Chessington’s Tanzania Partnership Project

Next summer, four teachers from Chessington will travel to Africa to visit, work with teachers and build links with a school in Laela Village – a small settlement to the west of Tanzania.

They will travel for three days: by plane, by coach and finally by Land Rover over dirt roads to get there.

The teachers are paying over half the cost themselves and giving up part of their summer holiday, but we hope, as a school to have raised enough money to help to subsidise their venture and, in addition, be able to fund projects that will support students and teachers in this very poor part of the country.

Our teachers will be helping to train Tanzanian teachers, jointly develop teaching materials and working closely with teachers and students in our link school.

Most importantly, they will also be preparing for the visit of students from our college in 2014, who, we hope, will go there to support and initiate projects within the school and area, working with the children in this small village. In parts of Tanzania like this, barely 50 percent of families can afford to send their children to school – many of which, like the one in Laela – have neither running water nor electricity and where class sizes can be as high as 80.

How you can help?

Students.

1. Join the Tanzania Student Fund Raising Committee and submit your own ideas to raise money.
2. Join in the events currently being organized before Christmas:

A. The Silent Disco (not entirely silent – this is where you are able to listen to your own music on phones and i-pods through headphones! The one place in school you will be able to do so). See Ms Holmes for more information.

B. Watch your teachers writhe in agony in the official Leg Waxing event – see Mr Sasson for details.

C. Take part in or watch the Chessington Talent Extravaganza on the 20th – see Ms Graves for details. Enjoy the glamour, the cocktails and you can even dress to impress.

D. Support the Christmas MUFTI Day on the last day of term (pay to wear your own clothes and come with full Christmas style).

3. Watch out for the other events coming soon and into the New Year.

4. Start planning now – would you like to join the expedition to Tanzania in 2014? Talk to Mr Clutterbuck about how you can make sure you are considered for a place.

Parents

If you work for one of the companies listed below, they may agree to “match fund” money raised for worthwhile projects and charities such as this. This means that they could, in effect, help double the money that we raise. If you or a partner work for such an organisation and are willing to help support this exciting project – one we hope will go from strength to strength over the next few years, please contact Deputy Principal, Mark Clutterbuck, who is leading the project.

You can write to him at the school or email him at mclutt1@ccc.rbksch.org and we will help investigate whether such funding is possible.

• Alliance & Leicester
• Asda
• BAA
• Bank of England
• Barclays Bank
• BP
• BT
• Camelot
• Centrica
• Cornhill Insurance PLC
• Debenhams
• DHL
• HSBC
• J Sainsbury
• Kellogs
• Kingfisher
• Littlewoods plc
• Marks & Spencer plc
• Natwest Group
• Norwich Union
• Peugeot Motor Company plc
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Royal London Mutual Insurance
• Stagecoach
• Tesco plc
• Unilever
• Woolwich

More information will be available or from our Foyer display here very shortly and you will be able to follow, how much money has been raised month by month.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to find out more first hand about life in a far away part of the world and be involved in improving the situation for some of the planet’s poorest students.

Please support us.

Please click here for a copy of the letter from the Principal regarding this project.