School labours set to bear fruit for Africa

Photo: Picture: ANTHONY MILLER

Headteacher Andrew Sowerby tries a fund raising fruit kebab at the school tuckshop with, from left, Emily Moore, Zara Smith and Nicole Brown

Chadderton schoolchildren are combining fruit, fund-raising and learning about foreign countries as they back their head teacher’s charity trip to Africa.

Pupils at Corpus Christi RC Primary School in Stanley Road are raising money for poor schools in Uganda, the African country their head teacher, Andrew Sowerby, will visit in summer.

They decided to boost income through an African-themed healthy tuck shop. Exotic fruits from all over the continent will be turned into healthy kebabs sold at the school tuckshop this week.

The children have been in touch with local supermarkets which donated the fruits, including pineapples, mango and papaya, and the youngsters are also having lessons about Africa.

Mr Sowerby, head for nine years, will fly into Entebbe in the summer holidays, and visit the schools near Kampala.

The visit came about after he was approached by a friend in the Missionaries of the Poor, a charity dedicated to help the poorest people in Third World countries.

Mr Sowerby said: “They did a presentation at the school and asked us to get involved because schools in Uganda are very poor. They have very large classrooms, with few chairs and tables or modern facilities, very few computers and one teacher for 50 to 60 pupils.

“The children come from very poor families and the first thing that happens when they get to school is they feed them breakfast.

“The missionaries support a number of schools and at Corpus Christi each class is organising its own fund-raising event.

“Whatever money we raise I will take out with me when I travel to Uganda, either by buying pens and pencils, or to present to the schools.”

The Chadderton children have seen videos of the schools, and Mr Sowerby will also show the Ugandan children what life is like at Corpus Christi with videos and work done by pupils.

He will be accompanied on his two-week trip by his daughter Elizabeth (25), a teacher in Manchester.