on making a difference: interview with Sarah Brook, CEO of The Sparkle Foundation

(Hi!! I'm planning on starting a little series with interviews from people in various jobs, as it's always important to know details about different careers. Let me know what you think! - L)

A great deal of any student's motivation or anxiety is wondering about how we will, some day, make a difference in the world.

For Sarah Brook, it was to give up her marketing career in Dubai at 25, to fundraise £35,000 and set up her own charity, The Sparkle Foundation. Sparkle currently work in Malawi to provide food, water, education and medical support to orphaned children, saving lives every day.




On a break before flying to Malawi to visit her children at Sparkle, Sarah stopped to give a talk in my school about her story, and I was lucky enough to ask her a few questions on how to make a difference through charity.

L-       Hi Sarah!   I'd love to know, what was the first moment that you knew you had helped make a change in somebody’s life?

S-    We rescued a 10 year old girl who was being abused at home. She barely spoke and I saw such sadness in her eyes. All I managed to get out of her was that it was her dream to learn. We put her back into School and I will never forget when she came running through the gates at Sparkle shouting, "Sarah I have friends for the first time." She was smiling and her eyes were bright. She is now top of her class and has been accepted to do a scholarship at a local grammar school. I know her life will be changed forever now and she is a role model to so many other students.

L -        If you could go back to school again, would you do anything differently?

S - I would have appreciated it more. I never realized how fortunate I was to have so many opportunities, and looking back, I could have tried so many other things. I also would have carried on learning a language. In today's world the job market is harder than ever but if you can speak two languages, there is always something out there for you! 

-          How have you coped with the setbacks in establishing your charity?

I have taken it in my stride. Every challenge has a solution and you just remember that failure is not an option. I am so passionate about the work that I do, that I cannot just turn my back on my kids. So setbacks are just hurdles that I have to climb rather than barriers which stop me. 

-          What were some unexpected benefits you’ve found of starting Sparkle?

The number of people I have met from all walks of life. The kindness and generosity amongst the human race is amazing and I was living a very sheltered life before I realised what beautiful people we have on this earth who are prepared to do anything to help others. 

-          What words of advice would you give to students who want to help solve the world’s problems?

Everyone can do something. Overall the world is too big to change, but if everyone does their own little bit and makes a difference however they can, then together we will see a solution. It is not always about money: time, advice, contacts, ideas, and volunteering are just as worth while. We have a social responsibility now as a generation to take action. Why should people suffer who are exactly the same as us, just because they were born into a different location? The reward of helping someone else is the best in the world.

-          How can young people get involved with Sparkle?

There are so many different ways people can be involved. We have volunteers who work here in the UK or over in Malawi. We do internships and work experience placements which not only help the charity but also help students applying for jobs / universities. You just need to take the first step and email us sarah@sparklemalawi.org or apply online to be a volunteer, and we will point you in the right direction so that you can make a difference. 

I hope this has been enlightening for anyone considering doing charity work or volunteering! I found the Sparkle story super inspirational.

- L✿