Story Time

🎓🎉Huge congradulations to Esther, Alfred, Daniel, Maria, Greelan and Hazwel! 🎉🎓

These students haved been part of the 1:1 sponsorship program for 4 years!

They were nominated by their peers as being most at risk of dropping out.
Their teachers backed their nominations.
Their gaurdians wanted them to finish school, but struggle daily to put food on the table.

And yet, they perservered and GRADUATED! Congradulations!!

Imagine being in high school, unable to study after school because your flashlight battery ran out and the grid is down. This is the reality for students at Nsondole CDSS.

Fuel is scarce in Malawi, making the power situation an "acute-on-chronic crisis" (PIH Canada). Generators don't run when power outages stike.

Due to the conflict in Iran, fuel prices have increased more than 40% (Reuters), making fuel incredibly unafforable for the average Malawian.

Lack of power has always been an issue in our partner school's community, and now more than ever, families are feeling the pressure. Choosing between feeding their family or trying to buy fuel that is never there.

Solar power could make a huge difference here. Give a student a light to a path forward today.

If you've seen our website, you've probably seen this statement:
"...projects that communities would create for themselves if they had the technical and/or financial means."

This is our mission: to co-fund, co-create, and co-implement solutions that uplift and empower students, families, teachers, leaders, and more- to live the future they are *already* striving for.

Story Time does not implement projects brainstormed in a board room, but rather we listen for what concerns and suggestions come up at PTA, Mother's Group, and Student Group meetings. Our on-the-ground Malawi team works directly with community leaders to draft solutions to the issues we hear, and that recommendation is brought forward to programming committees for funding.

How would the world change if every organization listened?

We ask because we really want to know. Our work is shaped not only by the students and communities in Malawi, but also by the Co-Authors (that's you!) who make it possible.

With U.S. students being dismissed for the summer, lets look at the Malawian Academic Calendar!

In the 2025/2026 school year, Term 1 ran from September - December 2025. They had a short break for the holiday season and Term 2 started in January 2026 and finished in April 2026.

With a short break, Term 3 started in the later half of April 2026 and will finish in July 2026. Term 3 is where a majority of the tests are taken, and the students get their results in July.

A Typical Schoolday Schedule for Primary & Secondary students:
07:00 - 07:30: Arrival and cleaning of classrooms/surroundings.
07:30 - 11:10: Morning lessons (usually with a short break).
11:10 - 11:20: Second break.
11:20 - 13:05: Final lessons.
13:05 - 14:00: Schools often close in the early afternoon. Some students have student-organized afterschool activities like choir or boy's soccer.
14:00 - 16:00: Students walk home (or bike if they are able).

A tale of scraps to door mats!
A total of 63 students attended the latest Women's Empowerment Program Meeting (WEP). They have found a way to use the scraps from the reusable menstrual pad material! They are taking the scraps and making door mats and chalk board dusters.

"I did not know that we can make something beautiful like this from rags. Thank you so much for teaching us this skill," stated one of the students.

A total of eight door mats were made by the students. Some students also made chalk board dusters for Nsondole CDSS.

The door mats and chalk board dusters were presented at their latest PTA meeting, where they were met with much praise and excitement for their work.