Catholic Primary Schools in Salford are working together in collaboration with a charity to raise money during lent.
The schools in the community will be celebrating the during of lent by raising money for the CAFOD, The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development.
The fundraising will be completed by the primary schools through participation in the ‘Big Lent Walk’.
The occasion of lent will encourage the students to help one another and reflect on the fourty days of sacrifice before Easter – with people typically giving something up for the period.
This year Tuesday 5 March marks the beginning of lent – with the four schools helping to raise over £1500 for CAFOD, surpassing last year’s total.
Headteacher Nicola Potts, from Christ the King RC Primary School in Worsley, said: “We believe in social justice teaching, and teaching our pupils to be the best versions of themselves possible, through helping others.”
Throughout lent, Year six pupils from the Christ the King RC Primary School will be engaging with the ‘Big Lent Walk’.
A fundraising event that will see them pass multiple catholic primary schools in Salford, before ending at St Ambrose Barlow RC High School in Swinton, at the end of Lent.
The pupils are put into a ‘gift team,’ collaborating with younger pupils to get sponsorship, and thus raise money for charity. Doing this creates a sense of togetherness, in preparation for Easter celebrations.
As the school headteacher continued: “The school community is really good, and everybody gets behind these fundraising events – its immense.”
Last year, pupils raised over £1500 for CAFOD, a nation-wide charity that use funds to aide overseas countries in the event of natural disasters or poverty.
CAFOD representative Simon Holleron said: “Some people give up chocolates and sweets, but it’s tradition to try and raise money to give to people in poorer circumstances.”
This year, funds will be used to fight poverty in countries such as Afghanistan, Colombia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan. So far, £26,000 has been raised from over nine hundred donations.
“This year they’re providing chickens to an overseas village,” Potts said: “A group of women in the village set up an enterprise to try and bring more money in, so the chickens will help them with that as they can live off the land.”
In previous years, funding from CAFOD has been used to support people in Bangladesh, following a cyclone, and to support fishing communities in Liberia through providing equipment and employment opportunities.
“We leave the areas in a much better position than when we started collaborating with them, it means that children don’t have to leave school to help support their families,” Holleron said.
The Big Lent Walk provides children with fulfilment and purpose during lent, “it fulfils our catholic mission to the children, which is to live life to the fullest,” Potts said: “Charity starts by putting a smile on someone’s face.”
To donate to CAFOD directly, or to join the Big Lent Walk, here.
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