Students and staff at King’s Ely raised more than £23,000 for two charities which support poverty-stricken families in East Africa.
Over the last 12 months, the school held fundraisers in aid of the Uganda Marathon charity and the Friends of Mengo Hospital charity.
The biggest challenge was in June when Richard Oliver, Alison Stewart, Amanda Kippax and Claire Kyndt, who are all members of teaching staff at King’s Ely Junior and King’s Ely Senior, signed up for the Uganda Marathon itself.
It saw the team, including Richard’s wife Niki, joining thousands of people from around the world to take on the 26.2 mile course through remote, hard-baked tracks in equatorial heat.
In the week leading up to the race, the King’s Ely team also took part in local voluntary based projects in Uganda, including a school sports day to support the UN’s Global Goal initiative.
Andy Miller, a representative of the Uganda Marathon charity, attended King’s Ely’s Michaelmas mid-term service at Ely Cathedral on October 19 to receive money raised from by the school – a cheque for £23,583.
The Mid-term Service opened with African drumming and the choir singing ‘Bele Mama’ (Call Mother) and ended with the same, sung as a ‘round’ by King’s Ely Junior’s four houses.
African anthem ‘Jesu Ukukhanya, Si njay njay njay’, echoed through the cathedral after the cheque presentation.
Despite huge progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, Uganda has suffered hugely from conflict. Around 6.7 million Ugandans still live in poverty and a further 14.7 million are vulnerable. Access to health and education remains inconsistent with life expectancy at 54 years.
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