St Mary’s Shaftesbury girls go on a trip of a lifetime to Zambia

Share

Staff and students St Mary’s Shaftesbury
Share

(September 2017)

Last term 15 girls and staff from St Mary’s Shaftesbury set off for the trip of a lifetime to Zambia. The school has close links with a residence for orphans and vulnerable children, Lubasi Home, in Livingstone, Zambia. Teams of volunteers from St Mary’s visit every two years, this time taking with them 15 boxes filled with supplies donated by the school community as well as funds raised by the girls. The trip included time at Lubasi Home working and playing with the children and contributing to building projects to improve the home’s facilities. There was also time for exploring Zambia’s wildlife and culture. Since the last trip to Zambia in 2015, girls and staff at St Mary’s have raised nearly £7000, all of which has gone directly to benefit Lubasi Home. Through events as varied as a hair-raising tandem skydive by Head Girl Caro Borton to the school’s weekly charity lunches (when the school eats a simple meal and gives the money saved to a deserving cause), and the donation by one of the school’s youngest girls of her £50 poetry competition prize to the fund, St Mary’s have raised an impressive sum which will make a real difference to the children in Zambia. Trip leader Sarah Bramble said, ‘We’ve bought bed linen, outdoor games sets, and useful items for the children and families in nearby villages; things which are hard to buy in Livingstone. The remaining funds will be spent on projects Lubasi Home have prioritised – a new laundry and a remodelled dining room. We are also hoping to commission the repainting of a mural on the large metal gates at the entrance to the home.’

Subscribe / latest articles and news from our schools