Tag: water

Chambo Primary has clean water!

Thanks to The Kitchen Table Charities Trust, Chambo Primary School now have a clean water supply.

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Sarah’s blog 20/08/23

Another great news story!

Months ago we applied to The Kitchen Tables Charities Trust on behalf of Chambo Primary School. The criteria for their grant was to help primary schools and, as most of the younger children we help to support attend Chambo Primary, we decided to try to help them.

There are 8 classes at the school and only one classroom has desks and benches. There are no latrines and no clean running water for the students to drink or wash their hands. Chambo Health Centre is a short distance away and we paid for a survey to be done to ensure it was viable to tap into the Health Centre’s water supply and pipe it to the primary school.

We were awarded a £6,000 grant to be split between clean water and supplying desks and benches for another couple of classrooms. The water project is almost complete…just the concrete bases to put round the three taps at the primary school. It was such hard work digging the ditch from the Health Centre to the school. It is the dry season now so the ground is hard. They had to wet the ground to make it a bit easier to dig. Some of the young people wanted to help, as you can see from the photos, and also some of the apprentices were paid to help with digging the ditch.

We feel very humbled to have been able to help in this small way. All we did was fill in the grant application and the hard work has been carried out in Malawi. Thank you so much to The Kitchen Table Charities Trust for entrusting us to carry out the work to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable children in rural northern Malawi. They may not have anyone feeding them in school yet, but having clean water to drink and wash their hands is a great start in changing their lives for the better.

Enjoy these photos and videos – I’m sure there will be more to come once the children start back to school on 11th September. Now the clean water project has been completed, Levison will engage carpenters to make the desks and benches with the remaining grant money. The plan is that the apprentices will be allowed to help the carpenters with some of the easier tasks.

Gracious Nyondo, who is in p8, is the boy in the video who is thanking the donors for bringing clean water. Mr Enock Nyondo is the headteacher. As well as thanking the donors he says that they used to have to draw water from a well or the river and is delighted that they no longer have to do this and that the children have clean water to drink.

Things we take for granted make a HUGE difference. We are so happy to see that things are changing, bit by bit, for the most vulnerable children. They deserve so much more. Thanks for reading and supporting us, Sarah x

Levison (blue Maple Leafs t-shirt) discussing the height for the taps with the plumbers
Gracious Nyondo, in p8, thanks us and the donors for the clean water at Chambo Primary
Enock Nyondo, Headteacher at Chambo Primary is thankful for clean water at the school
Enjoying clean running water

Clean Water to Drink

Something we take for granted – this is the joy that having clean water can bring http://www.changinglivesmalawi.com

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Sarah’s blog 26/04/23

These two photos show the importance of clean water. The first photo was taken at the weekend. The second photo was taken on the day the tap was first connected to the clean water supply at The Foundation. The nursery children in that photo were the first ones to drink from it – actually the little girl, Josephine, was first.

So it’s the same tap with photos taken a few years apart but they are almost identical. A group of young children who are able to turn on a tap and delight when fresh, clean water flows out. (I altered both photos to black and white as it is easier to see the water droplets.)

These children attend Chambo Primary School where there is no water. We want to be able to replicate these scenes at Chambo Primary School. Clean drinking water should be available to all children. Thanks to a grant we have received from The Kitchen Table Charities Trust, soon there will be a tap just like this outside Chambo Primary School. We know that something we take for granted will bring those children great joy. We look forward to sharing those joyful photos with you.

WILL YOU HELP US? We are still hoping for more support with feeding these vulnerable children. If you can spare £5 per month towards our Feeding Programme you can either text FEEDING to 70480 or contact me for bank details to commit to a monthly amount. contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com . Thank you for helping us continue to help these malnourished children, Sarah x

https://videopress.com/v/vJGyMirQ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

World Health Day – Projects & Photos

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Sarah’s blog 7/4/22

This year’s World Health Day is highlighting people and planet. There is much to do, particularly by those of us in more developed countries to ensure the health of people in poorer countries.

The Foundation we are working with in rural northern Malawi is making great progress but there is a great deal more work to do. Here are some ways they are making a difference to the hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children;

  1. The Feeding Programme – all children and young people in the area where The Foundation is are suffering from malnutrition. Approximately 500 children are fed a substantial, nutritious meal once a week. This is their biggest meal of the week and some children can go for a couple of days without eating. As there are no big agencies feeding children in that area, some children walk up to 20km for this meal. We would like to be able to send more money to feed the children more often or to set up a porridge programme at their schools. Teachers have already noticed that this one meal per week is helping the children’s concentration and improving their grades.
  2. The Period Poverty Project – girls have been made to feel shame for a normal bodily function. They miss school for one week out of four and therefore fall behind the boys in their studies. We sent hand turn sewing machines, fabric and other sewing supplies and some of the older girls started making drawstring bags and sanitary towels. The bags contain; 3 pairs of pants (supplied by Smalls for All charity), 5 reusable sanitary towels, soap and a health information sheet. This is an ongoing project, that doesn’t cost too much money, that is making a difference to hundreds of girls. It would be wonderful if we had more money to be able to make and gift these bags to all girls who need them at local schools.
  3. Clean Drinking Water & Showers – This was a huge undertaking and one that is benefitting everyone. As we saw in photographs pregnant women were washing their clothes, themselves and drinking from dirty puddles prior to having clean water on tap. All the children who use The Foundation are able to have regular showers to keep clean and they have clean water to drink. They are taught about the importance of hygiene and handwashing.
  4. Facemasks – When the schools in Malawi were requiring children to wear facemasks because of the pandemic, the girls who have been sewing were able to make facemasks for everyone.
  5. Handwashing – some of the local schools do not have clean, running water so we sent money for Levison to buy buckets (with taps) and boxes of soap to gift to local schools so the children are able to wash their hands.
  6. Fruit Tree Saplings – We have been raising money for fruit tree saplings for future food for the children. Over 100 have been planted so far but we want to plant far more. This will provide the children with a more varied healthy diet and will provide jobs and future income too. Obviously, planting trees is good for the planet and will help with preventing soil erosion in the heavy rains.
  7. Eco Stoves – are being made for the villagers. These are an enclosed form of cooking, are safer than the usual open fires, retain more heat and use less wood which makes them better for people and planet.
  8. The Foundation is growing it’s own crops for the orphans and vulnerable children to eat. However these aren’t enough for the hundreds of children who need food and more maize has to be bought. They are also rearing chickens and goats.
  9. The Mother & Baby Project – we have had wonderful donations of knitted blankets and baby clothes. Levison took these to the local health centre. New mums are given some clothes for their new born babies and again, if they go back a few weeks later, they will be given some more clothes enabling the nurses to have an additional chance to chat to mums and see their babies and offer help and advice if needed.
  10. Hats, Gloves & Scarves – at certain times of the year it can get very cold at night and most of these children are sleeping on the ground inside their very basic homes. It can be cold walking to school in the mornings so the gifts of hats, gloves and scarves keeps them a bit warmer.

These are just some of the projects that are making a difference. I hope you can see how much work is being done and how committed we are to doing more. Children are generally happier as they know they are important and cared about. They are learning new skills, playing sports and reading books. We couldn’t help The Foundation without your help, so this is another chance to say ‘Thank You’ to our supporters. It’s always teamwork and we are grateful to you. I hope you enjoy these photos on World Health Day. Thanks for reading, Sarah x As always, you can email on contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com

World Water Day 22nd March

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Sarah’s blog 22/3/22

On this day every year the focus is on how many people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water. It also highlights how people in the poorest countries of the world are the most affected by too little water or too much.

We are trying to combat flooding in the far north of Malawi, where The Foundation is, by raising money for trees to be planted. This will help with protecting the crops from being washed away by heavy rains. By buying fruit tree saplings it is creating a future, sustainable food source as well as employment and a source of income for The Foundation and villagers. Eco stoves are being made for the villagers. These use far less wood than an open fire and retain more heat so less trees will be cut down for fuel. They are also much safer for the villagers to cook on, especially if young children are around. If you would like to buy 4 fruit tree saplings for £10 then email contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com to plant a sustainable future for people and planet.

I thought today was the perfect opportunity to reflect on how fortunate those of us are who have clean drinking water on tap, which we take for granted. Also it’s an opportunity to show people who have started following us recently some photos of the changes that have happened in Ibuluma thanks to lots of generous people and fundraising. Hope you enjoy looking at the photos and thank you again for supporting us to continue Changing Lives Malawi, Sarah x

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