Changing Stars Malawi

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Changing Stars Malawi

We aim to create an enduring legacy by inspiring, nurturing and providing education in Malawi.

27/04/2026

A huge shout out to Samuel from , Robert, Mattias, Jackson, Mphatso, Chaula andMiss Chadza for all of their hard work on the school site so far.

The work on the land is creating lots of new jobs, both during the build and once the school is up and running. We are proud to be sourcing local tradespeople and labourers to make our vision come to life. As always, our power is our people!

Our school fundraiser went live at the beginning of the month and we can see your fundraisers starting - thank you! If you’re still deciding how to contribute, why not check out the fundraising pack at the link in our bio.

15/04/2026

Something we didn’t mention on our recent roundup of what we’ve done so far this year, were the donations we’ve been able to distribute.

We have a great relationship with Billy’s Clinic and take out regular medical supplies. These donations of handmade blankets from Frances and baby hats from Susan were really well received at Billy’s, lots of new babies now have something warm and dry to snuggle into.

Lots of families in Cape Maclear don’t have access to running water in their homes which means materials easily become soiled and can be hard to keep clean. Anyone with a small child knows how hard that is anyway! So these blankets and hand knitted hats are a welcomed addition for these families.

Every little helps - thank you to Frances and Susan for these fabulous, colourful donations.

If you want to make a difference to Cape Maclear’s youngest children, a £10 donation could pay for enough formula milk to feed a baby for a month. Most mothers breastfeed, but for any reason if mothers are unable to, their babies rely on formula to remain healthy in an area in which food insecurity is commonplace.

Donate directly on our website.

Thank you for your ongoing support, this is life changing work!

11/04/2026

100 days… what have we been up to? 💭

07/04/2026

Next subject for our series on early years activities is… shape!

1. Generally speaking Malawi has a very static curriculum but we like to encourage movement! We want to engage a child’s body AND mind. So this jumping activity is a great example - it can be seen here in our younger class room and is a simple concept for new children grasp shape names English. It’s always fun to see them balancing on a tiny circle together, too!
2. As we build our understanding of shape we of course want to learn about how many sides and corners a shape has. With limited resources this is a hard thing to teach beyond the blackboard, but these printables have helped.
3. Of course - probably the most important in this list for children learning about shapes in practice. We have been donated some construction sets but as children don’t have these sorts of toys at home it takes a while for them to get the hang of it. All part of the process!
4. Whether it’s with a pencil and paper or chalk on the floor, we encourage children to practice drawing the shapes we are learning about. They often start by drawing around shapes but as they get more confident, can try freehand too.
5. Using centimetre cubes we begin to explore 3D shapes! This is a playful way to explore depth and encourage the children to experiment and see how big they can make different cubes and cuboids.

We would love your input for new shape based activities, games or resources. What should we do next?!

04/04/2026

Big news from us at Changing Stars Malawi…

As we begin raising funds for our new school, we’re excited to share that we’re now using GiveStar as our official fundraising platform!

We need to raise £50,000 to make this school a reality. It’s a big ask, but it’s possible with our community behind us.

So here’s the question…
Will you fundraise for us?

With GiveStar, you can:
✨ Set up your own fundraiser in minutes
✨ Fundraise directly towards the new school
✨ See your impact on the live ranking table (a little friendly competition never hurts!)

is SO easy to use (that’s why we chose it) there’s even an app that lets you turn your phone into a contactless card reader at your events. No extra kit, no fuss.

Whether it’s a bake sale, sponsored challenge, marathon or something completely unique - we’d love you to be part of this journey.

If you’d like a copy of our fundraising pack, drop us an email at [email protected]

The link to our fundraising page is in our bio but you can also find it by searching ‘Help us build a school’ on GiveStar.

Let’s build something incredible together!

29/03/2026

We are so happy to say that the first tree has officially been planted on our new school site. An avocado tree!

The school site has been designed so that it benefits the environment and the community. So far we have plans for 473 trees, and that number is growing as we lean on expertise from Mud and Leaf Architecture. Together with Alexandra we have put in motion the plans to grow fruit all year round, that can the be used to feed our pupils between nursery and primary school.

We are SO excited for these plans, not only because it will be a source of food for our community but because it will provide additional jobs on the school site and model to our wider community that growth doesn’t need to be limited to particular times of year.

This is one of the issues with agriculture in Cape Maclear; crops are limited and leave several months of little to no harvest. With limited harvest, income opportunities are limited not only from the farmers themselves but those working for them. On top of this local people are then forced to pay premium rates whilst produce is hard to come by.

There’s no quick fix to this, but with education and hands on experience we hope this orchard will inspire a different way.

23/03/2026

How cute is this POV filmed by little Hildy using Charlie’s meta glasses - so fun to see life from through their eyes!

Don’t forget, sponsoring a child to attend this nursery for an entire year is £25. That’s an entire year of learning, socialising and feel good grub!

Confidence building.
Language learning.
Problem solving.
Curiosity chasing.
Life changing!

If you’re in a position to donate, please visit our website.
www.changingstarsmalawi.org

22/03/2026

Introducing Troy and Lala!

Our founder Charlie is very excited that he has two new dogs, something he has wanted since moving to Malawi. Both dogs live in the Volunteer Cottage.

Big shout out to our friends at the looking after the pair so well until now. They were struggling to be adopted as they are older dogs and needed to stay together as they had bonded really well. And Lala went into with an injury so she only has three legs after surgery there, but manages really well. They are now living their best lives in Cape Maclear loving being with Charlie at the Volunteer Cottage and give lots of great cuddles.

I’m sure you’ll join me in welcoming the two new additions to our Changing Stars Malawi family.

Fun fact, in Chichewa, dog is “galo” [GAH-loo]

19/03/2026

What is the Early Years Partnership?
Our Early Years Partnership connects nurseries, childminders and colleges with our work in Malawi. By donating £25+ a month, they receive:
🍌 Quarterly resource packs
🍌 Regular updates from our settings
🍌 Opportunity to send volunteers to our projects
🍌 Live Zoom calls connecting their children with ours
And more!

How do we find out more?
You can find the full information pack via the link in our bio, or email us at [email protected] to learn more.

18/03/2026

Our volunteers help in a number of ways - we welcome educators with a range of skills and interests. What’re yours?

16/03/2026

Operation School is underway! It’s an exciting time for us at Changing Stars because small but essential steps are being taken to make our first primary school a reality. We’ll keep you updated with as much as we can along the way so many sure you’re following us to see more!

What is a borehole?
A borehole is a deep, narrow hole drilled into the ground to reach clean water that sits far below the surface. A hand pump is installed so people in the community can pump the water up for drinking, cooking, and washing.

Why does a borehole not need a filter?
The water comes from deep underground where the layers of soil and rock have naturally filtered it over many years. By the time it reaches the borehole, it is usually much cleaner and safer than surface water from rivers or lakes.

How long do boreholes last?
With regular maintenance, a borehole can last many years. We are trained to care for the pump and make small repairs so the water source can keep serving our school for a long time!

How much does a borehole cost?
It will depend where it is and how big your tanks are - there are many variables! Ours cost £8,706 which includes borehole drilling, pipes/materials to reach the school and the solar pump system, labour, two water towers with 10,000L tanks and additional pipelines/irrigation!

This system will provide drinking water, irrigation for growing food, and water for teacher housing. This is life changing stuff!!

Address

Mangochi

Telephone

+447540065205

Website

http://www.changingstarsmalawi.org/

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