Head girl Lotte Thomas and Head boy Harry Goodwin took on the responsibility of organising Bryanston School’s annual fundraising weekend 2018 and invited Children on the Edge to be a part of the event. After reading about Children on the Edge in the Times Christmas Appeal, they got in touch.
 
They set a staggering target of raising £10,000 over the weekend, which began with a school assembly on the Friday afternoon. Lotte and Harry presented to their class mates and the rest of the school about the important work Children on the Edge do in supporting vulnerable and forgotten children. With everyone on the same page regarding the cause, the school was ready to start the weekend.
 
Assassins, Bacon Butties, Baklava and a sit-down dinner
 
The fundraising fun began on Friday night with ‘The Assassins Game’ which Harry said, as well as being fun, ensured that everyone got involved in donating. On Sunday morning, parents were invited to join in, but not before all pupils were invited for a special treat of bacon butties. Activities included an international stall selling sweet treats and ornaments from international student’s home countries. The pupils also held a photo exhibition which showcased their talent. Visitors could pay to vote for the photographer they felt deserved the title of ‘Best photographer’.
 
Over 70 parents then came together for a delicious lunch, waited on by volunteer students. Eloise Armstrong (Fundraising Manager at Children on the Edge) introduced parents to the charity and explained where the money raised would go.
 
Eloise said; “It was fantastic to be invited along to the lunch and to be able to say a few words of thanks. The parents were incredibly receptive and interested in the work of Children on the Edge and after the lunch were eager to show their support”.
 
Who let the dogs out?
 
After lunch, many parents made a dash to their cars to collect their dogs who were excitedly waiting to take part of the first Bryanston School Dog show. Costing £10 to enter, categories ranged from ‘Most fabulous fur’ to ‘Dog that looks most like owner’. Big and small pooches took part as the sun shone brightly and the dogs paraded their owners round the school fountain.
 
Harry said how “Having lots of happy, fluffy dogs at school also brought the student body out in full, and it snowballed into a huge community occasion”.

Strutting your stuff
 
One of the biggest challenges the students undertook was organising a themed fashion show which spanned almost 100 years, starting with the roaring 1920s and ending with the latest fashion trends of 2018.

100 donated outfits were sold after the event, which was presented by Head Boy Harry, whose excellent fashion knowledge had the crowd cheering and clapping. Prefect Lucy Ferguson said “Most importantly everyone had lots of fun, with a really vibrant event”.
 
Tea, coffee and scones were then served, accompanied by a beautiful acoustic jazz and followed by two auctions which raised over £3,000.
 
When asked why they chose to fundraise for Children on the Edge, Lotte said; “We thought it particularly significant that Children on the Edge work with groups already formed in areas, in order to get a local insight of the region in question, but also to identify where help is needed most and prioritise this.

​We also wanted to support a charity that was small enough that our funds could make a significant difference, and used as efficiently as possible. After finding out more about the minimal core costs and maximum charitable costs, we knew that Children on the Edge was a brilliant charity to support”
 
Lucy spoke on behalf of all prefects and volunteers involved when she praised the incredible work involved in the weekend, saying “I believe that the sheer hard work of all the prefects, especially our amazing Head Girl and Head Boy, Lotte and Harry, meant that the weekend was organised effectively and we were all able to enjoy it”.
 
Despite a fundraising target of £10,000, it now looks like the weekend will be raising somewhere in the total of £16,000. A major portion of which will be going specifically to our work with displaced Kachin children in the mountain camps of Myanmar.

Eloise said “On behalf of Children on the Edge we are so incredibly grateful to the students, teachers and parents of all those who took part to make the fundraising weekend possible.”

If you think your school could get involved in fundraising for Children on the Edge, just get in touch with Eloise or Abs by e-mailing fundraising@childrenontheedge.org. or calling the office on 01243 538530. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A situation assessment in November revealed that many of the wells implemented by other agencies had been dug too shallow, or built near latrines causing contamination.

All our tube wells have been well placed and dug to over 600ft.
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Hassan had been in the camp for two months when we dug the new well in his section. He said “There are four other tube wells in our section of the camp, but this is the only one which gives clean water.

​Before we used to just use the dirty water or walk about 1 km to another deep well in the registered part of the camp”.

Rama his daughter (above) adds “My arms would get very tired carrying the water from the registered camp. I’m very happy we now have clean water close to where we live”.

By doubling up our established classrooms in Kutupalong, we were able to provide safe spaces for up to 2,250 newly arrived Rohingya children each day.

The children talk of skipping, games, singing and how kind their teachers are. They are focused on the songs they have learned, who is winning the games, and what they have drawn, rather than what they have been through.

​Sofaya is seven years old, she says “I like when my teacher plays games with us. She is fun to play with. She makes me feel better when I am sad. I like to skip rope. I learned to jump rope at the centre. It’s a very fun way to spend time. My teacher even tries to jump rope too sometimes!”

Going forward our main concern is that these children have consistent support. We will have a strong focus on providing education in a safe environment for newly arrived Rohingya refugee children. This will take the form of:

- 150 new Classrooms for Rohingya refugee children in the Kutupalong camp.

- Continuing support for nine Community Learning Centres in Cox’s Bazar, which already cater for a large number of Rohingya children. We anticipate these may host many more newly arrived Rohingya refugee children as they move on from the camps further in to Bangladesh.​

Wandago is a slum community outside Jinja, next to the Kakira sugarcane plantation. After being asked by residents for support in changing their community, Children on the Edge Africa have conducted a needs assessment in the area.

This consisted of interviewing 69 households, running workshops and activities with local children, and interviewing other community members and leaders. The children used mapping, interviews and tours to identify dangerous and safe areas within their community, and discussed the problems they face in their day to day lives.

Well know for its production of crude alcohol (Waragi), Wandago has been host to a number of hand built, back garden breweries, where residents buy molasses from the plantation and distil it. Trucks arrive daily to ship the alcohol to wider areas of Uganda and across the borders.

These breweries pose a number of risks for young children, who suffer severe burns from hot drums, which are also prone to explosion; killing or maiming those nearby. Children breathe in the fumes, and two have reportedly died after falling into the cooling pits.

Older children are more at risk from the work itself, often found fetching firewood, carrying jerry cans and loading and unloading the trucks. This work has decreased recently, as Kakira has turned its focus to the production of ethanol, leaving a limited supply of molasses for local brewers. This has left many households without an income, in an area that is already struggling for what they need to survive. The majority of households reported being vulnerable to problems of low income (or no income), food security, nutrition, health, sanitation and shelter.