Adult literacy programme…
LIVENESS is a 33 year old lady from the community who started benefiting from Sparkle Adult literacy programme in 2020. At 35 you are seen as elderly in Malawi, with an average life expectancy of 64 for a woman. Since she can remember, Liveness was receiving letters in the post and had to find someone else in the village to read these out to her. It was her dream to one day be able to do this herself but she never thought at her age, she would be given the opportunity to learn. Sparkle’s adult literacy programme changed that and we will never forget the moment she recited her first letter perfectly out to the rest of the class! We were so proud of her.
UK government funding to Malawi is on track to drop by around 90 per cent within two years, from K117.9 billion down to K11.7 billion by 2028. The figures emerged in Parliament last week, where Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha faced questions from MP Francis Belekanyama on how such a steep reduction would affect budget delivery. The Minister's position was that the national budget itself is not at risk, since the reduction had already been built into government planning. Where he was less reassuring was on who absorbs the impact. Per the report, it is Malawi's NGOs, not the state, that are expected to feel this most, given how many rely on UK funding to run health, education and social protection work.
The Sparkle Foundation Podcast is where we shine a light on the extraordinary people behind our mission: volunteers, changemakers, and champions who show up, roll up their sleeves, and prove that one person really can make a difference. Each episode is an honest, unscripted conversation about what drives people to give back, and what happens when they do. Hosted by Sarah Brook , Founder and CEO of The Sparkle Foundation.
We are incredibly proud to partner with Haileybury, an independent school in Hertford, United Kingdom, whose students consistently demonstrate a strong commitment to service, leadership and global citizenship. Through initiatives such as the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, students have supported The Sparkle Foundation by organising creative fundraising events that make a tangible difference to the communities we serve in Malawi. One such student is Eva Kinsey, who was part of the team that organised a community quiz night in support of our Medical Outreach Programme. Eva kindly wrote the reflection below, capturing the experience from a student's perspective. We are delighted to share her account of the evening and the impact that was made.
