andy’s story
A group of 25 staff at St. Anselm's College are completing 40 days of fitness activities during Lent. We will complete 1000 fitness sessions (500 hours of activities) to raise money for Laughter Africa in Sierra Leone. Our target is to raise £5000 to support this life-changing charity.
Laughter Africa's vision is a world where street children are respected as human beings and given the dignity of a safe, secure place where their basic needs are met and where they can learn to laugh again. They believe that this vision will one day become a reality and will strive to achieve this by working with the street children in the following three-phased approach:
Outreach Work
This involves our social workers meeting the children living on the streets through night surveys or our mobile project. It is a chance for us to get to know them and for them to get to know us. It’s about building a mutual trust and being there when they need us.
Interim Care Centre
The Laughter Africa Interim Care Centre is a safe place for street children to live while attempts are made to find their families. At the Interim Care Centre food, clothing, health care, education, counselling, support and other essentials are provided. Activities such as drama, music, sports, cultural dance, arts and crafts, games and cookery are also available so that the children don’t get the chance to miss the streets and feel tempted to return. It gives the children a chance to clean up, rest and if they have been using drugs, allows them the opportunity to break the endless cycle of addiction before they return home. The Interim Care Centre is a place where the street children can be children and learn to laugh again.
Home-tracing and family reunification work
This is an integral part of Laughter Africa’s approach, through which social workers trace the street children’s families in the hope that the parties can be reunited. Reunification with their families is dependent on whether the family situation is safe and secure. If this is not the case, for instance if there is sexual or physical abuse known to have taken place, then an alternative long-term home will be found. Before reuniting a child with their family, we work with both parties to understand the reasons that led to the child turning to the streets in the first place. Our goal is to ensure that the child feels happier and the original issues that precipitated their move on to the streets are resolved.
Our Fundraising Focus
We are fundraising for 50 young people who are about to graduate from vocational schools in Sierra Leone whose education has been funded through Laughter Africa. The funds raised will allow these students to become independent and not return to the streets of Sierra Leone! The vocations include carpentry, electrician, hairdressing and tailoring. For example if they have been studying hairdressing, then we hope to be able provide them with hairdressing equipment and if they are graduating in tailoring then we will buy them a sewing machine etc
https://www.facebook.com/laughterafrica
Fundraising Targets
All funds raised will be passed to the charity irrespective of whether my target is reached, not reached or exceeded.
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