Changing Stars Malawi

11/08/2026

Our orchard is growing!

We have had banana trees at the Community Hub for over a year but now we are able to expand with lots of fruit trees going in over the coming days. We’re excited to diversify the fruit we grow here and be able to offer the children that attend more sweet, homegrown snacks!

07/08/2026

An amazing few days spent with the team from WVS Malawi (BSPCA) last month. Charlie, Anna and Phoebe assisted the team as they sterilised and neutered dogs and dogs, provided rabies vaccinations, tick and flea treatments.

The trio were tasked with checking the animals’ Obs during surgery and caring for them post-surgery, ensuring a smooth recovery.

It might not be education, but what impactful work! We are really proud to have great relationships with charities like BSPCA and these opportunities to connect and help each other out are welcomed.

The BSPCA team were spending time in Monkey Bay, Cape Maclear and Nkata Bay. Over 4 days the team sterilised 150 animals, provided 162 parasite treatments and 82 rabies vaccinations. They also treated 8 dogs with TVT.

A huge well done to the team, and a big thank you for having us!

25/07/2026

Our term in numbers!

A huge thank you to Maggie, Agnes, Mercy, Mwayi and Helena for their hard work day in, day out. The energy this team bring each day is unmatched.

Secondly, to Clement and Stan our resident musicians for spreading good vibes and being a big part of what makes this nursery so special.

And of course, to our volunteers who have been cheerleaders to our team, extra pairs of hands and generous donors during their time with us.

Another year over - how time has flown!

The Community Hub is open throughout the summer so Charlie, and the community team will be busy busy over the next few weeks.

22/07/2026

After 27 hours of travelling, David has arrived safely in Malawi! ✈️

He received a warm welcome at the volunteer house, where he met the team and was treated to a comforting Spaghetti Bolognese to help him feel at home after such a long journey.

The following morning, David was up bright and early, heading to the local community hub in Maclear. There, he joined the children for a game of handball and it quickly became clear that everyone wanted him on their team! 🏐😊

Later that afternoon, David delivered the laptops donated to Changing Stars Malawi and provided IT training, helping the team develop valuable digital skills that will support their work in the community. 💻

Over the coming days, David will be visiting nurseries supported by Changing Stars and exploring potential locations for a new school. These visits are an important part of understanding the needs of local communities and identifying where we can make the greatest long-term impact.

None of this would be possible without the incredible support of our customers. Thank you for helping us create opportunities, strengthen communities and change lives. ❤️

We'll be sharing more updates from Malawi over the coming days, so keep an eye on our page and follow David's journey with us!

22/07/2026

😅 What an introduction!

It’s hard to know what expect when you travel half way across the world to volunteer with us. Here are a few things we can guarantee from your very first morning…
💫 Laughter
💫 Epic dance moves
💫 Cracking live music
💫 Community

At Mango Tree Nursery we are lucky to work alongside , two local musicians who host music sessions twice a week. Music is central to our nursery life. It’s great for our mental health, encourages us to move our bodies and helps us support maths and literacy skills. Look at the confidence of some of our young people!

Every part of the nursery morning is intentional, purposeful and curated to give children the best start in life.

You can find out more or donate via our website:
www.changingstarsmalawi.org

19/07/2026

We want to start sharing more about Malawi for those of you that have never had the pleasure of visiting. Of course we had to start with a little bit about the education system. So, did you know these things?

1. After completing Standard 8, pupils sit the Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination (PSLCE). Those who pass and secure a place can then progress to secondary school.
2. In the early years of primary school (Standards 1–4), children are generally taught in Chichewa with English introduced as a subject. From around Standard 5 onwards, English becomes the main language of instruction for most subjects.
3. With so many public schools over subscribed, it is common for lessons take place outdoors when classrooms are full.
4. There are many children in Cape Maclear that walk 5km to and from school each day. That means walking this distance again at lunchtime!
5. Unlike some education systems, moving to the next standard isn’t automatic in Malawi. Repeating a year is relatively common, particularly in the early primary years.

Are any of these things similar to your education experience? Any big differences? Let us know in the comments below 👇🏼

13/07/2026

We shout about our nursery partners but often forget to mention our long standing relationship with !

We were so happy to welcome back Lesley Whitesmith and Bridget and this time they brought a new volunteer, A&E Doctor, Liz! I think you’ll all agree from the footage that Liz brought her energy and expertise in bags (literally)! The commitment to sharing as much knowledge as possible and packing in as much time with the projects as they could in just over a week was incredible.

We are really grateful to who donated equipment that made the training so impactful. Live saving equipment delivered and staff across the community upskilled to keep one another safe.

What an impact!

11/07/2026

It’s been a while since we shared our favourite activities, and we can’t believe we haven’t shared about how we teach numbers… it’s a part of our core learning from the moment the children start with us.

1. Learning about numbers is wayyyy more than learning names and symbols. We want children to learn the concept of numbers, which means counting “stuff”! We can count anything, and everything can be associated with a number. We use things children will find in their environment, which allows them to continue this learning and see connections outside of nursery.
2. As children become more familiar with the digits, and learn their English names, we play number games that are based on language comprehension. In this game the children have to listen for the number, in English, and find the corresponding digit.
3. Numicon is a resource our staff have had extensive training on (we could do a post about this alone!) but one activity we go back to is drawing around, and inside numicon. Mark making isn’t something children get to do much of outside of nursery so they really enjoy this, pair that with our building of number concepts and it’s a match made in heaven!
4. This one doubles up as a fine motor activity of course and takes lots of concentration. This can of course be recreated with little stones too but we have been lucky enough to receive a donation of buttons. Building knowledge of number formation simultaneously.
5. Can you go wrong with number blocks?! Free play with number blocks is brilliant for our preschoolers maths skills and paired with prompts and corresponding digits, really helps them to understand how numbers change.

As always we’d love some more ideas for the limited resources we have - send your favourites our way!

📍 The nurseries we support are located in Thyolo & Cape Maclear in Malawi, Africa. We are an education charity with the goal of improving life’s through education.

06/07/2026