Dubai pupils raise Dh132,000 for Malawi school

DUBAI // Pupils at a Dubai private school have raised Dhs132,000 to ‘adopt’ a school in Malawi as part of a charity campaign.

The donation from Jumeirah Primary School, raised as part of Dubai Care’s Adopt A School programme, will be used to build school infrastructure, buy books and train teachers for the 150 pupils at the African school.

The Parents Teachers Association said it was the pupils’ decision to raise money for the school in Malawi.

The pupils were given the option to support a school in either Nepal, Malawi, Palestine and Senegal, said Mahine Rizvi Ahmad, chairwoman of the association.

“We provided all the relevant information to the students about all the schools and based upon that they voted to adopt a school in Malawi. They have been made aware of the tremendous opportunities they have while living and studying in Dubai,” said Ms Ahmad.

“We wanted to work with Dubai Cares and focus on primary education in a third world county with low literacy rates so we can make a difference and give children the opportunity to go to school.”

Kian Farian, 12, a grade 6 pupil, said that he voted for Malawi school because the country’s education system is so underfunded.

“We as a privileged society with a good education system; it is our duty to help those that deserve and need an education,” said Kian, who is head boy at the school.

The PTA raised the money by organising a spring fair in February.

This is the second school adopted by Jumeirah Primary School after they adopted a school in Nepal last year,

“We are so thrilled that this year we have once again raised enough funds to adopt another school, this time in a rural area of Malawi — a country currently ranked as among the world’s 20 least developed countries on the UN’s Human Development Index,” said Catherine McKeever, school principal.