The Zawadi la Tumaini orphanage in Kenya is the beneficiary of that the Me to We Club at Adamsdale Public School.
Students raised more than $2,000 for the orphanage being built Jacqueline Villeneuve, a graduate of Confederation Secondary School. Villeneuve will visit Adamsdale on Friday, May 11, at 1:45 p.m. to accept the donation and thank students for their efforts.
“The Me To We Club at Adamsdale was created to encourage students to think of others and become global citizens,” Principal Dawn Chew said.
Various fundraising events were held this school year, including The Monsters' Ball dance-a-thon, Christmas carolling, a family picnic and bake sale, and recycling drink pouches.
“This is the fourth year for the Me to We Club fundraising efforts at Adamsdale Public School,” Chew said. “A total of $8,000 has been raised for a number of local and global causes.”
Those causes include building a well in Africa though Ryan's Well Foundation; contributing to the pediatric unit at the Laurentian Hospital; donating to the local SPCA; and, this year, helping Jacqueline Villeneuve realize her dream of building an orphanage in Kenya.
The students in the Me To We Club decide at the beginning of the school year which charity they would like to support. Students organize fundraising and eco-friendly events throughout the year.
“I am incredibly proud of these students for their amazing work,” Villeneuve said. “I look forward to visiting Adamsdale Public School where I will be making a presentation on Zawadi la Tumaini so students can see, first-hand, how their efforts will help others.”
Villeneuve received a Canadian Living Me to We Award last year for her work in Kenya. The award is presented by Free the Children to Canadian citizens dedicated to making a difference locally or globally.
Zawadi la Tumaini means Gift of Hope. Villeneuve purchased 2.5 acres of land for the orphanage in a village called Iiani, approximately 90 km south-east of Nairobi.
Zawadi la Tumaini is for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, children who have been deprived of their basic human rights or children who have lost their families to other illnesses. The orphanage provides children with relief from starvation, proper medical assessments, schooling, music, and a balanced diet through locally grown produce.
