Whole school takes time out for International focus

Whole school takes time out for International focus

16/03/2009

Spending a week with the whole school stopping normal lessons to focus on life in Nicaragua has resulted in pupils at Dunhurst, Bedales Junior School, discovering the many differences in children's lives in the two countries, and raising over £900 for a linked school.   

The difference between this initiative and the usual school fund-raising project was the emphasis on challenging the conventional 'charity giving' formula and promoting the more sustainable idea of 'Trade not just Aid'.  Alongside fund-raising, pupils were busy learning about coffee farmers and the importance of trade to their communities' long term welfare.

Countries across the world share the biggest global challenges like economic recession, global warming and international terrorism. Education has a huge part to play in bringing countries together to tackle problems like these, and encouraging understanding between cultures to create more inclusive and accepting societies.

All classes at the prep school in Steep were involved in this cross-curricular project. Pupils learnt about Nicaraguan history and religion; created music inspired by the festivals; discovered the importance of its customs and traditions; produced theatre, art and dance displays and translated letters from Spanish into English. The children also discussed the impact of the coffee trade on local communities and the exploitation of people through the cocaine industry. The week culminated in an assembly for pupils and parents, where pupils shared their work and experiences. Funds raised will be used to improve facilities for children at a school in Sontule, Nicaragua.

The link with Nicaragua was initiated by Martina Gruppo, who spent a year working as a voluntary English teacher in Miraflor in the northern Nicaraguan mountains. She returned to the UK and set up her own business, the Coffee Fairy Ltd (www.thecoffeefairy.com), which aims to show 'what's on the other side of the coffee cup'. Martina works with local producers and communities which have already benefited directly from the process through the improvement of living standards and school facilities. Plans are in place to establish an educational bursary so children can attend secondary school and have the opportunity to go to university. 

Last year, Martina visited Dunhurst and showed the pupils slides of the basic living conditions in Miraflor: mud-floored shacks with no electricity; cold 'showers' fashioned from buckets filled with rainwater; and classrooms with iron bars at the windows. In response to this, pupils raised enough funds to buy desks and chairs for the school in Escuela Vincente Talavera in Sontule which the children have now painted.

Martina explains: 'The best afternoon ever was when we painted the children's desks. The children at Dunhurst School should be proud of themselves for raising the money to buy these.'

All three Bedales Schools have always encouraged a global outlook, promoting international awareness through strong links to schools in Canada, Swaziland, Dubai and Shanghai in addition to Nicaragua.

A Global Focus Week

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