Mkwakwani School Project

- The Story so far

Mr Chisholm subject leader for Design and Technology and Assistant Headteacher at Raincliffe, took over the fundraising coordinator role in 1998 approx

I wanted the school to link with a charity which we could really become close to as a school.

To provide our school community with the opportunity of helping children in the third world. To give our pupils a greater insight into the poverty that still exists in many areas of the world To get first hand feed back from this charity actual life stories and examples which would be more real to our school community etc. etc.

Suzzanne Mehmet approached the school and several meetings took place with Suzanne and myself.

1999 First Red Nose day for Comic Relief £750

2001 Second fundraising was for Hope and Homes for Children on Comic relief day £1000 raised 1 classroom named after the Raincliffe in a new school in Bosnia

2003 Result, the first of the now established, Comic relief days for the Mkwakwani School Project £5000 raised in 1 day two classrooms built in the new school

2003 Christmas Box for Kenya appeal boxes of stationary collected by school delivered to Mkwakwani School

2004 Christmas Box for Kenya appeal

2005 Light up Kenya Appeal Target £10,000 - total to date £7,000 Funds to be used for electricity supply to the school, and the local community + hospital.

2005 Cath Swinton visited Mkwakwani School in summer vacation building further links with the Mkwakwani community

2005 Suzanne Mehmet addressed the UN Third World Congress in Istanbul in July
Raincliffe’s efforts and name mentioned throughout her address

Future developments

School to apply to join the British Council which will help us build upon the solid foundations we have built with Mkwakwani School and hopefully lead to teacher pupil exchanges. Explore the possibilities of Video conferencing between the schools as they will soon have electricty, establish the Kenyan Connection in every SOW in Every Department within school.Encourage community links via the business and enterprise status to further our help for the school and community. Recycling computer schemes etc.

The fundraising the school community has done for the people of the Mkwakwani Community has been a highpoint for everyone in school all pupils know they can be rightly proud of what they have done to help others lass fortunate than themselves. It will I hope continue to strengthen within the school as will the bond between us and our African brothers and sisters.

Generous donation to project

PUPILS and staff from Raincliffe School donated £2,630 to children in Kenya.

The school has supported the Mkwakwani School Project for eight years and, in that time, has donated almost £25,000.

The money was raised through Comic Relief when the school held various fundraising events. Children took part in an X Factor competition, made and sold cakes and buns, and took part in fun activities.

Head teacher, Graham Steele, and assistant head teacher, Bob Chisholm, presented Suzanne Mehmet, who is the chairman of the project, with the cheque.

Mr Chisholm said: “We have raised a lot of money for the project over the years, which helps children at the Mkwakwani School in Kenya. Comic Relief is always our biggest fundraising day and the children are fantastic at coming up with ideas. I want to thank the staff for all the contributions they made and to the friends of Raincliffe School and the parents who also helped raise the money.”