Students from Oak Academy and LeAF Studio who are shortly embarking on an aid trip to Malawi.
Thirteen students from Oak Academy and LeAF Studio in Bournemouth are leaving for a mercy mission that will see them help a poverty-stricken community in Malawi.
The students, aged 16 to 19, will spend 11 days in Nkhata Bay, Malawi, with the CRED Foundation – a charity dedicated to transforming lives in Third World countries.
As part of their trip they will be living and working with children in chronic rural poverty and will be supported by Butterfly Space, a partner of CRED Foundation.
Once there the teenagers will deliver high quality educational activities for children who attend the newly built local school and workshops for adults with HIV.
Oak Academy’s lead teacher of health and social care, Rebekah Cummings, is joining the students on the trip.
She said: “The students have worked tirelessly for more than 14 months preparing for this trip, each raising at least £1,400 to take part.
“They have also bought all the resources and equipment to take with them to help at the project.
“As well as working with local children at the new village school the team will also be teaching basic first aid and providing workshops for adults in the community who have HIV.”
Oak Academy’s Principal Richard Burgas, added: “This is an amazing opportunity for our students to share life skills with young people their own age but who are living in absolute poverty.
“We are incredibly proud of them and the difference they will be making to the lives of others.”
Last year the team from Oak and LeAF paid their first visit to Butterfly Space, a charity project run by British born Alice Leper, where they witnessed the building of a new school that was to be the heart of the community.
The team is now returning to work in that newly built Stepping Stones school, which is run by volunteers and provides the only education to children living in rural poverty in the bay.
Oak and LeAF students have been busy collecting teaching resources to take with them and also designing lessons on science, which is currently not taught in the school.
But the team still need more sports and arts/craft equipment to take with them.
Anyone in the community who can donate such items are urged to contact Rebekah Cummings as soon as possible by emailing rcummings@leaf.bournemouth.sch.uk
The students leave for their trip on Friday (June 30) and will return to England on July 10.
Note to editors: For more information please contact Rachel Read, account director at Deep South Media, on 01202 534487.
