The money was raised for THE HOPE CENTRE in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This centre gives hope to children orphaned by the horrible killer disease HIV/AIDS The pupils raised this wonderful amount in different ways. Some did the traditional 24-hour fast, others did sponsored silences, sponsored cycle rides, runs and swims. There were cake stalls and a nail painting session, bucket collections and a big number of pupils contributed by coming to school in non-uniform.

In thanking the pupils, Martin said what a huge difference they would make by taking a day out and going without or putting themselves through some other hardship. He spoke of the luxury of choices that the pupils take for granted, like, “what will I eat, what will I wear” etc. He contrasted this life-style with the huge proportion of children of their age with no control over their lives, poverty strips them bare of all the control over their lives that we take for granted. He said the human spirit is so strong that there is a great compulsion to survive. Poverty dictates only one thing to do fighting to survive on the land growing food and in urban situation many are often reduced to begging.

There are 850 pupils in Churston Grammar School and Martin pointed out that twice that number die every day as a consequence of AIDS, that is one a minute, innocent, precious life being lost and often dying in pain because of lack of drugs. He asked the pupils to imagine going home and finding four more children in their family. This is what happens in Ethiopia on a regular basis as more and more children become orphans.

Christian Aid partners at The HOPE CENTRE are paying school fees for orphans and running clubs for them. As well as getting help with homework, the young people are trained to tell others about HIV and how to avoid becoming ill. Martin spoke of the huge stigma, the shadow of suspicion, that accompanies the disease because people are so ignorant about it. People are ostracized from their communities like “lepers”.

Some of Christian Aid’s courageous partners in Addis Ababa wear t-shirts advertising that they are HIV positive and that is tragic and sad, but they are part of the community and people should be embraced not shunned.

It cost just £7 a month for drugs to save a precious life in Ethiopia, nothing by our standards What an impact the money from Churston will have! Mary Fallon, Christian Aid volunteer teacher, in adding her thanks said it can be invidious to mention names but, the fund-raising would not have taken place this year without the help of the deputy head Mr. Barry Goldsmith, Mrs. Cheryl Ryder (resources) and Mrs. Suzanne Jeffs (finance) and Mr Dave Barrett, Head of IT who inspired the pupils by doing a 28 mile sponsored cycle-ride and made sure that there was first-class technical support for the many assemblies Mr. Goldsmith, ended the assembly by saying the pupils should fell very proud of themselves.