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.

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 The Sparkle Foundation. Meet Our Guests Sam McCone is Managing Partner at McCone Properties, with over 30 years in Dubai and 13 years helping investors make better property decisions in one of the world's most competitive real estate markets. Candice McCone is a Trauma Release Practitioner and Human Garage Fascia Maneuver Coach, dedicated to helping people navigate and release trauma from the body. Together, they are two of The Sparkle Foundation's most committed supporters, bringing not just financial backing, but genuine presence, personal challenge, and a whole company along with them.

In the village of Sakata, in Zomba District, Malawi, sixteen women are bent over sewing machines, measuring, cutting, threading, and stitching. What they are creating is more than clothing. They are building futures. This is The Sparkle Foundation's tailoring skills training programme, one of the first initiatives to launch under Spark to Success, a powerful two year partnership with NAMA Women Advancement , a UAE-based organisation dedicated to advancing women's economic participation and building resilient communities worldwide.

Perth teacher Leith travelled to Malawi as a first-time volunteer with The Sparkle Foundation and came home changed. Read her story.

For over ten years, The Payback Time Trust has supported The Sparkle Foundation, a relationship first led by Stuart Barcock’s late father, Peter, alongside his stepmother, Kathy, who were early believers in Sparkle’s vision. While Stuart had long been aware of and connected to Sparkle through this relationship, his involvement deepened significantly after becoming a Trustee in early 2023. Since then, his connection to the charity has been more direct and engaged, shaped through ongoing conversations, updates, and a growing understanding of our work. This year, that connection took on a different form. Stuart travelled to Malawi this past March to experience our work in person. Not as an observer from afar, but as someone stepping directly into the environments, communities, and programmes his family family had supported for so long. This is the story of Stuart's journey with purpose. What I Thought I Knew Having supported The Sparkle Foundation for more than a decade, the decision to visit Malawi felt both natural and necessary. From the perspective of The Payback Time Trust, it was important that one of us saw the work first-hand, to understand not only what is being delivered but how it comes together on the ground. Reports and conversations provide insight, but they inevitably leave gaps. Being there, physically present, offers a different level of clarity . There was also a personal dimension to the trip. The trust itself was founded by my [late] father and stepmother, who had been early supporters of The Sparkle Foundation and a strong believers in [founder] Sarah’s vision. Continuing that connection is something I take seriously, and this visit felt like an extension of that responsibility, as well as a way of honouring what they had helped to start.

A fully funded greenhouse is now operational at The Sparkle Foundation Farm, made possible by a generous grant from the Australian Government

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 The Sparkle Foundation. Meet Our Guest Reihan Sagar is an 18-year-old student at Brighton College Dubai, currently serving as Head Pupil. Since joining The Sparkle Foundation in October 2024, he has raised over 40,000 dirhams for children in Malawi through bake sales, a school-wide t-shirt design competition, a raffle, and a secondhand uniform drive. He was recently awarded the Ed Goodwin Award by BSME (British Schools Middle East) for his outstanding contribution to the charity.

It’s early morning in rural Malawi. The road is slick with mud after heavy rain through the night. An eight-months-pregnant woman walks barefoot along it, cradling her swollen belly, her one-year-old tied securely to her back in a chitenje. Her waters have broken. She is not walking towards a hospital. She is walking towards hope — searching for anyone who can help her bring her baby safely into the world. For too many women across Sub-Saharan Africa, this is not an exceptional story. It's reality . Pregnancy, childbirth, fever, infection, or a sick child can quickly become life-threatening when healthcare is far away, roads are washed out, transport is unaffordable, and the nearest clinic is beyond reach. The Sparkle Outreach Clinic This is why, in March 2026, The Sparkle Foundation launched its Outreach Clinics initiative. The idea is simple but vital: if patients cannot reach the clinic, then the clinic must reach them . By mobilising our clinical team and taking services directly into hard-to-reach, remote villages in Malawi, we are bringing healthcare closer to the people who need it most.