Avonbourne School

A Business & Enterprise College

Avonbourne School

FARM Africa 2009

Helping to reduce poverty in Africa

This year’s FARM Africa Event at Avonbourne saw Year 9 students involved in many fund raising activities from water relay races to cake baking and their consequent sales. £166.27 was raised and will go towards buying goats for poor farmers in Africa. This then helps to change lives and give to families suffering from poverty. 
 
For this event Year 9 were asked in Geography lessons and for homework to be enterprising and come up with fund raising ideas. The girls had several weeks to plan their fund raising activity and to work collaboratively with others. There were some fantastic ideas including a water relay race from Irene Tsang (Year 9). Staff and students ran in teams of 4 carrying buckets and bowls of water instead of a baton around the Athletics track. Many students took over kitchens and baked cakes and other delicious treats to sell to staff and students at lunchtime. The atmosphere around the school was incredible and the students are to be congratulated for their incredible good will, effort and entrepreneurial skills.
 
Avonbourne is proud to continue this link with such a worthy international cause. By raising this money, Farm Africa will be able to provide 5 goats and make a real difference to poor families in parts of Africa. As FARM Africa state, “Many of the farmers we work with have to feed their families from tiny plots of land, and growing crops simply doesn’t produce enough food for everyone. Training from FARM Africa on how to care for and rear goats enables farmers to produce more food and to take the first step out of poverty. Manure improves the soil, nutritious goat milk is great for growing children, and excess milk can be sold to buy school books and medicine."
 
Mama Five goats – one of may success stories
When peace returned to Southern Sudan, Amou Aweer also returned – a widow with no livestock and 3 children to care for. With no goats to provide milk for the children and manure for crops they were struggling to survive. FARM Africa provided her with 5 female goats – her family now have more food. She is once again respected in her community and has been renamed Mama Five Goats.
 
Contact the FARM Africa website or Mrs Pannell for more info on this charity.