Inspirational school walk raises amazing £2200 in just one week for Kenyan children
By Africa Correspondent, Jill Dando News
St Anne's Church Academy in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset raised £2,200 for Malanga Primary School in Kenya.
When pupils heard that many of the children who attend Malanga Primary School do not have a school meal at lunchtime because they can't pay for it, they wanted to do something about it.
Every single child completed the walk and many were so emotional at the courage and determination of some children who have physical disabilities to finish the race.
Principal Emma Hardy-Smith said: “Everyone at St Anne's Church Academy took part. On the day of the walk, it started to rain heavily at times but the children were undeterred.
“Some children with walking difficulties carried on until they had completed the 20 laps of the school and said ‘if the children in Kenya can walk this far for water so can I and it is a lot cooler here’. It was a very emotional day.
“The children waved Kenyan flags, listened to African music and sang songs to spur each other on.
“When the last few children crossed the finishing line, a rainbow appeared in the sky.
“We raised enough money for an acre of land next to Malanga Primary School to be ploughed by a tractor, for manure, top dressing, fertiliser and seeds.”
The following week pupils received a video message from the headmistress and some of the pupils from Malanga Primary School to say thank you for walking and what a blessing the money was to all of them.
When Brian Humphreys from the Kenya Hope Charity went to visit Malanga Primary School in May he took photographs of the maize and bean crops that were growing in the field next to the school - they are already as high as an elephant's eye and will be harvested in the next couple of weeks to feed all of the children in the school.
Some of the money raised is also going to be used to improve the school's kitchen and dining room.
St Anne’s will be repeating the walk next March so that children attending Malanga Primary School in Kenya can be fed every day.
St. Anne's Church Academy has also raised money through a 'new to you' sale and by selling refreshments at their Christmas Carol Service to sponsor a Kenyan child to complete his education.
