A UK preparatory school is shipping out its entire contents to a school in Africa in need. School furniture, books, and even a billiard table are among the items being donated following its closure some months ago. The school has asked to remain anonymous. It is being aided in this mission by Action Through Enterprise (ATE) a UK-based charity. The school will literally be given everything it needs – everything a regular school needs – to aid functioning.
As a result of this generous donation, the Karbo Primary School in Africa will receive enough stuff to equip an entire new teaching block. This will mean that the school will be able to educate kindergartners – something it’s not been able to do until now.
Tag Archives: school furniture
Lungi Sierra Leone Charity
Last month a school started work on the construction of additional classrooms in their own school, Kingswood House, while at the same time helped a charity to build schools in Sierra Leone. This was a classic example of showing the advantaged children in the school how to think of those less-fortunate than themselves. Since the school has spent over £1m on the classrooms as well as top of the line equipment and school furniture, it is now putting its efforts into fundraising for extra money for a new sports hall and a swimming pool.
Getting the kids involved in the fundraising drive is also an important educational lesson. Realizing that you really have to work hard for the things that you want is a lesson for life. At the same time, the school is working hard for one of its selected charities – the Lungi Sierra Leone Charity – and is trying to raise the money needed to build a primary and pre-school in the region. Thus Kingswood House is in the process of donating books, chairs, tables and computer equipment to the charity. Other charities Kingswood House is involved in include: Good Shepherd Homes (India) the Lunchbowl Network (Nairobi) and MERU (West Hill).
Spotlight: Furniture for Education Worldwide
Given that some schools have so much money, resources and furniture and other schools around the world have little or close to none, Furniture for Education Worldwide (FEW) was established to help readdress the balance. Launched in London at the end of 2008 by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Education, this national charity seeks to “send all the surplus and redundant furniture from the Building Schools for the Future project (BSF) to Schools in deprived countries around the world that have very little or no facilities.” This includes: computer tables, classroom tables, computer chairs, classroom chairs, folding chairs, folding tables, school cafeteria tables, podiums and anything else that falls into the category of school furniture.
At the time of this writing, FEW had already sent 40 feet worth of containers filled with all types of school furniture as well as school books, blackboards, etc., to the Asian region. This furniture has completely enhanced the learning experience of these less-fortunate children around the world. For example, those kids who previously had to use their bags for support when sitting can now use a school desk and are thus able to work in a much more structured environment. In addition, the work of FEW has been having a very positive impact on the environment, promoting green living.
Educational Charities: What Do They Do?
You have some extra money that you want to give to a good cause, but where should you give it? People talk about giving to educational charities, but it’s not always easy to know which of these charities are legitimate and which aren’t. Which of these charities will really do good deeds, and what things do they support? Here is a basic understanding of what educational charities do.
Some of these charities build classrooms or buildings for government-run schools. They might even offer school furniture as part of their plan as well, helping both the building and the creation of the supplies with in the building.
Some of these charities offer scholarships to help individual students to find better schooling. This might be particularly relevant in developing countries.
Some charities train teachers and help to place teachers, while others work on enhancing the supply list at the schools. This might include adding computers to the classrooms, enhancing the textbooks and supplies, helping students to afford uniforms, and building libraries.
Certainly, it’s important to figure out which charities will use your money in the most productive way, but in general, educational charities are very helpful for getting schools off the ground and helping them to build up their supplies and their offerings.