In May of this year, I (along with around 26 others) will be cycling approximately 400 km through Zambia over 5 days to support the work of African Revival. I have long believed that more widespread education is the only way for many of the current problems and tensions throughout the African continent to be resolved, so I am delighted to work with, and raise money for, a charity which fervently promotes that cause.
African Revival was founded in 2005 and works primarily in Zambia (and also Uganda) to further the vital cause of primary education in those countries. Here are just a few reasons why they do this:
· A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5 years.
· Seven million cases of HIV/AIDS could be prevented in the next decade if every child received an education;
· A single year of primary school increases the wages people earn later in life by 5-15% for boys and even more for girls;
· 80% of the world’s poorest countries are in Africa;
50% of Africa’s population is under the age of 16;
· No country has ever achieved continuous economic growth without first having at least 40% of its adults able to read and write;
· Since 1980, primary school enrolment rates in Africa have actually dropped by 8% to just 50%;
The UN pledged to achieve universal education for all by 2015. But the reality on the ground in Africa currently looks very different. Schools lack basic facilities such as lavatories, lighting and chairs, while sometimes there can be as many as 200 pupils per teacher.
Zambia has been independent for 40 years but remains one of the poorest and least developed nations in Africa. African Revival Zambia currently works with 17 schools in the remote Kalomo District in Southern Zambia. Focusing on three principal development areas, it has delivered new educational opportunities for 7,000 pupils and 150 teachers in the district so far. These areas are school infrastructure improvements (e.g. building housing close to the schools for teachers), providing more and better resources such as desks and textbooks and encouraging greater numbers of children to go into, or stay in, education through, for example, motivating partnership schemes with schools in the UK.
Despite the success so far however, there is so much more to be done. Education is the key to breaking the poverty cycle not just in Zambia but throughout Africa, and every child should be given that chance. Local communities need to be encouraged to take the lead and make attending school an enjoyable and dignified experience for the pupils.
I would be really grateful if you could help me to help African Revival continue its sterling work by contributing anything you can to this worthy cause. Just to give you a rough idea of what your donations can help to achieve:
£5 can buy a text book
£25 can buy a desk and chair for a child
£500 can provide a school with 5 bicycles to enable teachers to travel to work easily
£1,000 can provide 1 year group with core subject text books
£1,500 can provide 2 acres of agricultural plantation for a student garden
£4,000 can equip a classroom with desks and chairs
£5,000 can provide a borehole, giving the children access to safe, clean drinking water
£6,500 can build a block of 5 stance latrines
£20,000 can build a 2 classroom block and office
£27,000 can provide solar power for computers and lighting
Donating through Just Giving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with Just Giving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for your donations.
Mark
