Crescent Raises £1,110 For Rugby Based Charity Bwengu Projects Malawi

The Crescent School has been supporting the work of Bwengu Projects for fifteen years now. In fact, the school was one of the charity’s first supporters back in 2007 when they donated books for use in school libraries. Each year the Year 4 children at the Crescent School study Africa and in particular Malawi and the work that Bwengu Projects does. Studying the challenges the people in Malawi face helps the children to appreciate the similarities and differences in our societies.

At the end of their topic the children organise fundraising activities that the whole school participates in. For the first time, in 2022, Bwengu Projects asked Crescent School to support a whole project, the completion of a Nursery and Orphan Feeding Centre in Mleghu in the most northern part of Malawi. The children set themselves a target of £685 which would enable the building to be completed.

The Year 4s raised money in a number of enterprising ways including, a sponsored silence, guessing games and a non-uniform day and together they managed to raise a whopping £1,110.

Bryony Forth, Deputy Head, commented,

“Supporting the Bwengu Project is always a highlight of my teaching year, something which I personally am very proud to be part of. The children enjoy studying Bwengu and comparing 'A Village Less Economically Developed than Rugby'.  Over the years, we must have raised over £12,000 and helped pay for renovating schools, building a Women's Development Centre, sewing machines, a teacher's salary and nearly 60,000 meals for orphans.

“The children worked incredibly hard this year organising lots of events. They have smashed their fundraising target, having raised a great total of £1,110.00. As well as completing the building, the money will also now provide for furniture and toys for the nursery and cooking pots, bowls and a supply of food."

Samantha Melia was overwhelmed, and commented,

“This is really wonderful. There are so many different people in need across the world and we are so grateful that every year pupils at the Crescent help unlock the opportunity of education for the children of Malawi.”