We are two friends (Gracie and AJ) in High School trying to raise money for causes we care passionately about. We are each going to cycle 200km in a 24 hour period around the Isle of Wight to raise money for these causes. The money will go firstly to help fund teaching resources and facilities in secondary schools in Sub-Saharan Africa. The other cause we are supporting is the conservation of Lemon Sharks and Turtles just off the Seychelles, where one of us is going to volunteer in summer 2019.

Gracie's motive: Education is probably the single most influential tool that could help the Sub-Saharan African countries to have the ability and resources to pull themselves out of poverty. Yet in the 12 countries in SSA, 30% or more of children do not meet a minimum standard of learning by Years 4 and 5. What's more, 25% of South African schools do not even offer Mathematics in Years 11-13. According to the World Bank, teacher absenteeism, neglect and lack of a working knowledge may be blamed for poor student performance. This is why I would like to raise money to fund better teaching training as well as school facilities, especially in secondary schools, as this is a crucial turning point in education.