Added: May 2nd, 2008 Categories: Inspirational ideas and people, Margaret Allen, Your Stories |
Promethean is sponsoring two schools out in Africa. Read more here
http://www.firstsparks.co.uk
Your school could become involved :
http://www.firstsparks.co.uk/help.html
These schools will not be getting Activboards or anything similar, it is about our wanting to support Education more broadly.

Anybody got any suggestions as to how they might make this link in with Global Citizenship and Geography Learning Objectives?
I have some, but would be interested in yours …..
This was the beginning of an interesting topic in the forum - the posters began……
Thought you might like to see how these children have “owned” some bags we sent them.
The bags were incredibly well received. The possession of a school bag may seem like an every day thing and something which school children in developed countries would not even think about, just taking for granted the fact that every one has at least one bag! Here in Mfuwe things are rather different and often children just tie up their school books and equipment in a piece of rag or string made from split palm leaves or try to make do with a discarded plastic shopping bag so for each child to have their own proper bag is great - especially as they are all the same. It’s easy to tell which children attend Yosefe School now as those bright orange bags are so visible!
Many children have to walk miles to school, most of them along the main road through Mfuwe. This is not a busy road but there is some traffic along there and the bright orange bags prove practical not only for carrying school equipment but are a great help in road safety too.

Sarah Carpenter then wrote
<<Love the group picture Margaret - well done Promethean!! >>
Alison then wrote
<<As to the suggestions as to how we might make this link in with global citizenship and geography, well, we recently changed our geography topic from Norway to Africa. It makes it so much more real to the children, who are only 6-7 years old, if they can compare something that they are already familiar with, ie school. They learn to contrast and compare themselves and their environment with others. It could be the focus for our entire topic. They would learn about the environment too, looking at the facilities available and the homelife of the children. They very much take for granted all the materialistic things they have. I’ll never forget the look of shock and disbelief on one of my girls when I explained that hand held computers, such as a DS light didn’t exist only a few years ago!
We are only just beginning to explore the global dimension, having recently set up links with a school in Germany. The children have been given themes, such as the past and the future and used this to look at the way the world has developed. We usually have a cultural week at the start of each year, and this would link in beautifully!
Well, there’s a couple of ideas for a start, anyone else got any ideas?>>
Saha then wrote
<<There is a sense of entitlement to education, free school transportation, free textbooks, free school supplies, free and reduced lunch.
Unfortunately often this entitlement mentality crosses over to the idea of “good grades as entitlement”.
I think here is a situation where “less” would be “good”.>>
I then wrote
<<Walking for miles and miles in fierce heat to share a seat with at least one other child and then “hang around” for up to two hours lunchtime - where sharing a peanut or raisin literally is where these children are “at” - makes for heart rendering awareness of how poor “our” children’s perception is compared with the needs and aspirations of children such as those whose focus would knock “ours” off the scale!>>
Hemske then wrote
<<A couple of friends have been involved with the Heifer organization. A book entitled Beatrice’s Goat retells the story of girl who desperately wanted to go to school but her family can not afford it. The extra income from the goat finally makes her dream come true. I think it is another good example of the extreme situations many children live in and how free education that many kids take for granted is the ultimate gift for others.
I greatly applaud Promethean’s efforts. It is yet another reason while I think you are all the BEST!!! >>
Gem then wrote
<<Teaching with an old blackboard which is full of holes and with chalk (the old kind that isn’t dust-free), no books, kids sharing one pencil between two makes you realise how lucky WE are as well. Take nothing for granted.>>

Alison then wrote
<<Just wondering if anyone else took part in the world record ‘Send my friend to school’ lesson today? For those that don’t know, it was an attempt to have the biggest lesson (the most people teaching the same lesson across the world at the same time). It was very much focussed on this exact topic.>>
Ben then wrote
<<Never heard of it. Can you give your friends over here across the pond a little more information??>>
Alison then wrote
<<Hi Ben
It’s part of the Global Campaign for Education. It’s to raise awareness of the 72 million children who miss out on an education and their right to learn too. Best thing I can do really, is to put the link in for the website, as it explains it much better than I can!
http://www.sendmyfriend.org/
At the bottom of the page, in the middle, is the link to the info on the world’s biggest lesson.
They actually did it before in 2003! It was a fantastic experience and the children really had thought provoking responses. One of our Year 1 children (Kindergarten age!) produced an amazing response. It’s on display at school, so I’ll scan it in on Monday.
The whole idea just linked in so well with Margaret’s post, I wondered if there was anyone else in our online community who took part!>>
Ben then wrote
<<Alison,
This looks AMAZING! I wish we had known about it, because we would have totally participated! Maybe next year…>>
Then I wrote
<<How do people feel about some sort of sponsorship with these two schools?
If we could set up a charitable status scenario whereby people could sponser a child?
I am feeling we should be doing something a bit more specific with these two schools - not from a Promethean standpoint, but getting schools (the pupils within them) to recognise how lucky they are….
What are the implications for that do you think>>
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