School groups continue to be central to the Open Arms community and we have enjoyed many partnerships with schools who have given tremendous support over the years, both in fundraising and visiting Open Arms in Malawi.

We are keen to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with schools as they are not only crucial to our fundraising efforts, but we know that students who understand the work we do and why, build empathy, feel inspired and often become global citizens for life.  

We’ve created free, fun and engaging resources for both Primary and Secondary schools. Through sharing real stories from the people we work with, they help students gain an understanding of the culture and life in Malawi and understand the challenges faced by many children and families. They provide a valuable resource for Citizenship in the PSHE curriculum and help enhance the personal development of students.

If your school would like to do some fundraising for Open Arms, we have a downloadable School Fundraising pack full of ideas and resources. Check out our ‘Love, Nurture, Grow’ campaign – a wonderfully creative origami lotus flower fundraising activity, which we are rolling out in schools.

For more information or to discuss how your school can get involved please contact us.  

What teachers say:

Queen Elizabeth School, Kirkby Lonsdale  “Our friends in Malawi are absolutely thriving, and we have gained so much, in so many ways. Raising funds has been a daunting task, but at the same time a real pleasure. The trick has been to mobilize the whole school community. Supermarket bag packing, quizzes, afternoon teas, sponsored walks, Christmas craft stalls, you name it, and we’ve done it!” Pete Weston

Stewarts Melville College, Edinburgh   “We have seen that bringing the global dimension to Citizenship and lessons across the full breadth of the curriculum can enrich educational experiences and outcomes for young people, helping them to challenge stereotypes, respect cultural differences, and raise their global awareness.” - Gavin Park

What pupils say:

"Before visiting the community Open Arms projects, charity for me was just something that you give money to. Having researched, presented and fundraised for these projects I felt personally part of what was going on. The best ever aspect, however, was to see with my own eyes the community outreach programme itself and the effect of hard work and donations in the Blantyre Community in the summer of 2024." Violet, Culford School

You can read more about the support of schools over the past few years by checking out our blog here, where some of our schools got creative in their fundraising activities! You can also read about one of our biggest fundraising events by Downe House School in our blog.