Elizabeth Dene, Chair of Governors for the Voluntary (Catholic) Schools Cluster in Guernsey shares news from two of our Catholic Primary schools on the island.
As part of their Lenten fundraising, the pupils at Guernsey’s two Catholic primary schools, St Mary and St Michael and Notre Dame du Rosaire Catholic Primary Schools, embarked on sponsored walks to raise money for The Eleanor Foundation – a Guernsey based charity which provides clean water and supports school communities in the East African country.
The pupils from St Mary and St Michael walked from their school at Rue des Monts to Bordeaux and back earlier this week, while Notre Dame’s pupils yesterday walked from their school in St Peter Port to Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church at Rue des Monts for a joint end of term Mass.
The children have been learning about John the Baptist and the importance of water during Lent. The schools said the children have been exploring how water is a sign of new life, cleansing, and belonging in faith.
The children have been taught that many families around the world do not have access to clean, safe water as we do. In response to this, both schools chose to support The Eleanor Foundation with its work in Tanzania. The ‘Walking for Water’ events were intended to reflect the daily journeys many other children must make simply to collect water for their families from wells miles away from their homes.
Allister Carey, the founder of the Eleanor Foundation, spoke with the children from both schools during Lent to explain to them why clean water is so important. He told them their sponsored ‘Walking for Water’ events will make a big difference to the lives of children and their families living in the areas where the charity focuses its work. He explained that each shallow well will provide clean, safe water for about 1,000 people and mean that children, especially girls, will not have to walk long distances to collect water, which all too often will be contaminated with bacteria, for their families.
Mr Carey also told the children that their efforts had inspired an anonymous supporter of the charity to pledge fifty pence for every £1.00 the children raised through sponsorship. The sponsorship total stands at £5,814 and with the generous pledge from the anonymous donor the total amount raised, bringing the total to under £9,000, meaning that five communities will benefit from wells built with the fundraising from the two schools.
