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The Norfolk and Norwich Christian community website

Norwich students in African summer mission

CAFODCourtSpinks2010: A group of year 13 students from Notre Dame High School in Norwich won’t be relaxing after taking their gruelling A-level and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams but instead have offered teaching support to a poverty-stricken community in Zambia.
 
This is the first time the school has undertaken a trip like this. The pupils also want to raise money to provide their fellow African students and the community with a desperately needed football and sports ground so they have somewhere to play and have fun.
 
The ten pupils and three teachers head off to the southern African country in July for 16 days, to lead a summer school in literacy and numeracy.

Global issues have been a theme during their school years and the students will now have the opportunity to see development in action when they visit projects run by Catholic aid agency CAFOD’s local partner, Caritas Lusaka. CAFOD’s manager for Norwich, John Malley, is joining the trip as a volunteer and advisor on the development work taking place in Zambia.
 
CAFODFionaEganStudent, Fiona Egan (picture right), said: “I am really excited to be going to Zambia, whilst I am sure it is going to be challenging it is going to be a fantastic opportunity to learn about a different culture. I am really looking forward to helping some of the students of Lusaka prepare for their own up and coming exams.”
 
Notre Dame High School Head teacher, John Pinnington said: “We help our students learn about the wider community, local and global issues through various parts of our curriculum. This is the first trip of this type for our school, and I am very proud of the staff and pupils who have worked incredibly hard to raise the funds for the trip and the community they will be visiting. I am sure the trip will be a great success for both the students going and the students in Lusaka.”
 
John Malley, CAFOD’s Manager for the East Anglia region, who has been advising the school on the African trip said: “Notre Dame High School, has been a great supporter of CAFOD for many years, I was therefore delighted to facilitate this trip. By raising money for this Zambian community and providing educational support, the Notre Dame students will be changing other young people’s lives, as I’m sure the Zambian youngsters will change theirs.”
 
CAFODZambiaKidsThe leading and successful brass band, Norfolk Brass, held a special summer concert on June 12 to support the young people’s trip and their bid to raise the £5,000 which is needed to turn the bumpy and snake infested waste patch of land that the Zambian young people currently use, into a sports and football ground.  Money will also go to support CAFOD’s work with children in Zambia.
 
David Stowells, Norfolk Brass band leader and conductor, said: “The whole band is very excited about supporting such a worthy cause. The pupils from Notre Dame have a fantastic opportunity to broaden their horizons and see what life is like for young people living in such a poor country, but also to be able to help them in a practical way by improving their facilities.”

Pictured from top are:  Notre Dame students Lauren Spinks and Alice Clarke, fundraising, trip participant Fiona Egan, and children from Lusaka, Zambia.

 


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