10-year celebration of city school’s Malawi link
FOR a decade pupils from a city secondary have travelled to Malawi to help some of the poorest people on earth.
To mark the occasion Lord Provost Eva Bolander invited staff and young people from Holyrood Secondary to the City Chambers in advance of them flying out to the poverty ravaged country today.
The team members have each raised at least £2000 to pay for their fares and accommodation and to fund the work they carry out.
This year they plan to build a water tank to support an irrigation system, build two classroom blocks and decorate a feeding centre and four classrooms built by pupils last year.
Head teacher Laurie Byrne said: “Holyrood works i n close partnership with the charity Mary’s Meals whose ambition is to feed the starving children of the world but to do so specifically in a place of education.
“They seek to encourage children to attend school by ensuring they have a life-giving meal in school each day.
“As a result, our partner schools are well attended and children receive a life-saving meal and invaluable education.
“In some of those areas where Mary’s Meals work to improve attendance, Holyrood RC Secondary’s work has been able to provide more and better accommodation to meet the needs of better attended schools.
“Accommodation however, continues to be critically short and in extremely poor condition.”
Since 2008, senior pupils from the school have travelled to Malawi and so far have built 28 new classrooms and refurbished more than 30.
Mary’s Meals began by feeding just 200 children in the country in 2002 following a devastating famine and has since expanded to feed hungry children every school days across 14 countries.
It is now reaching more than 1.2million of the world’s poorest children with a nutritious daily meal in school.
Ms Bolander said: “I’m confident the Holyrood Secondary students and staff will find the experience life changing.
“Their willingness to travel and learn about people from other cultures is inspiring.
“Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world and I am proud this work complements what the Lord Provost and international office has been involved in for more than a decade, improving medical facilities and access to care as well as education opportunities.”