A CITY school has completed the latest challenge in its bid to financially support three girls living in Africa through their education.
Roedean School committed to support Natasha, Esther and Josephine, from Zambia and Zimbabwe, back in September, in partnership with the Catalyst Foundation, set up by a Roedean parent. The school sends them monthly donations to help with class materials and a good daily lunch.
At the end of the spring term, the school community took on a sponsored challenge to cycle from Brighton to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe – a distance of 8,350 kilometres. For the last seven days of term, students and staff were invited to jump on spin bikes placed in the school reception and in one of the houses whenever they were free and to log the distance they covered.
But there weren’t actually anywhere near enough hours in seven days to cover the distance on three spin bikes, so the challenge also included cycling, running, and walking over the week.
The focal point of the challenge was the two bikes in reception, and girls from every year group pedalled alongside teaching and support staff, with one school trustee even jumping into the saddle. It was a community effort and the distance was easily beaten – cycling nearly 150 kilometres beyond the Zimbabwean capital.
The three girls being supported in Africa, who have ambitions to become a pilot, a nurse and an accountant, send regular video diaries to the school to keep pupils updated on their progress and receive replies from Brighton.
In her most recent video diary, 12-year-old Josephine told the pupils: “I feel most inspired when I look at my mother, because she taught me that education is very important. Looking at my future, I am so excited one day to become a nurse, because I want to show other girls that anything is possible.’
But life is not easy for them. Explained deputy head Dr Ross Barrand: “Two of the girls walk over 4.5 kilometres each way to school every day. Unfortunately, it is apparently on these journeys that schoolgirls are often attacked. Following advice from the Catalyst Foundation, and to help them get to school more quickly and more safely, we decided that we would like to buy each of the girls a bike and that is the focus of our fundraising effort on the spin bikes.”
He added: “We are determined to do as much as we can to ensure that Natasha, Esther, and Josephine do not become part of the 52 million statistic. We hope that these three girls can remain in education as long as possible, so that they can chase their bold dreams.”
If you would like to help with the purchase of bikes for Natasha, Josephine and Esther, please donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/roedean-she
