Bright Futures Secondary School has another completed building. Thank you to Vets with Horsepower for their financial assistance..
Advertisements
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
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.
Advertisements
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
Lots happening in preparation for more teachers & students at Bright Futures Secondary School in September.
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 02/05/25
Now that the rainy season is over, it is far easier to get on with building work. As there will be four classes next year at Bright Futures Secondary School, and more teachers need to be employed, a staffroom is needed. As you will see from the photos, the builders are working really hard and it won’t be long until it’s finished.
All students at Bright Futures Secondary School have been matched with sponsors to support their education. Secondary education needs to be paid for in Malawi and none of the young people we help to support would have the opportunity to progress past primary school, even though they passed their primary school leavers exams. Teachers salaries have to be paid, students receive a free school lunch every day (for most their only meal each day), school uniform and other clothes, stationery and exam fees are all free of charge to students.
As everything is free of charge for these vulnerable young people who are living in extreme poverty, we cannot unfortunately accept additional students who do not have a sponsor helping to support the costs of their time at Bright Futures Secondary School. Levison told me this week that recently he has had over two hundred young people pleading for places at Bright Futures Secondary School. Their families have not been able to keep up payments for the secondary schools that these students are attending and they have been chased out of school due to non payment of fees. Unfortunately, all Levison can do is to take a note of their names. This is a really difficult situation. The more sponsors we have then the more students can attend Bright Futures Secondary School.
We are already thinking about September when there will be a new class of S1 students to find sponsors for. It is still only £25 per month to help support a student. If you would like to express an interest in supporting a young person in September then please email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . We also have younger children who are needing immediate support if you would like to be matched with one of them we would be very grateful.
Right now we are raising money to buy soap for all the children and young people who use the feeding programme each week, Bright Futures Nursery, Bright Futures Secondary School and Chambo Primary School. There is always soap for handwashing and showering at Bright Futures Campus but the vast majority of these children and young people do not even have one bar of soap at home. The Malawi Government have issued guidelines to help protect against outbreaks of the MPox virus. Thankfully, there are none in that immediate area but we must help with preventative measures. You can either email for bank details to donate or give via this link https://donorsee.com/project/27307?share=1 .
The students at Bright Futures Secondary School are also still fundraising to have their own beehives. This will give them more agricultural skills as well as providing honey and an income from selling surplus supplies. https://donorsee.com/project/25476?share=1
I’d like to thank everyone for the ongoing support we receive, both here and in Malawi. It’s always about teamwork and, playing our small part of a team, using our skills, we can do great things and help continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you, Sarah x
The new staffroom at Bright Futures Campus is taking shape
The firewalkers’ feet have recovered and they have done amazingly by raising much needed funds. They have certificates to prove that they completed their personal challenge and walked through hot coals! The four of them were fantastic and so brave.
Thank you so much Alistair, David, Joanne and Alison for taking part in the challenge and for fundraising. To everyone who has donated so far, many thanks for your generosity. Please, if you can give and you haven’t done yet…the links are here: for Joanne & Alison https://gofund.me/c127c5e9 and https://gofund.me/9430b2af for Alistair and David.
All the photos and videos are in the stories below. Thank you firewalkers, Sarah x
What an amazing evening it was last night for our four firewalkers taking part in the charity firewalk event in Milngavie, organised by Allander Rotary Club.
We are going to share Joanne and Alison’s photos and videos first of all. David Braid and Alistair Blair, who are teachers at Balfron High School, want to do a presentation to students at school on Wednesday. We have said we will share their photos and videos after Wednesday. So here goes for Joanne & Alison – thankfully their feet have survived ok…Joanne got a blister and they both had very dirty feet that needed a good wash before bedtime!
Joanne Byrne is my younger (and much braver than me) sister. She owns Killearn Driving School. Joanne has had a rough few years as she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy, several other operations due to infections and is now waiting for reconstructive surgery. She is such an amazingly strong person and I am so proud that she challenged herself to do this firewalk. She was amazing! It’s not the first time she has raised money for Changing Lives Malawi so we are very grateful.
Alison Rennie is Joanne’s best friend and such a lovely person. She is a friend to everyone and always has a big smile. She has issues with her joints and can be very tired due to having lupus. Despite this, Alison was up for a challenge and did brilliantly last night. She had a minor mishap prior to the firewalk….she nearly got stuck in the toilet! She assured us she wasn’t trying to get out of the firewalk but was genuinely worried she would miss it! Thankfully, she made it out on time!
Thank you to everyone who has donated already. If you haven’t then we would be very grateful if you could give a few £££. Their link is https://gofund.me/c127c5e9 Enjoy the photos and videos!
All money will be going towards building a staffroom at Bright Futures Secondary School and buying textbooks. Currently, the teachers are using classroom 4 as their staffroom. However, in September, there will be another intake of students and all four classrooms will be in use for teaching. Also more teachers will need to be employed by September so a staffroom is a necessity for them. As there is no S4 yet, we have no textbooks for next year’s S4 students yet, so this is another essential resource we are fundraising for.
Many thanks to Allander Rotary for organising the event and to Milngavie Guides for hosting. Thank you again to all our supporters and to Joanne & Alison and David & Alistair for being such good sports and taking part to help give vulnerable students a brighter future in rural northern Malawi. Thanks, Sarah x
NB Apologies for the poor quality of some of the photos – smoke from the fire was to blame rather than my bad photography lol.
Alison, Alistair, David and Joanne…. our four fantastic firewalkers!
Introducing our four amazing firewalkers; Alistair Blair and David Braid – teachers at Balfron High School and Joanne Byrne and Alison Rennie. Good luck and thank you!
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 27/02/24
Have you ever fancied walking across hot coals? Not me….I’m not brave enough for that! Luckily we have four (willing) volunteers who are going to do just that!
Allander Rotary Club are organising a Firewalk on Sunday 24th March in Milngavie and Changing Lives Malawi is one of their three chosen charities. We are very fortunate to have their support and it’s much appreciated.
Let me introduce our fearless firewalkers!
Team 1 – Joanne Byrne & Alison Rennie
Joanne Byrne (right) is my sister and has raised funds for us before for the shower block and a latrine block. Alison Rennie is Joanne’s best friend and didn’t even hesitate when she was asked if she wanted to take part in this challenge!
All of the money raised by Joanne & Alison will be going towards building a staffroom at Bright Futures Secondary School and buying more textbooks for the next intake of students. https://gofund.me/c127c5e9
Team 2 – Alistair Blair & David Braid
DHT Mr Braid (left) and Mr Blair (English Dept)
Mr Blair is a teacher in the English Department at Balfron High School and Mr Braid is one of the Deputy Head Teachers at BHS. We are delighted that they have agreed to do this challenge and we are very grateful for their support.
You can read more about Mr Blair and Mr Braid’s fundraising by clicking on their Go Fund Me link, but half the money they raise will come to Changing Lives Malawi towards the new staffroom and purchasing more textbooks for Bright Futures Secondary School. https://gofund.me/9430b2af
The other half of the money that the teachers will raise is going to the Zanzibar School Trip in 2025. Twenty current S4 students at Balfron High School will be going to work with three local communities supported by Mr Blair and Miss Vickers.
There will be more posts and more information but, as this event is only just over a month away, please donate, please share, please tell your friends and with teamwork we can make a difference to young people who are living in extreme poverty. Education is the way out of poverty and by donating a few £££ these children and young people will have choices, chances and opportunities that they wouldn’t previously have had. There are more photos and information on each team’s Go Fund Me link.
Thank you Joanne, Alison, Alistair and David for agreeing to this challenge and thank you to you all in advance for donating and sharing. You can keep up to date with progress by signing up for my blogs on our website or following us on social media. Thanks, Sarah x
Introducing our four amazing firewalkers; Alistair Blair and David Braid – teachers at Balfron High School and Joanne Byrne and Alison Rennie. Good luck and thank you!
Advertisements
Sarah’s blog 19/02/24
Have you ever fancied walking across hot coals? Not me….I’m not brave enough for that! Luckily we have four (willing) volunteers who are going to do just that!
Allander Rotary Club are organising a Firewalk on Sunday 24th March in Milngavie and Changing Lives Malawi is one of their three chosen charities. We are very fortunate to have their support and it’s much appreciated.
Let me introduce our fearless firewalkers!
Team 1 – Joanne Byrne & Alison Rennie
Joanne Byrne (right) is my sister and has raised funds for us before for the shower block and a latrine block. Alison Rennie is Joanne’s best friend and didn’t even hesitate when she was asked if she wanted to take part in this challenge!
All of the money raised by Joanne & Alison will be going towards building a staffroom at Bright Futures Secondary School and buying more textbooks for the next intake of students. https://gofund.me/c127c5e9
Team 2 – Alistair Blair & David Braid
DHT Mr Braid (left) and Mr Blair (English Dept)
Mr Blair is a teacher in the English Department at Balfron High School and Mr Braid is one of the Deputy Head Teachers at BHS. We are delighted that they have agreed to do this challenge and we are very grateful for their support.
You can read more about Mr Blair and Mr Braid’s fundraising by clicking on their Go Fund Me link, but half the money they raise will come to Changing Lives Malawi towards the new staffroom and purchasing more textbooks for Bright Futures Secondary School. https://gofund.me/9430b2af
The other half of the money that the teachers will raise is going to the Zanzibar School Trip in 2025. Twenty current S4 students at Balfron High School will be going to work with three local communities supported by Mr Blair and Miss Vickers.
There will be more posts and more information but, as this event is only just over a month away, please donate, please share, please tell your friends and with teamwork we can make a difference to young people who are living in extreme poverty. Education is the way out of poverty and by donating a few £££ these children and young people will have choices, chances and opportunities that they wouldn’t previously have had. There are more photos and information on each team’s Go Fund Me link.
Thank you Joanne, Alison, Alistair and David for agreeing to this challenge and thank you to you all in advance for donating and sharing. You can keep up to date with progress by signing up for my blogs on our website or following us on social media. Thanks, Sarah x
Joanne Byrne, my sister (on right of photo) and her best friend, Alison Rennie, decided in a moment of madness that they were up for the challenge of firewalking!! Thank you so much to both of them for being brilliant sports.
Alison Rennie (left) and Joanne Byrne are our first team of firewalkers!
Allander Rotary Club in Milngavie is hosting this Firewalk event on Sunday 24th March. Alison and Joanne will be doing the firewalk on behalf of Changing Lives Malawi. We are raising money for a teachers’ staffroom at Bright Futures Secondary School – teachers are currently using classroom four as we only have students in years 1-3. However, in September, with the next intake of students, all four classrooms will be needed. More teachers will be employed, hence the need for a dedicated staffroom. We are also needing S4 textbooks as we don’t have any of these yet.
So here is the link to Joanne and Alison’s fundraiser. We will be sharing more information about them and our goals over the next few weeks. https://gofund.me/c127c5e9
We are very fortunate to have two teams of firewalkers…the second team will be introduced next week.
We know we ask a lot of our supporters and we are extremely grateful for all the help we get…it is a real team effort and we appreciate each and every one of you. However, if you can share posts so we can reach a wider audience that would be really helpful and if you are able to make a donation to support the girls, that would be amazing. Thanks everyone, Sarah x
