Tag: sustainable development goals

S4 exams

The students at Bright Futures Secondary School who are in S4 only have this week left of school before their final S4 exams start. They are all hoping to pass their MSCE (Malawi School Certificate of Education), although it will be a few months until they find out their results.

Sarah’s blog 23/6/26

The students at Bright Futures Secondary School who are in S4 only have this week left of school before their final S4 exams start. They are all hoping to pass their MSCE (Malawi School Certificate of Education), although it will be a few months until they find out their results.

It’s a huge achievement for them to get this far as they had been some of the most vulnerable students and some of them had missed periods of schooling when they were younger. We are very proud of them for persevering and wish them every success in their final S4 exams and their futures.

It’s also a big deal for Bright Futures Secondary School…these are the first students who have come all the way through the four years of school since it opened.

Students sit JCE (junior certificate of education) at the end of s2. Some students, unfortunately, are not able to get past this level or opt out of school for a variety of reasons. Life is extremely hard for the young people attending BFSS. So the fact that they are achieving, despite their other issues, is amazing.

These students will go to Chisenga School to sit exams and we have paid for transport and food for them each day.

After they have finished their exams, they will continue to receive monthly food parcels until they get their exams start results as, in the meantime they are still wanting to get some work experience helping at Bright Futures Campus.

We are hoping to have more sponsors for new s1 students who will start at Bright Futures in September. The more sponsors we have then the more students can attend secondary school and have a brighter future. It’s still only £25 to sponsor a young person so please do get in touch if you can help contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com. Without your help we cannot support the most vulnerable…and there are lots of young people asking for places at BFSS.

Being in secondary school has far more benefits than learning the curriculum. Young people are being fed every day. They are learning skills for life like agriculture, sewing and carpentry. They are playing sport. Girls are far less likely to become pregnant and also less likely to be married off too young. Boys are less likely to get into trouble with the police.

All this requires team work and we thank the teachers and the sponsors for supporting these young people.

I also want to tell you about Emily, another young person. Emily was sponsored and won a place at Wenya Secondary School. She passed her MSCE last year. However, she wanted to sit them again and try for better grades. She has been working on campus, and being paid, while she also studies. We have paid for her to sit her exams again this year and wish her the best of luck.

So this small group of young people have now got choices and chances for a brighter future that they would not otherwise have had. They have better literacy and numeracy than if they’d not had the chance of going to secondary school. They’ve learned practical skills. They’ve been able to spend time with their friends instead of working for a pittance. Thank you for helping us continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Please do continue to support the next young people who want the opportunity to attend Bright Futures Secondary School. Get in touch and make a difference. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com Thanks so much, Sarah x

The Day of the African Child
This photo is from when Bright Futures Secondary School first opened a few years ago.

A child’s right to nutritious food

UN rights of the child states in article 24 that children have the right to nutritious food. Please read today’s blog and help us if you can.

Sarah’s blog 15/4/25

The United Nations Rights of the Child states in article 24 that children have the right to the best health care possible, safe water to drink, nutritious food, a clean & safe environment and information to help them stay well.

The Sustainable Development Goals number 2 is working towards zero hunger.

As many of you know, we help to support a feeding programme that runs once a week. It’s nowhere near enough, but all we can afford as we help the community to set up sustainable projects.

500 orphans and other vulnerable children access this feeding programme. Some walk as far as 15km-20km to have this one proper meal each week. Some young people carry their younger siblings. There are NO children being fed in primary schools in rural northern Malawi. All are hungry and many are malnourished. Some girls, despite it being illegal, are married off at age 11 or 12 as their families cannot afford to feed them.

Thankfully, because they have sponsors to help support their secondary education, all students at Bright Futures Secondary School have a nutritious free school lunch each day. In the video below, Ethel explains how none of the students have any food at home.

One of the big challenges, apart from sourcing food for so many people, is that prices continue to rise and currently the price of maize, where they are, has doubled from last year, and last year’s price was double the previous year. How are people supposed to feed their families? Most are really struggling and the situation is getting worse.

There is a holiday study school running this week and next for all students at Bright Futures Secondary School and p8 at Chambo Primary School to prepare them all for upcoming exams. There are teachers to pay, notebooks & pens to buy for the students at Chambo who have none, and food for all of them each lunchtime. Please will you help us? https://donorsee.com/project/26846?share=1

Having a nutritious meal at lunchtime is a huge treat for the students in p8 at Chambo Primary School. They don’t eat during their school day normally and their biggest meal is usually at the weekly feeding programme. We could not expect these young people to do extra studying and not feed them. Will you help us please? https://donorsee.com/project/26846?share=1 or you can email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com for other ways to donate or give through the link on our website. Donate money and gifts to Changing Lives Malawi We look forward to bringing you photos and videos from this week’s study school. Thank you for your continued help and support, Sarah x

The price of maize has quadrupled in the last two years. Families cannot afford to feed their children and we cannot afford to buy as much food with the same amount of money.
Some of the children lining up to receive food at the weekly feeding programme. They are all hungry. Many are malnourished.

Christmas Parties

Well over 500 hungry children turned up to be fed at the Christmas Party yesterday. http://www.changinglivesmalawi.com

Sarah’s blog 26/12/24

Wishing all our supporters a very Happy Christmas and Happy & Healthy New Year.

This week has been extremely busy for Levison and his team with organising two Christmas parties in addition to the usual daily chores.

Despite the rains having started, it has been dry for a few days so the tree planting has been delayed until the ground is wet and the saplings will have a better chance of survival. Hopefully, we can bring photos of this in the next couple of weeks. This was probably good that it will take place at a later date because of how busy it has been.

Firstly, there was a party for the students at Bright Futures Secondary School to celebrate their exams finishing and it being the end of term. After helping care for the animals, the students shared a meal and played some games. All the students at BFSS were given a sports top to wear at home. Then, yesterday, on Christmas Day, there was a party for all the children.

Because it had not been raining for a few days, the water levels in the rivers and streams were low so children came from miles around – even children who do not usually use the feeding programme. News had spread that there would be food and, because they are so hungry, children were prepared to walk a long way to take part – some walking from up to 20km away.

THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN FAR EXCEEDED 500. Food prices have almost doubled and most children are malnourished and families are really struggling to feed the children each day. We are going to have to try to do more to ensure children have more to eat as there are no porridge programmes in primary schools that far north. We need more help to make things better. So yesterday was a real treat for all the children who attended.

All children received a nourishing and filling meal. The youngest children are fed first and it takes several sittings to feed them all. After that, there were games to play. Many children, were very interested in looking at the pigs. Because of religious reasons, lots of the children hadn’t ever seen pigs before as they are scarce in that area. The pigs found themselves the centre of attention!

We want to take this opportunity of thanking the supporters who gave money to help provide food for the Christmas parties and also to thank Levison and his team for all their hard work and enthusiasm for making this happen. If it wasn’t for them giving up their free time, none of these children would have had a proper meal on Christmas Day.

We are trying to help this community towards self-sufficiency. So here are some ways that you could help us please if you are able to make a small donation;

This is the link to buy some more piglets https://donorsee.com/project/25707?share=1

If you’d like to help provide notebooks and pencils for the students at Chambo Primary then here is the link https://donorsee.com/project/25617?share=1

To help the students at Bright Futures Secondary School grow there own crops then please donate here https://donorsee.com/project/24114?share=1 or you could contact me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

I think, next year, we need to have someone dedicated to taking photos as Levison was far too busy helping with feeding the children and organising everything to take lots of photos this time. We hope you enjoy these photos and videos of the children and thank you for helping to make a difference. Sarah x