An amazing third day of rugby! Tournaments all day. Lots and lots of happy children!
Sarah’s blog 15/10/24
What an amazing day! It was a school holiday today in Malawi for Mothers’ Day. Many of these children are orphans living with extended family so have mother figures looking after them. All have all come together for a great day of rugby, fun and friendship. As many of these children are malnourished, certainly all are hungry, and no big charities are feeding children in primary schools that far north, we always ensure that children have a nutritious meal when they come together for a day of sport.
Today’s post is going to show photos of the teams that took part and, in a separate post, I will be able to show action photos and videos…there are just too many to share all at once and it has been a very long day for Jack and Levison who were organising the event.
Jack Mphande is the Malawi Rugby Development Officer whose enthusiasm shines through. Thank you Jack for sharing your time and talents with the orphans and other vulnerable children. You have shared your passion for the game with them and, once again, given them such a positive experience. Until recently, these children never had anyone come to spend time with them. You have given them confidence, skills, friendship and raised their self-esteem. These are priceless and they will remember days like today for the rest of their lives.
Jack writes on the Malawi Rugby Union Facebook page (MARU) “Rugby is in safe hands here in Chisenga, Chitipa. I have witnessed raw talent of rugby which, if nurtured well, Malawi Rugby will never be the same.” Jack always writes at the end of his posts “Rugby Rise Malawi”. Rugby is indeed on the rise in Malawi and we are grateful for his visit.
We are also grateful to Arnold Clark cars for their financial donation towards this event and Jack’s travel expenses. Arnold Clark is a new Scotland Rugby Team sponsor.
We have two tickets for the Scotland v Fiji game on 2nd November courtesy of Arnold Clark. For a donation of £5 you could be in with a chance of being at this game! details are in the attached post from day 1 of the rugby.
Thank you so much to everyone who has donated sports kit that we have been able to gift to each school that has taken part. They have matching sports kit that they are proud of and can dream big about being stars of the future, like children everywhere do. Thanks, Sarah x
Everyone who took part in today’s tournamentBright Futures Secondary School – girls (wearing Merchiston Castle School & Bromley & Beckenham Hockey)Bright Futures Secondary School – boys (wearing Seafar fc, Cumbernauld & Poole FC)Kalanga Primary School – boysKalanga Primary School – girlsChisenga Primary School – boys (wearing Chelsa fc)Chisenga Primary School – girls (wearing Liverpool fc)Chambo Primary School – boys (wearing Hardinxveld, Holland)Chambo Primary Schools – girls (wearing Seafar Villa, Cumbernauld)Kayilizi Primary School – boys (wearing South Africa)Kayalizi Primary School – girls (wearing Seafar Villa, Cumbernauld)
Great donations of preloved football kit from Feniton Women’s FC and Crediton Youth FC via ‘Wear a Sports Shirt Day’ charity – thank you!
31/08/24
Once again, we are delighted that ‘Wear a Sports Shirt Day’ charity has donated preloved football kits to the young people we help to support in rural northern Malawi. We are very grateful to Julian who spends a lot of his free time visiting football clubs to collect preloved kits that are no longer needed.
So today, as well as thanking Julian, we say a big THANK YOU to Feniton Women’s Football Club and also Crediton Youth Football Club for collecting their preloved kits and giving them to Julian to send to vulnerable children and young people in Malawi.
The young people love team sports, especially football and netball. They can enjoy being with their friends and forget about all the problems in their lives. Now they have smart, matching kit with no rips and tears. They can feel proud to belong to a team, their self confidence and self-esteem is better. They can dream about being famous footballers….and they know that people, whom they have never met, care enough about them to make their lives a little bit better.
We are going to organise football training and tournament for the nearby schools in the rural Chitipa area once we have enough funds in place. As no big charities are feeding children in primary schools that far north, we must provide each child taking part with food and drinks which obviously adds to the cost of any event. If anyone would like to contribute then you can either donate via our bank account with the reference ‘football’ Bank of Scotland, Changing Lives Malawi, Account Number 21081462, sort code 80-22-60 or donate via our fundraiser https://donorsee.com/project/24384?share=1 .
Thank you again to everyone who has donated preloved kit and to Julian at ‘Wear a Sports Shirt Day’ charity…. on behalf of all of the young people…Thank you for making a difference, Sarah x
As I type this, Jack Mphande, Malawi Rugby Union’s Rugby Development Officer, is on his way back to Lilongwe which is over 15 hours on a bus. When he arrives home he is straight into finishing an assignment that he put aside whilst he travelled north for the two-week Rugby Festival.
Jack had been making plans for this visit for a while, after the success of his first visit two years ago when he introduced touch rugby to children in the north for the very first time. We were delighted that Jack was keen to visit the far north again to spread the joy of the sport of rugby with his enthusiasm and coaching skills.
Meanwhile, here in Scotland, we had been raising funds to ensure that there was enough money for this rugby festival to run smoothly. We are so grateful to every single supporter who has donated to our fundraiser to make the last two weeks of rugby a huge success. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you also to individuals and clubs and schools who donated sports kit and rugby balls that have been shared with the various schools taking part.
Levison welcomed Jack to stay at The Foundation again for his second visit. Together, they ensured the planned programme went smoothly and Levison liaised with the education and sports officers. Levison also arranged for food, and water to be bought for everyone and arranged lunches, and someone to cook, for the adults and children. They organised which schools would be taking part and which days schools would be visited. Schools were split into two clusters. In order to make this programme sustainable, Jack was able to spend time coaching two teachers from each school as well as some community coaches. He visited each school individually and, at the end of each of the two weeks everyone came together for a tournament.
As yet, there are no big charities feeding children in schools in this area. Most children are living in extreme poverty. It was important to us that all children had a snack and a bottle of water when playing. On tournament days, we ensured there was enough money for everyone to have a proper lunch, snack and bottle of water. Students were given pens and pencils as a gift for taking part. Each school was given sports kit and rugby balls that had been donated by clubs and individuals.
Sustainable development goals were kept in mind when organising this rugby festival; SDG2 – zero hunger, SDG3 – good health & wellbeing, SDG4 – quality education, SDG5 – gender equality, SDG6 – clean water, SDG10 – reduced inequalities, SDG11 – sustainable communities, SDG17 – partnership for the goals.
Each team played two matches and the emphasis was on taking part rather than being too much of a competition. However, the winning boys team was Model Primary School and the winning girls team was Katutula Primary School. Well done everyone!
These children have had an opportunity that they wouldn’t usually have had; someone investing time teaching them new skills, time to play, time to have fun, time to forget about the difficulties in their day to day lives. Time to be part of a team, time to play a new sport, time to feel valued and important, time for self-esteem and confidence to grow. Time for nutritious food and clean water and time for gifts of pens & pencils to help with their education.
Thank you to everyone who has made these two weeks possible. It was a lot of organising, but it was worth it for the enjoyment on the faces of these children. Without the financial donations of our supporters, this rugby festival would have only been a dream. With your help it has been a wonderful experience for so many vulnerable children. Enjoy the photos, Sarah x
Yesterday was an amazing day for the rural cluster of schools who have been learning to play touch rugby. All the schools came together for a tournament. These vulnerable children and young people will remember this experience for a very long time as they don’t get opportunities like yesterday.
On Monday, Jack Mphande Malawi Rugby Union’s Rugby Development Officer, worked with two teachers from each school to train them up to be able to continue teaching and coaching touch rugby within their own schools and to more students. This is in line with some of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals; #SDG3 Good Health and Wellbeing, #SDG4 Quality Education, #SDG5 Gender Equality and SDG11 Sustainable Communities.
We too are working towards some of these goals in all of the projects we are helping to support, keeping these in mind as we try to ensure that children have more to eat, have clean drinking water, quality education as the community works towards self-sufficiency. #SDG1 no poverty, #SDG2 zero hunger, #SDG3 good health and well-being , #SDG4 quality education, #SDG5 gender equality, #SDG6 clean water and sanitation, #SDG8 decent work & economic growth, #SDG10 reduced inequalities, #SDG11 sustainable communities, #SDG13 climate action, #SDG15 life on land are the ones we are concentrating on but all of them are relevant and important.
During the week, Jack visited each of the schools to work with the teachers and students and yesterday was tournament day! Each school taking part was given a new (to them) sports kit that we had sent via Bananabox Trust who organise the container. We have had several individuals and clubs who have generously donated sports kit to us to share where it is most needed. This is extending the life of the sports kit and keeping it from landfill. Also, it is making the recipients extremely happy. Some people to thank for the kit I can see in these photos (and please do let me know if I have forgotten anyone); Merchiston Castle School, Bromley & Beckenham Hockey Club (via Wear a Sports Shirt Day), Fakenham Town FC (via Wear a Sports Shirt Day) Seafar Villa Cumbernauld (via Paul Goodwin). Many thanks for these donations. As you can see your generosity is making a big difference to these young people.
It was important to us that all children taking part in the rugby development had something to eat and drink. There are no organisations feeding children in primary schools in this area in the north. All of these children are hungry. Many are suffering from malnutrition. Thanks to the generosity of individuals who have supported this initiative to introduce rugby in the far north of Malawi, we were able to send money for the children to have snacks and water each day they were playing at their schools. Yesterday, at the tournament, all children and young people had a nutritious, cooked lunch, a snack and bottled water. They were also given some pens and pencils as a gift to take back with them.
All of these things, we take for granted; easy access to sport, new clothes, food and clean water, school supplies and organised events. For these children, none of this is taken for granted. None of these things are ‘normal’. So yesterday would have meant the world to them. So we thank you all very much for enabling yesterday to happen. All children and young people should be able to learn new skills and take part in sports and we are very glad that Jack Mphande was able to visit and give these vulnerable children new opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.
So, this is far more than just a few games of rugby. It is someone spending time with these children who (until recently) were largely ignored. It’s making them feel special. It’s helping their self-confidence and self-esteem. It’s about teaching them new skills and discipline and teamwork. It’s about having fun with their friends. It’s allowing them time to be children and forget about the trauma they have experienced with family members passing away and the extreme poverty they are living in. And the fact that they have had a good lunch and pens and pencils to take home…. we cannot possibly know or understand how much yesterday meant to these children and young people.
Jack, thank you for your hard work and enthusiasm. We look forward to your photos from next week when you repeat this week with different schools. And, on your next visit, it will be interesting to see how rugby is developing and how many young people are enjoying playing rugby regularly in school and also as a pass time with their friends. Thank you so much, Jack, for investing time in the children and young people we help to support.
By the end, everyone was tired but happy. There was no transport to get everyone to the tournament so all had to walk there and back as well as playing which is another reason we wanted to ensure they were well fed. Also, I just wanted to remind people that although these are primary schools, some of the young people are teenagers desperate for an education. They have missed lots of school to work for a pittance to buy food. The older they are, the poorer their family.
Enjoy the photos and videos and thank you again everyone who supports us to support these vulnerable children and young people, Sarah x
The tournament winners – Malawa PrimaryChambo PrimaryChisenga PrimaryKayilizi Primary SchoolKalanga Primary School
Please support grassroots rugby in rural northern Malawi. £5 to have a chance to win a signed Scotland Rugby Shirt. https://gofund.me/46e63377
Sarah’s blog 21/8/23
It’s just over a month until Jack Maphande, Malawi Rugby Development Officer, returns to Chitipa for a second visit. Jack introduced rugby to the far north of Malawi on his first visit. He spent time with the older orphans and they loved it and picked up the skills quite quickly.
There is great excitement as Jack is visiting for two weeks. He is going to be working with the primary schools in the cluster; coaching and then having tournaments between the schools. In the middle weekend he will be spending time again with the orphans and vulnerable young people that we help to support.
We are grateful that lots of rugby kit and rugby balls have been donated and sent to be shared out amongst the schools and we are delighted that Jack has been able to set aside two weeks to visit which will benefit so many young people. We are so pleased that young people will be having the opportunity to learn a new sport, new skills and have fun with their friends. They will get to be children for a while and forget all the daily challenges in their lives.
As well as Jack’s expenses for public transport from Lilongwe and some accommodation and food for the days he isn’t staying at the foundation, we need to provide the children with food on the days that they are playing rugby. No organisations are feeding children in primary schools in this area, so these children are hungry and many are malnourished. We cannot expect them to play rugby and concentrate if they are hungry and have no energy. So we are looking for your help with providing money to buy food.
Scottish Rugby Union have been extremely generous to us. They have donated kit and some Scotland Shirts. They have now also given us two Scotland shirts signed by the Scotland Rugby Team. We are going to raffle these shirts to provide food for the children at this rugby event. Tickets are £5 each and you can purchase a ticket by donating to our fundraiser. https://gofund.me/46e63377 and make sure you write your name so you can be entered into the draw. Thank you in advance for your continued support, Sarah x
We have been extremely fortunate to have had donations of football kit and other sports kit from a variety of sources and we are very grateful for the donations and support we have received. If you see a kit that you recognise/donated in the photos or videos from this tournament, then feel free to share and tag teams or people.
The Foundation has hosted the first football tournament that will be held annually. It has been named after one of our supporters. Julian Chenery works tirelessly every weekend collecting preloved football kit and other sports kits to send to those who need them. Julian’s charity is called ‘Wear a Sports Shirt Day’ and that is what this annual tournament is called as a thank you for the ongoing support that Julian has given.
It has been very successful, well attended and enjoyed by all. Five teams received gifts of new (to them) football kits. The players in the local teams taking part are all aged between 14 and 20 years old.
Well done to The Bombers who were the overall winners beating Mtelera in the final3 – 1.
In one of the videos you will see a man talking to the crowd. This is Mr Msachi and he is the chairperson of The Area Development Committee for Chisenga District. I asked Levison to summarise what he had said. Levison said “He was saying this is the first well organised short tournament. He is really thankful to the donors. He is very happy.”
As I have been preparing this post, Levison has messaged to say that he has been contacted by a journalist from Tuntufye Radio who had heard about this football tournament!
Footballs are always needed so if anyone would like to donate money for footballs then please do email me contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com
I’m so thankful that it has been a success and was well organised, well attended and everyone enjoyed this first tournament. And, of course, we couldn’t do what we do without the help and support of everyone who has donated kit to us to send to The Foundation. It’s always about teamwork….so thank you for being part of our team. If you recognise any of the kits in this blog, then please do tag and share. Thank you again and hope you enjoy looking at the photos and videos. Sarah x
Mr Msachi, Chair of The Area Development Committee for Chisenga thanking the donors for the football kits and saying how well this new tournament has been organised.
This is only a short post…it’s been a hugely busy week in Malawi (and also here).
The young people are on holiday from school and Levison and team thought a football tournament between local teams would be a good idea. So that is what has been happening today and will conclude tomorrow.
Unfortunately, Levison has been busy with other things today so there is just one short video clip of a match, however I have been promised more photos tomorrow!
This is going to be an annual event and we decided that it would be nice to name it after someone who has been very good to The Foundation. Julian Chenery, whose charity is Wear a Sports Shirt Day, works tirelessly every weekend (and sometimes midweek too) going to football clubs, schools, other sports clubs etc to collect preloved sports kit that can be reused by those who need it. He supports lots of organisations. Julian has supplied the Foundation with football kit, hockey kit, tracksuits, Christmas jumpers and Santa hats over the few years we have known him.
So, this is another opportunity to say thank you to Julian for supporting us and The Foundation. More photos and videos from ‘Wear a Sports Shirt Day Football Tournament’ will follow. Sarah x
