Chiswick Community School Class' Novel Fundraising Idea for Swaziland

Chiswick Community School's Class 7 Paxton have come up with a novel fundraising idea. The have been writing to famous people asking them to create signed doodles of themselves. When they have enough, they plan to hold an auction.

"We are trying to raise money for an orphanage/school in Siphofaneni an area of Swaziland in South Africa. We plan to do this by asking lots of famous people to draw a signed doodle of themselves, which we can then auction at an event which will held at our school and all monies raised will be sent directly to the orphanage / school in Siphofaneni.

"Swaziland has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world, and has large numbers of what are termed OVC’s - orphaned and vulnerable children. Some children live with their grannies, others make do on their own with whatever support the local community can give them.

"The Orphanage/school in Siphofaneni we are raising money for has about 80 pre-school children that live there permanently and many more children who use the facility after school as an alternative to schools and as a support network for young careers who are busy looking after their younger siblings in the daytime. Education, even at primary level, is not free in Swaziland. The Government is committed to paying the fees for OVC’s but often does not have the money to keep its promises.

"This has happened this year where the OVC children have been turned away from school because the Government have failed to pay their school fees. Your signed doodle would help these poor children and give them an opportunity to have the things that they have never had before and what we take for granted E.g. new clothes, an education, shoes, a real home, and clean water."

So far the class has recieved signed doodles from celebrities like Ricky Gervais and signed pictures from Harry Potter, Tony Blair and Amir Khan but they need more and are asking their local community to help by passing on this article to anyone well known whose doodle's may be worth a bob or two.

Contact details for the school are Mrs Saunders (tutor), Chiswick Community School, Burlington Lane, London W4 3UN email ssa@chiswick.hounslow.sch.uk

June 15, 2007