Dear Lali
I am writing to let you know that so far The Unicorn School has raised an amazing 2,957 pounds towards the cost of building a second classroom for the children of Mwalimu School near Loliando in Tanzania.
We have been working alongside Chrissie Davies, a friend, who has been fundraising for the school by running half marathons, full marathons and climbing up Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro.
A cd was sent to the parents of each child in the school that showed how the children around Mwalimu lived and what the school looks like. Last summer a sports donation went to the school, the pictures of the pleasure it brought were wonderful. Some disposable cameras were also given to some of the children who took photos of their homes, cattle, way of life etc which can now be seen in each class at The Unicorn.
Chrissie gave an illustrated talk in a school assembly; the start point for a coin collection we hoped would go around the school. We managed to complete the collection, 100 metres long in early May, which raised 201 pounds. There was a lot of counting of coins.
Greater global awareness gained from making links with Mwalimu School is part of our Eco School focus. Classes Lime and Willow, both aged 10-11, researched the physical and human geography of Tanzania and compared it to Abingdon. In class they made models of bomas and on the playground a full size replica of a Maasai hut that formed part of some role play. In June, at the second attempt, 54 children, 8 parents and 7 staff walked 3miles along the Ridgeway, re-enacting the walk the Maasai children used to try each day to get to school. Luckily for us there were no wild animals such as elephants to block the way. I am attaching two photos of the children on the walk.The sponsor money raised from this will go towards a second classroom. This will allow the children to have a full time education, instead of the current part time one.
Along with the lunch time school meal provided by the World Food Program, the committed school teachers, the enthusiastic support of the village leaders, the fund raising by Chrissie Davies and friends, The Nomad Safari Trust, and the parents, staff, children and governors of the Unicorn School we hope to make a significant contribution towards helping the Maasai people near the school to face the challenges of the future with the benefits of better health and a good education, something that we all too often take for granted.
Our support for the school will be the focus of our charity work for the next few years. We also hope to send some maths books to help with number work.
Thank you for your help.
Best wishes,
Mike Pickett, (class teacher).
The Unicorn School
UK
