Students at Ellesmere College are aiming to raise £18,000 to help students in Tanzania get a better and safer educational experience by providing four 30,000 litre water tanks and refurbish four classrooms at a school called Nanja in the African nation.
And they've kicked off the fundraising drive, as over £900 was raised at a recent non-uniform day and the money will be given to the Monduli Green Project, which was set up in 2008 by Cathy Allen, an English as an Additional Language teacher at Ellesmere College.
She said: "The project works with schools and communities in Tanzania to improve the environment and facilities for children. One of our aims for the foreseeable future is to improve things at a school called Nanja. We want to build water tanks because this boarding school for 450 pupils has absolutely no water at all. The students and staff collect their water from a livestock pond 10 minutes down the road. The school has to spend most of its funding not on resources, but on drinking water because of this situation. A water tank costs £3,130 and it costs £1,342 to refurbish each classroom. It is a lot of money and we've set ourselves a target, but I am sure we can do it. We raised a terrific amount at the recent non-uniform day and I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated. We're always after other ways of raising money and always open to ideas."
Ellesmere College has a long history of supporting the Monduli Green Project. Students from the Shropshire college visit the project every other year to help and the school community sponsors 55 individual students as well. Cathy added: "There are many children in Tanzania who don't get to go to school or fail to finish their education. With just under 70%per cent of the population living below the poverty line, many children are forced into a situation of trying to find work to help their families rather than go to school."
For more about the Monduli Green Project visit www.ellesmere.com and search Monduli.
5th June 2019 Back to News