Meeting Needs, the event
industry charity foundation, is funding two new projects that will improve the wellbeing,
learning and development of children in Ethiopia and South West London.
Through grants totalling
£12,500, the charity foundation is supporting a sanitation project for young children at a
primary school in Gondar, Ethiopia, and helping fund a specialist summer school
for children and young people with Down Syndrome in South West London.
In Ethiopia, 240 children
aged four to six at Kebele 20 Elementary School will benefit from new
age-appropriate toilet and handwashing facilities, after previously having to
use a nearby field. The £10,000 project will deliver six toilets and four
handwashing stations, alongside water, sanitation and hygiene education.
The initiative is being
coordinated by UK-based charities Together We Learn and Children’s Voices in
Action, with construction monitored fortnightly and progress evidenced through
photo reports. The project is expected to take eight months to complete.
As well as improving
conditions for current pupils and five members of staff, the project will also
support future intakes, with an estimated 60 to 80 additional children expected
to benefit each year.
Caroline Walker, CEO of
Together We Learn, said: “This will improve children’s wellbeing and
motivation in school. This will be measured through a series of survey
questions to understand children’s emotional experiences of school, learning and
using the bathrooms, answered in a child-friendly manner.”
Meeting Needs is also
providing a £2,500 grant to support Holiday Club 21, a week-long summer school
run by 21&Co, a parent-led charity supporting families of children and
young people with Down Syndrome across South West London.
The programme supports 60
children and young people aged five to 19 through fun, interactive and
educational indoor and outdoor activities. Designed to reinforce learning
during the school holidays, Holiday Club 21 helps participants build maths and
English skills, develop confidence, strengthen friendships and return to school
in September ready to continue their progress.
The Meeting Needs grant
will fund materials and consumables including paper, pens, ink, glue sticks,
sand, craft materials and other learning resources. Additional financial
support is being provided by the Hollyhock Foundation.
Trustee Georgina Devereaux
said: “During the week, we make a book for each child to take away with
them, and they stick photos of their activities in the worksheets. Many parents
then use these in the holidays to work on new skills and show them to the
school in September.”
Together, the two grants
reflect Meeting Needs’ commitment to backing practical projects that create
lasting impact for children, families and communities.
For
more information about Meeting Needs and its work, visit: https://meetingneeds.org.uk
