This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 11 April 2017. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
PEOPLE aged from seven to 70 in Cookham, Berkshire, will be making a leap of faith to help children in Uganda and Ethiopia who do not have enough food, have to drink unsafe water and some of whom cannot go to school. The #Leap4Africa Day on Monday gives everyone the chance to use Monday 29 February to make a leap of faith to raise money for those people. Organised by Cookham's Social Action Committee, in association with Holy Trinity and Cookham Rise Primary Schools, all the schoolchildren will be involved in a sponsored star-jump, and for those a little older, you can join in by jumping, playing hopscotch or leapfrog, or by doing the thrilling Leap of Faith at Longridge, all to raise money to make a difference to children's lives in Africa. The Longridge Leap of Faith is for anyone over the age of eight, and starts with a climb to a platform at the top of a 13-metre pole.
Next, you have to leap to the trapeze as your peers all watch from the ground below.
It costs £15 and all participants will receive a certificate. All proceeds from any sponsored jump will be donated to the New Brainstorm School in Uganda and PFC Ethiopia, whose project is Gende Tesfa School.
Over the next two years, the Cookham Social Action Committee wants to help support these causes through various fund-raising events and individual donations. Through the inspiration of one of their parents, Sarah Parfitt, who ran a marathon for Gende Tesfa School last April, Holy Trinity School has been fundraising for PFC Ethiopia.
So far they have raised £5,000 funded a new sports ground, which is currently being built, and a breakfast club.
In Gende Tesfa, which is located in Dire Dawa in Eastern Ethiopia, one or more family members have been affected by leprosy and it also a very poor community. The money from the #Leap4Africa Day will be donated to school facilities like the breakfast club and better sanitation that benefits the school and the whole Gende Tesfa community. Sarah says: "I am so excited about our #Leap4Africa Day - we hope that people will really embrace the idea.
Please get involved wherever you live, and post your photos and videos on Facebook and Twitter. "Cookham Rise Primary School has formed a partnership with the New Brainstorm School in Kampala Uganda.
This is a school with little support and resources to educate children who would otherwise have little access to any education and is only kept afloat by the work of its dedicated staff.
Cookham Rise School has already raised money just to keep Brainstorm open, but now they want to fund more permanent facilities. Cookham Rise Deputy Head, Mr Rhodes says: "The Saving New Brainstorm School initiative not only gives much-needed help to an underprivileged community in Kampala, but the work to support them helps build even greater community links in Cookham."For more information contact Andy Draper on asdraper@btinternet. com or 01628 526913 or for media inquiries contact Sarah Parfitt on sarah_parfitt@mail. com or 07900 411715.
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