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Education sometimes may be taken for granted, however, this was certainly not the case for Purity.
Her mother's last words before she died had changed everything for Purity. She had told her,“work hard and promise me you will have a bright life…”
But how can someone have a bright life, when there are no parents to support them? In order for her to go to school, Purity needed to pay school fees, buy uniforms and obtain other basic school needs. She was desperately looking for someone to help her when the Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund (CCLEF) came to her aid through her secondary school.
This is Purity’s story in her own words, taken from when she first applied for sponsorship to the CCLEF:
"My father died when I was only 6 months old and my mother died when I was 9 years old. Life has been difficult for me and my guardian, because it is not easy being an orphan or paying schools fees and everything for an orphan. I am kindly asking for your help in sponsoring me with my educational needs because my guardian cannot manage to pay for me and all my siblings. She faces a lot of difficulties. I want to pay her back when I finish school because she has done so much...
My ambition is to be a medical doctor because I want to save lives of people and parents so that their children don’t suffer or go through what we orphans have gone through. It makes me sad when I see pupils not concentrating in school. I talk to them because they don’t know what it’s like to be an orphan...I usually get A+. My goal in life is never to look back, never give up, look to the future and strive hard to achieve the positive side of life. I believe I can achieve my ambition with your help.
My mother’s last words were “work hard and promise me you will have a bright future,” then she smiled and died. I cried and I was in a lot of pain and I still am. With your help, I will really be concentrating on my work so that my parents, guardian and you my sponsors will be proud of me. Please help me achieve my ambition and save a life."
Purity graduated with a Distinction, however she could not proceed on to University. She wrote to the Education Fund begging for help. She missed her entry into the na
tional university and nearly lost hope until Madrinha Trust decided to take her on as mentee. This now means that Purity has a mentor in addition to the financial support offered by Madrinha Trust.
Purity’s dream was to become a doctor, and she is on the path to becoming one.
A huge thank you to all our supporters for helping Purity achieve her dream.
Please help us support more girls around the Commonwealth. On average, £300 is enough to support a girl in school for one year in some developing countries.
Introducing the new Chairman of the CCLEF, Penny O’Regan
“I very much appreciate the opportunity to lead the CCLEF which has supported so many girls through secondary school over the last 47 years. Our major challenge is to keep the plight of girls-without-school-opportunity on top of busy 21st century agendas.
Our supporters often reflect that they have achieved their successes (and that is different for everyone!) only because they had access to education; it is this opportunity that we want to continue to make happen for young women across the globe.
I am sure that with the strong skills and experience the new Board bring, the CCLEF will continue to be successful in sponsoring girls' education throughout the Commonwealth.
Thank you to everyone for your support, past and future.”
The 'Thousand Schools for a Thousand Girls' (TSTG) Campaign participated in the 2013 Big Give Christmas Challenge and raised a total of £3,982.60 for the CCLEF through a pledge, donations and fund matching by the Big Give initiative.
ClarityEnglish, our partners in Hong Kong win prestigious Asian Business Awards
News from SRI LANKA – A Future Teacher
Ashini is 12 years old and is described as a very bright student who scores very good marks in exams. She is top of her class. Although she faces a lot of economical problems, Ashini always strives to do her best. Ashini enjoys Science. In her application for sponsorship, she wrote, “My favourite subject is Science. I would like to be a teacher and serve my country. I will study hard to make my dream come true. If I get this scholarship, I would be able to spend it on stationery such as text books and note books, pens and other basic school needs. So this scholarship would be a great help in making my dream come true.”
Ashini’s school test results show how much she values and enjoys school. She was top of her class (position 1 out of 44) and the following is her school report:
Religion 100%, Sinhala 90%, Mathematics 86%, Science 93%, English 62%, Citizenship Education 98%, Geography 92%, History 88%, Health Science 79%, PE 80%, Dancing 91%.
In January 2014, the school wrote of their delight to receive the sponsorship for the 6 girls.
“Today I write with very happy news. In our school system, we start the new year in January. Students start their studies in the new class in January. So all the six girls have got good marks & passed to the new grade. Under the guidance of our principal, we called up the parents to the school and gave them the necessary advice on how to spend the money. We managed to present the funds to them. They are all amazed by the generosity of the Fund in accepting them for sponsorship. Some thanked with tears in the corners of their eyes. The principal and all the teacher, together with the parents, are extremely grateful to you for your generosity. We promise to send you some photos and receipts soon. But the exam records will be sent after April as our First Term Exam is in April. We all wish you all the best ... God Bless You.”
In a letter from Mr Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, addressed to the outgoing Chairperson, Ms Jenny Groves, he commented on the successful use of funding that was allocated to the CGEF (formerly the CCLEF) to fund girls' secondary school bursaries.
He particularly commended the Fund on "the expeditious manner in which the financial reporting on the disbursement of the funds for this purpose was managed."
Furthermore, he advised that ARK had granted an additional amount to the Fund "so that it can continue its good work in providing bursaries for young women in secondary education in Commonwealth developing countries."
A proud moment indeed for all the Trustees, friends and beneficiaries of the Fund.