Charity gran doing her bit for African children

Disadvantaged children in one of South Africa’s poorest slums have been learning to read and write in comfort and safety thanks to the vision and determination of a Redbridge grandmother.

More than 30 youngsters, in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape province have completed their first year of formal education in a specially converted house bought for them by South Woodford based charity, the Rainbow Kidz fund.

The Organisation’s founder, Mary Khan, spent four years raising thousands of pounds for the school and is delighted with the difference the new facility has made for the children, who had previously been taught in the cramped living room of a private house. She said:
"When I came to Grahamstown I found my friend giving 30 children lessons in the living room of her house, with just one broken toilet for all of them to share.
"The old school was so cramped and pokey and obviously unacceptable, so we decided to give them the chance to learn in a better education environment.
"We had to raise thousands of pounds to pay for the redevelopment through a wide range of events, and it is great to see the result of this."

Despite the success of the new school, Mrs Khan of Wordsworth Avenue, South Woodford, is determined to replace it with a purpose built school in place for the children as soon as possible. The grandmother of seven vowed to help improve the lives of youngsters in the township after being horrified by the poverty she encountered when she first visited the township as a teenager in 1968.

She hopes the school and the permanent replacement will give the youngsters, many of whom come from families devastated by the AIDS epidemic, a better start in life.

Rainbow Kidz will hold a South African-style fund-raising barbeque at the Metropolitan Police Sports Club in Chigwell on Sunday, July 13. The event, which will be free to enter and run from 1pm to 5pm, will feature a wide range of fun activities, including a bouncy castle and pitch and putt.