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Giving back is something Teckentrup prides itself on – we want to be socially responsible and supporting and making visible local charitable projects and initiatives is part of that effort. That’s why we’re supporting St Michael’s CofE High School in Chorley and its Zambia '24 Project.

We’ll be sharing updates on St Michael's Schools hard-work and progress on fundraising from student representative Eva Watson, who’s written the following introduction to the project…

Mission Direct is a Christian charity that offers short-term overseas volunteering trips. It takes volunteers from the UK to work on community development projects around the world. Projects include helping to build and decorate school classrooms, low-cost homes and refuges.

Since September 2023, the whole of St Michael’s CofE High School in Chorley have been supporting the Zambia ’24 Project. Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with about 65% of the population living on less than $2 a day. Due to HIV and Covid-19 over 50% of the population is under 15, and so we want to help poor young people in Zambia have the benefits of an education, regular meals, and a prospect of a better future, as well as helping others escape trafficking and lives on the streets.

Our school’s aim is to raise £60,000 which will be used to provide clean water facilities and build toilets for a school in a poorer area in Lusaka, as well as providing equipment for other schools, supporting a charity working with children living on the streets and a centre providing a safe home for girls who have been trafficked.

In Summer 2024, a team of pupils and staff will visit all the projects we are supporting, to work on a new toilet block and to gain experience which they will come back and share with school and our supporters. We very much hope this will inspire a long-term commitment in St Michael’s to supporting these projects and that we can revisit the projects in the future and see how our support is making a difference.

When I found out about the Zambia project, I was really keen to be involved and to help raise money for this great cause. There is a lot of poverty in Zambia and in one of the schools there are over 130 children per class - that’s more than six times the average class size in the UK! They don’t have many resources or even basic facilities, such as clean running water and working toilets so, the support we are giving is essential to enable these young people to get a basic education. And yet, the young people there have such a positive outlook on life and we can learn so much from them.

I am very lucky to have been chosen to be part of the team visiting Zambia in July and I am really looking forward to the experience. Over the next few months I will be involved in a number of fundraising activities and I am very grateful to Teckentrup for their generous donation. I look forward to sharing our story with them over the next six months.