Hemel charity set to help children in Africa

Thanks to the generosity of the UK public, and match funding from the government, Hope for Children will now be able to help thousands more vulnerable children get access to quality education in Africa.

The charity’s Head Held High appeal was selected by the Department for International Development (DFID) for its UK Aid Match scheme last year, and the appeal total includes more than £242,000 of match funding, the charity’s first government grant.

The money will be used to transform the lives of 1,500 children living in poverty and ensure they have access to a quality education. Without an education, children as young as six are often forced to work in fields or pick scraps, or are exposed to the daily dangers of wandering the streets.

The Head Held High funding will support the charity’s education-based projects in rural northern Ghana, where children are four times more likely to be out of school than in the rest of Africa, and one in five are involved in hazardous forms of child labour.

Hope for Children CEO, Murielle Maupoint, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of our supporters, old and new. The incredible reaction to the Head Held High appeal means that we will now be able to have a major impact on the lives of thousands of vulnerable children through quality education, and give them the chance to break free from poverty.”