The Sonder Project

The 30A BBQ Festival is BACK! 🔥🍖

Join us Friday, November 6 at Grand Boulevard for one of our favorite nights of the year, featuring incredible barbecue from some of the area’s best restaurants and pitmasters, live music from River Dan, and plenty of b**r and w**e, all in support of The Sonder Project.

Every ticket helps advance our work providing clean water, education, and economic opportunity in partnership with communities in Burkina Faso and Malawi. 💧📚🌱

📍 Grand Boulevard, Miramar Beach
📅 Friday, November 6
⏰ VIP: 5:00 PM | General Admission: 5:30–8:00 PM

🎟️ General Admission: $70
Includes all-you-can-eat BBQ plus unlimited b**r and w**e for guests 21+.

⭐ VIP: $150
Includes early entry, all GA benefits, plus access to an exclusive VIP area with dessert, open bar, a private photo booth, and a special gift.

👧 Ages 12 & under: $20

The 30A BBQ Festival has sold out in recent years, so don’t wait to grab your tickets.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! > TheSonderProject.org/BBQFest 🔥

🔥🍖 Excitement is building up!
30A BBQ Festival 2026 features in this list of top events in the coming season Destin Log

Got your tickets yet? Link in comments👇

Savor, sip and celebrate: Festival season is here From seafood to barbecue, here is a look at the fun festivals happening around the Destin area this fall.

A pretty special full-circle moment. 💛

During our recent time in Malawi, we had the chance to catch up with former Power Student Justin Banda at our office. But Justin was not just stopping by to visit. He now works in the same building as a field officer for an agriculture development organization.

Justin joined Education Is Power at a time when he was not sure he would be able to finish secondary school. With two years of support, encouragement, and his own hard work, he graduated in 2023 and has continued building what comes next.

“I’ll always feel like I can achieve anything because of the encouragement and support,” Justin shared.

Today, he is gaining professional experience in his current role while continuing to think about his future, including the possibility of returning to school to pursue nursing.

We are so proud to see how far Justin has come, and even more excited to see where he goes next.

Swipe to the end to see Justin during his time as a Power Student. ➡️

Interested in helping another student stay in school and keep moving forward? Learn more about Education Is Power at thesonderproject.org/sponsorstudent.

Every year, students in our Education Is Power program in Malawi and Burkina Faso handwrite a letter to their sponsors, sharing updates from school and life and expressing their gratitude for the support they receive.

Our team mails each letter along with a recent photo of the student, and it is always special to hear from sponsors afterwards.

If you are a current or former student sponsor, we would love to hear from you. Share a photo or video with your letter and tag The Sonder Project, tell us in the comments what stood out to you, or send us a DM or email. 💛

Interested in sponsoring a student and receiving a letter yourself? Visit thesonderproject.org/sponsorstudent. Link in bio/comments.

Three years ago, Angeline and Angelina did not know whether they would be able to stay in school.

The twin sisters were strong students, but their family struggled to afford the fees and expenses required to keep them in the classroom. Their mother went into debt, and at one point their father considered withdrawing them from school altogether.

Today, the uncertainty that once surrounded their education has been replaced by possibility. After three years in Education Is Power, Angeline and Angelina have completed Grade 10 and passed the BEPC, earning their first official secondary school diploma and opening the door to the next stage of their education.

Angelina dreams of becoming a doctor. Angeline is thinking about business and still exploring where her path might lead, but both sisters now have something that once felt uncertain: the opportunity to keep learning and decide what comes next.

Swipe through for a glimpse into their lives, then read their full story at the link in the comments.

📚🌟Her future is full of possibility.

For students like Cecilia, sponsorship through Education Is Power does more than help cover the cost of school. It helps reduce the stress of fees, supplies, transportation, and other barriers that can make education feel uncertain.

With that support in place, students have more room to focus, participate, build confidence, and imagine what their futures could hold.

Cecilia dreams of becoming a chemical engineer and learning how to produce medicine. That kind of possibility begins when a student has the support to stay in school and keep moving forward.

Read Cecilia’s story at the link in the comments, and sponsor a student today.

Student letters are on their way 💌

Volunteers have been busy preparing letters from students in our Education Is Power program for the sponsors helping make their education possible. These notes are filled with gratitude, hope, personality, and ambition, offering a glimpse into each student’s life, progress, and dreams for the future.

If you sponsor a student in Malawi or Burkina Faso, keep an eye on your mailbox. And when your letter arrives, we would love to see it! Share a photo or video with your letter, tag us, or send it to us by DM. We would be so happy to celebrate these connections and the students behind them.

Education Is Power!