Kind-hearted pupils step up to help children in Africa
Kind-hearted pupils at Wellesbourne CofE Primary School have raised £1,500 for children living in one of Africa’s poorest countries.
The whole school will be holding a celebratory assembly on Friday 1 February where they will present a cheque for £1,500 to Sue Melia, fundraiser for the Bwengu-project in Malawi.
The school, which has a very active school council, decided to adopt the Bwengu charity last year after they learned about the deprivation faced by third world countries. They held a fancy dress sponsored walk which generated the £1500.
The money raised will be used to equip classrooms and buy much-needed schoolbooks for children from the Bwengu village. Malawi is one of Africa’s poorest countries and children in Bwengu, many of whom are orphans, face an uncertain future.
Sue Melia and her husband Tony founded the Bwengu-project in 2006. Through local fundraising, the couple initiated the renovation of a school in Bwengu for 2,000 children. Sue, who lives in Rugby, works as a sessional worker for Warwickshire’s Youth Offending Team between trips to Malawi.
Sue Melia said: “People in Malawi face very real and substantial problems but we believe that everyone working together can make a real difference.”
Graeme Burgess, Headteacher of Wellesbourne Primary, added: “Our pupils are very active in their fundraising and the School Council really wanted to help improve the lives of children in Malawi. I would not only like to thank the children for all their efforts but also their parents, carers, family members and friends who so generously sponsored them.
“It is our aim to educate children about the wider world and our involvement with Sue’s charity has given everyone a better understanding of the challenges faced by children in the third world.“