Autumn Newsletter - Christmas Appeal Edition

In this issue Why our work is changing Family-centred support 25th anniversary celebrations A sneak peek at our Christmas appeal

Autumn-Winter Newsletter 2023

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Welcome to the Autumn-Winter Issue

WELCOME

In this edition of our newsletter, the last of 2023, we look back at our first motivations for helping children in Zambia in 1998. The educational landscape changed for many children with the abolition of school fees in 2022 – a welcome rethink by the Zambian Government.

This allowed us to really consider our work, and see the underlying barriers children face in accessing education.

School fees may no longer be preventing children from attending school in Zambia, but this change highlighted the long list of additional reasons children drop out of education, or fail to begin school at all. In this issue, we tell you how we examined the difference we could make by reimagining our approach for long-term success, and how your support has made a valuable difference. See the evolution of our work with a deep look into our Education Support programme on pages 3 and 4.

On page 5 we proudly tell the story of Quincy Namonje, a beneficiary of Cecily’s Fund who has gone onto great things here in the UK. We also look ahead to our Christmas appeal, soon

Cecily’s Fund is named in memory of Cecily Eastwood, who died in Zambia during her gap year in 1997. The charity was established by her parents, Alison and Basil.

Our work has helped over 50,000 children and raised over £6million for educational projects in the country, building brighter futures in Zambia and helping to break the cycle of poverty for vulnerable children and communities.

to be launching, and what you can do to help.

As we move towards the end of 2023 and our 25th anniversary year, we want to say thank you for your support. Your donations, your time sharing our work, and your willingness to

Social

pass on our message to friends and family, all helps us to go the extra mile for children who deserve an equal start to life.

Follow us: CecilysFund Thank you

About and Contact

CECILY’S FUND AUTUMN-WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023

Cecily’s Fund is registered charity no: 1071660.

We make education possible for orphaned and vulnerable children in Zambia.

Feedback: admin@cecilysfund.org

Supporter enquiries: lwiza@cecilysfund.org 07983287093

Fundraising enquiries:

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acooper@cecilysfund.org

Website: www.cecilysfund.org

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When the Zambian Government announced the abolition of school fees in 2022, it provided a catalyst of change for Cecily’s Fund and the work we do. When Cecily’s Fund launched in 1998, we set out to pay school fees for orphaned and vulnerable children in Kitwe, and with your support, we reached children at 52 schools in the Copperbelt region.

share the barriers that face them, the routes to success and how to overcome obstacles, and are able to communicate this to others.

We’re so proud of the work we have done to change the lives of young people in Zambia, but the change around school fees enabled us to see the broader picture of the support needed to make education a real success.

Since launching our new approach, 16 schools applied to partner with Cecily’s Fund and eight were shortlisted and assessed for their needs, vision, and willingness to improve in the areas we identified as crucial for each child’s success.

Our research confirmed that despite the change in rules around school fees, children were still dropping out of education. Paying school fees was not enough to ensure a child would succeed.

We believe in lasting, deep relationships with our schools.

It’s why we commit to a three-year partnership, enabling each school to develop high quality care beyond their core teaching, and provide the best start in life for orphans and vulnerable children in particular.

We wanted our impact to have long-lasting positive effects on the children we supported. It’s why we adapted and changed our focus to: Increasing capacity in schools

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Supporting the psychosocial development of children

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Improving parent engagement

Children need to attend school, but they also need to be able to benefit from their time in the classroom by being physically and mentally able to participate in lessons.

By focusing on these three things, we would be able to create a more sustainable model for education reform by addressing the root causes of vulnerable children’s barriers to success and equality.

Since then, we have honed our focus to create deeper relationships with the schools we work with, fostering longlasting relationships where we’re able to nurture children to not only continue their education, but often take part in our Peer Education programme too. By doing this, children

Continue reading on page 4 to see why our move to holistic care is supporting our long-term vision.

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By working with schools in this way, we’re allowing them to become sustainable, less reliant on external support and more equipped to support children long-term.

HELPING SCHOOLS, HELPING CHILDREN

A closer look at our Education Support Programme

4 BEYOND SCHOOL FEES

The move to holistic care

But that’s not all…

Our move to a holistic approach at Cecily’s Fund goes beyond the schools we are helping today and in the near future. Our aim is to generate a plan that works – a plan that schools in Zambia can utilise to provide the best foundations for children possible and replicate themselves across more and more schools each year.

Our initial eight schools are showing so much promise as a result of your support that we have high hopes about where our Education Support programme could go. By working in partnership with District Education Boards, schools in Zambia could replicate the work we’re achieving today and help more children access education each year.

CECILY’S FUND AUTUMN-WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023

Knowing and understanding the challenges schools are facing is crucial to the development of our work. We spent time with Head Teachers to assess opportunities in areas of: • • • •

Governance Pupil Care and Support Parent and Community Engagement Links with Government Ministries

Here’s where our work will be focused in each of these areas:

Governance • Financial management training • Support and training* in safeguarding, disability, recruitment, fraud and whistleblowing • Creating a staff handbook to ensure training is longlasting

resources • Developing Sunshine Clubs to provide extra-curricular support, including life skills, motivation sessions, sports and recreational activities • Introducing para-teachers (trained PHE) as classroom assistants • Information about safeguarding and disability support for children at risk of exploitation • Developing school food gardens for nutrition and meals for orphans and vulnerable children

Parent Engagement Strengthening

&

Community

• Introducing and establishing GROW savings groups for parents* • Financial literacy and entrepreneurship training for parents • Parent volunteer recruitment strategies • Strengthening ties with local businesses • Help with identifying and recruiting a patron

Linkages with Government • Regular contact with progress updates • Sharing Cecily’s Fund policy templates for District Education Boards’ endorsement • Sharing Cecily’s Fund financial manual and minimum standards in financial management • Communication training for schools to be able to share successes directly with District Education Boards This is all possible with your support. Will you continue to help us today? Increase your donation or become a regular donor with a direct debit at https://www.cecilysfund.org/ pages/8-donate

Pupil Care & OVC Support • Equipping schools with education resource packs • Providing a budget for each school for additional

*In connection with CHEP (Copperbelt Health Education Project)

Zambia to Edinburgh and beyond!

Sometimes, the children we help go so much further than anyone might expect. Quincy Namonje received sponsorship from Cecily’s Fund as a child and went on to train as one of our Peer Educators, helping other children to follow in her footsteps.

Quincy’s story is a reminder of why we do the work we do at Cecily’s Fund. We’re not just here for today, we want to support children to create their best tomorrow too.

Imagine what the world could look like in a generation if every child had the same opportunities as Quincy.

How Esther regained her self-worth in spite of disability Cecily’s Fund’s holistic approach encompasses whole families, equipping parents with support and skills to improve their future livelihoods.

Esther Chama is a mother of two who accessed an initiative focusing on menstrual hygiene through Cecily’s Fund. By being part of Sunrise Community School’s GROW group, Esther learned how to sew and make reusable sanitary pads, which she is now able to sell and generate income for her family.

Esther is disabled and was recently divorced, and described her new skills as allowing her to regain her self-worth, following a period of depression.

Esther is now very optimistic about the future and her ability to look after her family .

This year, Quincy graduated with a Master of Arts with Honours in Economics from Edinburgh University. We are unbelievably proud of Quincy, who has overcome vulnerability and statistics to show what she has to offer the world. We are so thankful for your support which allows girls like Quincy to succeed.

We wish Quincy all the best for her continued success!

Quincy is one of many young people that have experienced the support of Cecily’s Fund, and proven that with the right start in life, they can go on to achieve their dreams. For many children in Zambia, life won’t look like this. They could spend their childhoods caring for ill or terminal parents and siblings, instead of getting the education they deserve.

CECILY’S FUND AUTUMN-WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023

Donate to Cecily’s Fund and support our mission today at https://www.cecilysfund.org/pages/8donate

SUCCESS STORIES TO BE PROUD OF

Your support reaches some of the most vulnerable children in Zambia. We want to provide them with the practical and holistic tools that enable them to continue their education in the face of adversity. We always hope that this provides a solid foundation for a stronger start in life, so when we hear of children that grow up healthy, educated and equipped to make their way in the world, we feel immense gratitude for your support.

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CECILY’S FUND AUTUMN-WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023

25 YEARS OF CECILY’S FUND

Celebrating and looking ahead

Back in September, Cecily’s Fund founders, Basil and Alison Eastwood, hosted a celebration event in Bristol to mark the 25th anniversary of the charity.

While we primarily celebrated 25 years of supporting young people in the Copperbelt region of Zambia and Lusaka, the event coincided with another brilliant milestone – Cecily’s Fund has now supported 50,000 beneficiaries – a number we’re absolutely delighted with and are confident will keep growing.

We began the day with 60 attendees at St Paul’s church in the Clifton area of Bristol, during which guests saw presentations, updates about the charity’s work and watched moving video testimonials from our alumni.

As the day progressed, guests were invited to continue the celebrations onboard SS Great Britain in Bristol harbour, joined by others for a sold-out event of 112 guests.

Alison and Basil welcomed guests and explained how many of them embodied stages of our history. They included Andy and Linda Pearce Steph Harland, Chair of Cecily’s Fund intro- from New Zealand who duces Philippa Tolmay (née Eastwood) to tell had attended our first the early history of the charity. major fundraiser, a ball in the Roman theatre in Bosra in southern Syria in 1998. Other guests came from Germany, Switzerland and the US as well as from all over the UK to help us celebrate. Isobelle Jaques explained how impressed the group of supporters who visited Zambia in June had been with all that that they had seen and the people they had met.

The Cecily’s Fund staff team and local partners BISO and Care Providers Foundation.

achieved, we took the opportunity to look forwards, just as our beneficiaries are encouraged to as they progress through their education and beyond.

Cecily’s Fund has achieved work to be immensely proud of, but there is a growing need for more of what we do. Our move to a holistic support approach is allowing us to see a wider picture of needs and opportunities to support young people and their families in an increasing area. We will continue to celebrate the achievements of our beneficiaries while keeping our focus firmly on the future, and all that will be achieved.

We were especially delighted to be joined by Beatrice Chola, founder of BISO, Cecily’s Fund longest-standing partner in Zambia, and Willard Chitimbo of Carers Foundation, our newest partner organisation operating in a very rural area on the southern edge of Zambia’s Copperbelt Province.

While the event took place to mark a large milestone in Cecily’s Fund’s history, and celebrate all that has been

Beatrice Chola, founder of BISO and Given Chitimbo, the wife of Willard, the founder of Carers Foundation arrive at SS Great Britain.

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Christmas comes around faster each year, doesn’t it? This year, we’re launching an extra special appeal to also equip children in rural Zambian communities with the practical support that will support their education.

A donation of £10 could help buy a child their school uniform, exercise books and stationery, allowing them to own the basic necessities to attend the classroom.

In this special year of our 25th anniversary we want to raise £20,000 by taking part in ‘The Big Give’ which will provide matched funding for donations made online by Cecily’s Fund supporters using a special link which will take you to a website to donate. We will be sharing this with you at the end of November so please look out for this!

On the move!

This autumn Cecily’s Fund became fully remote. Our new postal address is:

Cecily's Fund, PO Box 811, BANBURY, OX16 6TQ

FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES

See your donation double by supporting our Christmas appeal

Our Big Christmas Big Give campaign is Transforming Schools, Changing Lives. The focus is on the eight schools we are working directly with in Kitwe and Chingola in the Zambian Copperbelt.

We are supporting 1800 disadvantaged children to access much improved educational facilities, enabling them to pass their exams and go on to succeed in life with better employment options. You can find out about this programme on our website.

Are you looking for more ways you can help? Here’s our favourite suggestions: • Pass this newsletter to a friend when you’re done reading and encourage them to get involved • Fundraise for us with your local community, circle of friends or even a school connected to your family. Get in touch with Anne for more ideas and help at acooper@cecilysfund.org • Become a monthly donor with a direct debit at www.cecilysfund.org/pages/8-donate Look out for our Christmas appeal, launching later this month.

For a fundraising pack and ideas visit: cecilysfund.org/fundraise

CECILY’S FUND AUTUMN-WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023

Make your donation and see it doubled in value this Christmas.

DONATE TODAY

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Change a Life Today

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A regular donation helps us to plan ahead, and gift aiding it helps us claim an extra 25p on every £1 you give. Your personal data is only used to process your donation and keep you updated with our work.

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CECILY’S FUND AUTUMN-WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023

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