Copplestone school helps Tanzanian orphans (From Mid Devon Star)

Copplestone school helps Tanzanian orphans

4:10pm Monday 6th July 2009

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CHILDREN from Copplestone school may have helped save the lives of 27 orphans who were living on the streets in Tanzania.

Now, due to the fundraising of children, staff, parents and governors, the orphans are all in safe accomodation with food and water and decent clothing.

Fundraising at Copplestone has also paid for the construction of 16 new toilets at their school in Donge, which has dramatically reduced the spread of malaria and reduced the number of deaths among the school population.

The headteacher of Donge School, Saidi Moshi, and his deputy, Cecillia Hizza, are visiting Copplestone this week to meet the children who are helping them. They are staying with local families.

Tomorrow the Copplestone pupils will be performing a selection of traditional Devon dance and music for the visitors.

This will be followed by the opening of the school’s extended and refurbished Foundation Stage classroom and the Donge Garden.

Donge School has just over 600 pupils, most of whom live well below the poverty line.

A high proportion of children are orphans and many sleep rough on the streets and do not survive into their teenage years.

Copplestone headteacher Stuart Busby said: “We started our link with Donge two years ago and there have been regular exchanges of letters, pictures, photographs and e-mails.

“The leaders of both schools want to create a ‘World Class Curriculum’ and both school communities have much to learn from each other.”

Pupils at Copplestone have been learning Swahili and the Donge pupils have learnt English phrases.

In October, three members of staff from Copplestone will travel to Donge to share their expertise in English and physical education.

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