Students to help orphans in Mozambique

Plans are well underway at Priestley as the College prepares itself to tackle a unique and ambitious charity project in Mozambique.

In the summer of 2010, a group of students will travel to the South East African country with Habitat for Humanity.

The students, who will have to go through a rigorous selection process just to make the trip, will each be funding their own place and when they then arrive will be involved in building orphanages for children who have lost their parents to AIDS.

Mozambique is one of the countries hardest hit by the disease with figures estimating that in sub-Saharan Africa alone there are currently 12 million children orphaned by the epidemic.

The students at the College have currently come up with a number of ingenious fund raising initiatives, including a buy a brick scheme, in which members of the public are being urged to pledge just £5 in return for a small memento, the purchase of which symbolises a real brick for the project.

The College has recently been visited by Stefan McNally from Habitat for Humanity who explained to the students the kind of things they will be involved in and the primarily function of the task in helping the building of orphanages in order to keep the youngsters away from lives on the street.

Commenting on the project, Peter Butterfield, who will lead the Priestley team, said, "The Mozambique Challenge really is a major initiative that we are undertaking at the College. We have been overwhelmed by the amount of students who want to take part in the expedition, showing their commitment to wanting to make a difference in the world, whilst also enriching their own lives."

Adding, "Planning and fund raising is already going well, but we have a long way to go, so we would be delighted to hear from anyone in local business or private donors who feel they could contribute to such a worthwhile initiative."

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