To mark my barmitzvah, I have decided to support the Keiskamma Trust in the rural community of Hamburg, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The Keiskamma Trust (www.keiskamma.com) promotes health and hope through art projects, music education and HIV/AIDS treatment. I heard some of the young musicians playing in Oxford last year and I was amazed both to get a glimpse of the challenges they face in their community as well as by their enthusiasm for playing together.

Hearing them made me think about my own piano and clarinet lessons which I had perhaps too easily taken for granted.

The Keiskamma Music Academy relies on donations to fund tuition and instruments, giving these young people access, through music, to a world beyond Hamburg. Thandikahaya and Aso are two promising young members who play the cello, saxophone and recorder. They desperately need new cellos and bows and I would like to help them raise some money towards this goal. I am planning to earn some money over the summer holidays. If you would like to join me, I would feel really proud to have helped these boys.