In January this year Esther Cameron, now a 3rd year Sociology and Social Psychology student, approached Stephie Hines, a 3rd year History and Politics student, about her sponsorship of a young girl from Luanda through secondary school for only £75 a year. The Derwent students saw how secondary school pupils from the UK could gain invaluable skills by fundraising for the education of those in Kenya, and Luanda Links was born.
This Tuesday the 26th November will see the first official fundraising campaign with Luanda Links Unwrapped: The Launch Party, a Christmas themed event in Rumours bar.
The fundraiser is a culmination of the efforts of dozens of people in Derwent including Vice Chair Ed Moore who will be running the Santa’s grotto for the night.
Third year Politics student Alice Shaw-Ingham told Vision, “I’m really looking forward to a totally student run event. These two girls have worked so hard for this incredible charity and it’s just going to be a fantastic evening for fundraising and to get into the Christmas spirit too.”
The launch event comes at the end of a year setting up the project that aims promote a long-lasting link between students in the UK and those in Luanda, Kenya, who will have their entire secondary school education funded by it.
When Hines and Cameron started the project it was aimed at girls and boys, but as discussions with the community leaders in Luanda progressed, it became clear that those most in need of sponsorship were the girls. Father Innocent, parish priest and chair of the Luanda Links management committee in Luanda said that, in a country where money in a poor family will be focussed on the sons “the most effective way of transforming the community of Luanda is through quality education and especially the education of the girl.”
The team quickly grew to include Danielle Hoctor, a third year Music student from Vanbrugh and Ollie Harrison, a third year Management student from Derwent. There is a management committee set up by Father Innocent in Luanda and chaired by the headmistress of St Bakhita’s Secondary School where the sponsored girls will attend. The involvement of the local community is a vital part of the project, Cameron explained to Vision:
“The success of the project depends on it being sustainable and built through the community structures already in place. The girls were put forward for the project by the community, everyone knows which girls have been picked and in this way we can ensure that the right girls have been chosen according to the criteria we put in place.
“When there is so much need, deciding a criteria for which girls will be chosen was the hardest thing.”
Funded by the travel bursary from the Alumni Fund Hines and Cameron were able to visit Luanda over the summer. They assessed the girls, meeting them all in their homes and assessing their academic ability and their financial need, many of the girls chosen live on the rough equivalent of £2 a day. They also worked to ensure the systems were in place to give the chosen girls the support they would need throughout their education and further,
“We want them to see the end of secondary school as a platform for the future, not the end.”
Hines and Cameron have since begun building the connections with secondary schools in the UK starting with St Michaels Catholic Grammar School for Girls where they received lots of support,
“As well as students coming up to us after the presentation asking about the project we have had students contacting us over Facebook and twitter wanting to get involved. The teachers were also saying that students seemed genuinely inspired.”
The fundraising target for this year is £1550 by January, the start of the academic year for the girls in Luanda. This will see all five of them through their entire first year boarding. Each girl will cost just £1200 each for their whole secondary education. Hines and Cameron emphasised that these first girls will have priority before any more are taken on in order to give them a stable education. They also went further to explain,
“We chose boarding school rather than day to ensure that the girls are able to truly benefit from their sponsorship. Home life for many of them means labour, duties and family pressures as well as exhausting walks to and from school. At boarding school the girls will truly be able to gain a full education.”
For more information about the Launch Party visit the event page https://www.facebook.com/events/575871522480825/
Or buy tickets to the event online