Pestalozzi World Zambia – London Marathon 2009

On 26 April this year I’ll be running the London Marathon – 26.2 amazing, miserable, happy, long, hard, emotional miles.

Knowing this, Cathy put me onto a very decent cause and asked whether I could raise some money for an educational charity that does some great work in Zambia: PestalozziWorld.  More details below.

Apparently, what they could really do with is a projector.  Resources are obviously limited.  And having a projector would make a massive difference to life in the classroom; for example, allowing everyone to read along together.  The photos here are the actual kids who will be benefiting from your generosity (thank you to Jenny for the great pictures and the text below).  So please give generously!

“The educational resources at the Centres are limited – with very few text and fiction books, and even fewer class sets of books (even with everyone sharing 1 between 3). A projector would therefore be invaluable teaching aid – as it would allow everyone to read a text together as a class, even if there are not enough books to go round, and allow the teachers to use Powerpoint and resources from the internet to enliven their teaching. Of course an added bonus would be that the children would occasionally be able to watch a film in the evening too! Any additional money could be put towards buying everyone a pocket dictionary – as that seems to be what teenagers covet here!”

I – and more importantly, they – would really appreciate it if you could donate a little of your money towards this really good and very concrete cause.  There are many, many good causes out there, but just a small amount here will make a real difference.  Your money will allow them to buy a lightweight projector and then anything more could be put towards books.  So please give generously, even in “these difficult times”!

How to donate: ok, so this isn’t a justgiving.com operation and so we’re going to be a bit old fashioned:

(1) please scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says ‘Leave a Comment’ and enter your name, the pledge amount, and a personal message, & then, EITHER:

(2) pay online by following THIS LINK.  You will need to pledge your amount and then use PayPal or your bank card by following the link marked Continue next to “Use your credit card or bank account.”

OR

(3) write a cheque (if you need reminding what they are) for said amount made payable to Cathy Elliott, and post it to David Hudson, Department of Political Science UCL, 29-30 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9QU.

Thank you!!

I will post updates here on how we’re doing total-wise, plus some pictures from the kids with the projector once it has been bought and used so you can all see how the money was spent.

About PestalozziWorld

PestalozziWorld is a registered charity that sponsors the secondary level education of students aged 10 upwards in Africa and Asia. These students are from poor rural backgrounds and are selected for their strong academic potential. Two girls are sponsored for every one boy, helping overcome the low priority given to girls’ education in some countries.

PestalozziWorld provides holistic education based on the social reformer Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi’s (1746 – 1827) philosophy of developing the whole child: The ‘head’ (academic ability), the ‘heart’ (social commitment), and the ‘hands’ (vocational expertise). In order to supplement the academic education in local schools, Pestalozzi Centres are set up to provide additional academic opportunities and vocational training. While the students help support their education by helping with the income generating activities on the Centres today (such as growing vegetables to sell, and knitting clothes), they also learn skills necessary for being financially independent tomorrow

Pestalozzi World – Zambia

Based in Lusaka there are two PestalozziWorld Centres – Kasisi and Ibex Hill. Here there are 101 children in total ranging from 11–15 years in age. The students live in the Centres, and when they are not studying in the local schools, they spend their time in extra lessons, learning vocational skills, and cooking and cleaning for themselves (if only their UK counterparts could see them!) All these students come from rural areas of Zambia – and without this opportunity most of them would have to have given up school so they could work full-time, and many of the girls would be married.