Pupils at a Bradley Stoke school have raised more than £900 for people around the world who are living without access to clean water after making and selling tasty toast breakfasts.
The children from St Mary’s Primary School took part in a number of activities from February to May to raise money for Catholic aid agency CAFOD’s ‘Give it Up’ appeal.
While the younger children sold toast at break times and decorated biscuits to raise money, Year 6 pupils organised an entertainment evening for parents.
Headteacher Paula Marsh said:
“This year St Mary’s Lenten Alms giving was for the CAFOD water appeal. In the developed world we often take water for granted because we can access it easily at the turn of a tap, however for the less fortunate, finding a supply of clean water to drink is a challenge and diseased water is one of the most common causes of death in the developing world.”
“The period of Lent is a time when we should be continually mindful of the privileges we experience in our everyday lives and the community at St Mary’s wanted to raise funds to provide safe, clean water to some of the poorest people in the world.”
St Mary’s raised an impressive £903 for ‘Give it Up’, which will be doubled by the Government thanks to UK Aid Match Funding.
Since February, schools from around England and Wales have been working to raise awareness of the 783 million people around the world living without access to clean water. The Government responded on 20th April by announcing a doubling of its support for water and sanitation projects, designed to help 60 million more people gain access to clean water and sanitation by 2015.
Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, said:
“CAFOD is working to improve water access, sanitation and hygiene for some of the world’s most vulnerable and neglected people, including those affected by war, climate change and disease. It is potentially life saving work, tackling cholera, helping girls attend school rather than having to fetch water and ensuring that children know about hygiene and water-borne diseases.”
“By matching pound for pound all public donations, the UK Government will help CAFOD double its impact, ensuring tens of thousands more families have access to clean water and sanitation and are provided with everything from water purification kits and soap to training in how to fix a broken borehole.”
This year’s appeal has raised a record amount which has broken the £8 million mark, with a staggering £72,493 being donated by the people of Bristol. This will be boosted again with the Government doubling donations.
CAFOD’s manager for Bradley Stoke, David Brinn, said:
“It’s amazing that these children have put so much time and energy into thinking about others and changing lives. By giving it up for CAFOD these children have really made a difference. The money that flows from these events will help transform the lives of people living in poverty, and with the Government matching every donation, the difference we can make together is so much greater.”
Source: Press release from CAFOD
Related links:
- Schools in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
- Faith and Religion in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
The original version of this article incorrectly named the headteacher of St Mary’s Primary School as “Hilary Bradley” (as stated in the CAFOD press release). This has now been corrected to “Paula Marsh”. We’re sorry for any confusion this may have caused.