At Link Ethiopia we are lucky enough to have some truly dedicated and energetic fundraisers who make everything possible. In this blog we thought we would turn the spotlight on the fundraisers and let them tell you what they’re up to and why they raise money for Link Ethiopia.
Students at Impington Village College in Cambridgeshire are raising money for their partner school in Ethiopia. They have been involved in a range of fun activities to raise money, including persuading their school to take part in a sponsored run challenge.
Some of the students will be visiting their partner school in Bishoftu this year, but all the money they raise will fund the running of a Saturday school in Bishoftu Prep school.
You can visit their fundraising page at JustGiving to see how they are getting on, and we’re delighted to announce that they have raised 44% of their target amount. Without further ado let’s meet the Impington Village College fundraisers!
Hello, we are Paula, Linda, Julia, Lisa, Marie, Sara and Loana and we have been working together since 2014 to raise funds for our partner school, and to learn more about Ethiopia and the world. Studying for the International Baccalaureate at Impington Village College has given us a lot of unique opportunities and amazing experiences; and this project is one of them.Our school has worked for several years with Link Ethiopia to support our partner school in Bishoftu. This is a state sixth form school, and students from Impington have visited Bishoftu several times in the past. One year, their fundraising enabled two students and two teachers from Bishoftu to visit our college, and we are hoping to visit Bishoftu and work with the students there.
We attend extra lessons every week to learn about life in developing countries, the challenges poverty brings, and the ways such poverty can be addressed. We are also learning about Ethiopian culture and the Ethiopian context ready for our visit to Bishoftu.
Our fundraising for Link Ethiopia, however, is entirely to facilitate access to education for girls who otherwise might not be able to continue learning. The money that we raise will help to set up a Saturday school for girls in our partner school. Girls in Ethiopia are more likely to miss lessons in the school week, and this can be because of family obligations, like needing to take care of siblings, domestic chores, or having to earn money for the household. Boys are less likely to have to sacrifice learning to help with family subsistence and that’s why this project will focus on girls. We hope that everything will be in place for the Saturday classes to start at the beginning of the next school term in September/October.We are a small group of students, but nevertheless we hope to raise enough money to help Link Ethiopia make a real difference to girls of our age who don’t have the good fortune we do in having access to very good education. Although we know our contribution can only be small in comparison with what is needed, I believe that if everyone works together then we can make a difference and help people in less developed countries fulfil their dreams, as we do here.
This year we have learned how to organise fundraising events – and how difficult that can be! – and to work as a team. We have organised cake sales, approached local businesses and persuaded our fellow classmates to take part in a sponsored run.
If you would like to give towards setting up and running the Saturday School then your donation would be well received and very well used!