Students collect over Dh130,000 to fund education of Malawi children

EDUCATION FOR ALL: Students and staff of The Winchester School, Jebel Ali, hand over the cheque to Dubai Cares official during a ceremony at the school.- Supplied photo

Students in one of the poorest countries of the world - Malawi - melted the hearts of students of a Dubai school who decided to give away all the proceeds of their year-long initiatives for their counterparts in the African country.
The Winchester School, Jebel Ali, has raised Dh132,000 to support the educational programmes for underprivileged children in rural Malawi. The initiative, in association with Dubai Cares, is part of the 'Adopt a School' programme targeting children in developing countries and providing them with primary education and thereby contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 4 - Quality Education for All.
The initiative, in association with Dubai Cares, is part of the 'Adopt a School' programme targeting children in developing countries and providing them with primary education.
Consistently ranked among the world's 20 least developed countries on the UN's Human Development Index, Malawi has long been challenged by economic stagnation and a lack of access to education. The funds would not only cover the construction of a new community-based school but would also cover the provision of book supplies, gender-specific latrines, teachers training and adult literacy courses.
The Winchester School, Jebel Ali, has been a regular contributor to Dubai Cares in previous years but in September 2018, the school decided to adopt a school. Through all the months that followed, the school staff, students and parent representatives the school collectively worked on different projects to collect the requisite funds. A total of Dh132,000 is needed to adopt a school and offer a wide range of educational benefits to the students and teachers in Malawi.
Some of the main events organised to support the project were the annual funfair, bake sales, each department enterprising events, like Garba evening, movie nights and many more. One of the prominent contributors to the cause was, WINshares, a group consisting of 45 students from Year 1 to Year 13 who collected gently used books and sold them at community events within and outside school. Raising Dh16,100 through book sales, the students also promoted sustainability and love for reading.
The cheque handing over ceremony was attended by Zainab Faraidooni, deputy director of the fundraising department, Dubai Cares; Ranju Anand, the vice-president of schools, GEMS Education and Andrew Chefukwa, vice-consul, Embassy of Malawi. The ceremony was also attended by the student leaders, school leaders and parent representatives.
Faraidooni expressed her appreciation for the school's year-long efforts. "I'd like to thank The Winchester School, Jebel Ali. It's because of individuals like you that have enabled us to reach 18 million beneficiaries in 57 countries. Education is the greatest investment and today you've invested in the future of the children in Malawi."
Meenakshi Dahiya, principal and CEO of The Winchester School, Jebel Ali, applauded the collaborative efforts of the school community. "The school has been engaged in a large number of activities to support Dubai Cares and we are very proud of our students, staff and parent community. I'm very proud that everyone contributed to this cause. Winchester believes in dreaming and aspiring. It's a beautiful day to see a dream come to life and a commitment being fulfilled. We are motivated to set further targets for ourselves," she said.
saman@khaleejtimes.com