Two of Maadi's best and brightest British teachers are preparing to travel for a year from Cairo to Cape Town to assist 10 international schools in 10 countries to set up 10 community projects, which, for sheer inspiration, is 10 out of 10. Nadine Bogan and Elizabeth Uprichard from the Maadi British International School have been working for the past 12 months on "opening the doors to the international school, as their project is titled. "To date we have been working with a group of street kids on Road 9 in Maadi and a mixed local community group, Bogan said. "Our aim is to get pupils from international schools more involved in the communities they live in. We want to develop real links with local communities and establish projects which will be still in action in years to come. "At Maadi British International School, we want to utilize the wide variety of skills and expertise we have around us. For example, our site manager acts as our interpreter during weekly workshops and other Egyptian staff are sharing their hobbies and interests with both our students and those we are reaching out to, Bogan said. Bogan and Uprichard, in another decade, may have been spending a year traveling from one backpacking hostel party to another, but in this era of responsible global citizenship, they are channeling their wanderlust into an ambitious project that may well leave a sustainable footprint for others to follow. The plan is to acquire a Toyota Land Cruiser, either through sponsorship or out of their own pockets and visit international schools in Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Brundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. When they arrive at the various international schools, they will help to establish child centered community links; run workshops based on global citizenship, set-up collaborative community projects and distribute monies raised through a charity fund. "We are using international schools as a hub for the community projects because they have a rich bank of human and physical resources which we feel could be better utilized to help the people who live around them, Bogan said. "To develop an international network we aim to create a website that will provide an online resource for all participating schools with ICT capabilities. "The website will be continuously updated with best practice, ideas and project outcomes of Cairo to Cape Town and it is expected that the international school will take on the responsibility of keeping all local participants informed of developments, Bogan said. "Our own school, Maadi British International School, has been extremely supportive of our project, providing both administrative help and the promise of both financial and technological support. Bogan and Uprichard are looking for further support and they can be contacted via the website address below. This team is looking for the right partner, possibly a local business, someone who shares the same ethos and of working at grass roots level. "A sponsor needs to be committed to enriching the culture of a school as a center of the community. "We will carry our own ICT equipment, everything will go on the web site and any sponsor will have high visibility, Bogan said. "The Ace Club in Maadi have been very generous, and have provided us with our first funding, he added. "We are very excited about this trip and just last week we consolidated the 10 schools to be visited. "The Toyota Land Cruiser, the Carnet de Passage and insurances are our big expenses. Businesses interested in getting involved should contact Bogan and Uprichard who are very willing to give a presentation and have a detailed plan and budget for this trip. In fact, any business would be getting two very motivated women who will provide them with publicity the length and breath of Africa. Your company would be represented and promoted amongst the elite communities in 10 countries, surely this is a marketing dream come true? [email protected] [email protected]
