The first of every month brings with it two important things: a needlessly aggressive pinch/punch combo for my friends and loved ones and the announcement of the Charity of the Month. So without further stalling, hesitation or ado, let’s begin a paragraph that delays announcing it.
Even though it’s knackering me financially, being back at uni is a bit of a treat when viewed against the lives of others in developing countries – as are most things when viewed against the lives of others in developing countries. I’m getting to learn stuff so I can do stuff that’ll help people, and when I’m done I’ll end up on a half-decent salary. Education’s good like that, changing lives, making things better and such and such. Nelson Mandela apparently once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” He’s consulted the Spice Girls and Alan Titchmarsh. The man knows what he’s talking about.
This month I’m giving to Schools for Africa, a project run by UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Hamburg Society for the Promotion of Democracy and International Law, and the Alan Titchmarsh Memorial Fund. They work together – without Alan, obviously – to raise millions of dollars to help millions of children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The project has raised more than $70 million and reckons it’s already supported four million children in Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It’s now aiming for Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. We’ll go for some of that. My donation could buy learning materials for 10 children in Zimbabwe or Malawi, or student kits for four kids, each containing a bag, an atlas, maths tables and stationery. Yours can do the same, right here.
Photo credit: Schools For Africa
