classroom dedicated to sewing and textiles and another classroom for Bright Futures NurseryChildren walk for miles as they are so hungry and know that they will receive a proper meal once a week at the feeding programme. We need your support to continue feeding them with rising food costs and scarcity of food.There was great excitement when the first boxes of preloved books arrivedStudents at Bright Futures Secondary School have designed and built their first beehive and are now waiting for the bees to move inStudents are learning skills for life at Bright Futures Secondary School. They are also supporting the Period Poverty Project by making reusable sanitary towels for all who need them to ensure girls do not miss school for one week each month.Some of the science equipment bought with a grant received from The Clive Richards Foundation for Bright Futures Secondary SchoolPeriodically, children are given clothes that we have sent. These children in red tops attend Bright Futures Nursery.Students at Bright Futures Secondary School receive free education and free school lunch thanks to their sponsors. They also receive free school uniform, stationery, water bottle, school bag and shoes all free of charge. The more vulnerable teenagers we can match with sponsors, the more teenagers can be helped through education.Happy students with their gifts. They have also received toothbrush, toothpaste and soap.We helped with the introduction of rugby to the north of Malawi. Young people are enjoying learning and playing a new sport.Thanks to the many clubs who have donated preloved sports kit, making a difference to the confidence and self-esteem of hundreds of young people who are now proud to be part of a team.Students at Bright Futures Secondary School are working hard to pass their examsFour of the students at Bright Futures Secondary School with some of the new tools they received
Day 2 of the Chisenga Zone Schools Rugby Initiative. Jack Mphande has been busy visiting local primary schools. Thanks to Arnold Clark cars for supporting the event.
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Sarah’s blog 14/10/24
Jack Mphande, Malawi Rugby Development Officer has had an extremely busy second day of the Chisenga Zone Schools Rugby Initiative. He has visited 4 different rural primary schools, delivering rugby training sessions and supporting the teachers from each of those primary schools with their new coaching skills from yesterday’s session. Thank you Jack for encouraging and inspiring everyone.
Tomorrow is a school holiday in Malawi – it’s Mothers’ Day. Teams from each school will come with their teachers to take part in a day of rugby matches and tournaments. Children will receive a nutritious meal and a drink which will be a great treat for each of them. No big charities are feeding children in schools in the far north of Malawi. So many are malnourished, all are hungry. We cannot expect them to take part in a day of sport without feeding them so we are very grateful to Arnold Clark cars for supporting us financially with this rugby event.
Here is the link to yesterday’s rugby session for teachers.
And here is the link to our fundraiser to try to raise money for a football tournament to happen (similar set up to the rugby) https://donorsee.com/project/24384?share=1 and we would be really grateful if you could help make this happen. The young people would be even more delighted! Thank you for reading and supporting, Sarah x
There are so many things that are happening and I am just hoping they all come together in time for the new term starting.
Everyone in Malawi is working hard on building staff accommodation and checking supplies for the new term as well as setting up income generating projects as well as planting vegetables to eat. Applications for the new teaching positions have been received and are being reviewed. This is in addition to the pastoral work that Levison does for the most vulnerable children and continuing to source supplies for the weekly feeding programme.
Here, Jackie is doing an amazing job with crunching numbers and making the donations we have received go far. There is never enough money for all the wish lists and requests that are needed to support 500+ of the most vulnerable children and young people but we are trying our best. Currently, Jackie is ensuring there is money to buy more text books as well as all the various supplies needed for the accommodation block build, wages and other monthly costs. We really are grateful for all she does.
What am I doing? Sometimes that is difficult to answer lol. Some days, caring responsibilities take over and I don’t have as much time to give as I’d like to our charity, but I can only do my best with the time I have. Other days, I am working hard from morning until evening ticking off jobs on my list as I go. I am trying to make our charity known to more people with the hope that more donations will come in over time. I’m trying to find more sponsors so young people can go to secondary school and have a brighter future. i work closely with Levison and we are a good team. I’m writing blogs, and updating social media as well as liaising with potential donors…. and (when there is time) writing new grant applications. Oh and packing boxes with my husband Stuart who does an amazing job of organising all of the boxes to be packed properly, labelled and taped up ready for the next part of the journey to Malawi.
One of the goals that we are working towards is to help the community we are supporting to be self-sufficient. We have some small projects on the site DonorSee. Here is the income generating pig project link which just needs a few more people to donate and then it will be totally funded. https://donorsee.com/project/23894?share=1
Below is a previous post with details of the students who are looking for a sponsor to help them take up their place at Bright Futures Secondary School. All of these students passed their primary school leavers exams, which is excellent, but they need your help to support them at secondary school contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thank you so much to everyone who helps and supports us to make lives brighter for the young people, Sarah x
It has been so busy with all the projects that are benefitting the many vulnerable children we help to support, that unfortunately we haven’t had as many photos of sponsored children and young people as we would have liked. Thank you to the sponsors for being patient with us and for understanding. Hopefully, we will have a better system in place this year and be bringing regular updates.
If you would like to sponsor a child or young person to make a difference in their lives then please do get in touch contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com It’s only £25 per month to be a sponsor, or you could share the cost with a friend.
There are hundreds of vulnerable children and young people who would benefit from being matched with a sponsor. Especially those who are in their last couple of years at primary school and hoping to attend Bright Futures Secondary School. With a helping hand from a sponsor, their education is free of charge, they receive clothes and stationery and they have a nutritious school lunch each day. For most, this is their only meal each day. So your help would be much appreciated by us and gratefully received by the young people. Many thanks, Sarah x
I know I’ve been blogging a lot recently…sorry about that….but not sorry really as there is so much going on and I’m just trying to pass on all the good news stories to our supporters.
This story started last July. A boy at The Foundation making things out of old cardboard boxes. Levison observed what he was doing as he was absorbed in his task. He made himself flipflops and a backpack out of cardboard as he didn’t have real ones.
Asante is a clever boy who loves using his hands to make things. Levison took photos and sent them to me. We decided that he should receive a real backpack of his own. I put a post up to show people what Asante had been making and how good his cardboard rucksack was.
Two ladies, mother and daughter, were quick to offer to sponsor Asante. A while later they put together a parcel for him and he has received it today. Levison told me how happy Asante is and he is very, very thankful. I’ll put up the original photos for you to see what he had made using cardboard and his imagination. Compare those to today’s photos. His smile says it all. Thank you ladies for sponsoring Asante and for making him smile. It’s made my day too. Thanks for reading and supporting us to support the children and continue Changing Lives Malawi, Sarah x
Sometimes things happen that can’t be helped. People’s circumstances change and, much as they’d like to keep sponsoring a child through us, sadly they aren’t able to do so. That’s what has happened in this case. Tamara’s sponsor kindly stepped up to sponsor her and pay her fees for her first year at secondary school. Unfortunately, their circumstances have changed. We thank them for what they’ve done for Tamara this year as, without them, she wouldn’t have been able to take up her place at secondary school.
So we are looking for a new sponsor to help Tamara through secondary school please. It’s £25 per month and you can share that cost with a friend if that helps. It’s less than £1 a day to us but means the world to a sponsored young person. If you can help then please contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com and if you can’t help financially then please consider sharing posts in order to help find potential sponsors. Thank you for reading, Sarah x
Tamara is in 2nd year at Chisenga Secondary SchoolTamara, in her new uniform, about to start Chisenga Secondary School last year
