Background

In 1998 Joy, with her husband Sir Scott Baker, visited a rural primary school in Hwangi National Park in Zimbabwe. In spite of the stark lack of materials there was huge enthusiasm among the children and staff for learning to read and write. As the English language played a major role in the curriculum, Joy envisaged the difference that surplus educational materials from the UK would make for these pupils and others in Africa. Within a few weeks of her return to the UK she had collected sufficient resources for the first shipment, which was generously transported free by Air Zimbabwe.

School-Aid has grown steadily and was granted charitable status in 1998. Joy has visited many schools to promote interest and learning about recipient schools in Africa and to gain support for collecting materials. Over 130 State and Independent schools have donated items. The administrative centre and warehouse are located in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. There is additional storage in High Wycombe and a regional centre operates in Cowbridge, South Wales. School-Aid targets UK schools and related communities to give textbooks, musical instruments, school furniture, sports clothing and equipment and any surplus educational supplies.

We work closely with charities in the UK, particularly Computers for African Schools (CFAS), WorkAid, LabAid, Rotary & Inner Wheel, the Lottie Betts-Priddy Trust (Sierra Leone) and the Anseba Development Trust (Eritrea) and with Sold on Success in South Africa. We are embarking on an exciting new partnerhsip with Leonard Cheshire International.

Many UK schools have been encouraged to develop links with schools in Zimbabwe. Letters, photographs and pictures have been regularly exchanged. More recently Llanhari Secondary School in South Wales, together with the local community, has been linked with Umqhele Comprehensive in Ivory Park Township in Johannesburg. Rhodri Morgan, The Welsh Secretary, acted as “Postman” delivering letters from Welsh pen pals when he was on a visit to South Africa in January 2004.

Wheatfield’s Infants School in St Alban’s is helping to set up a Pre-school in a rural community in Stanford near Hermanus in SA, via a local charity Food4thought. The pupils have raised funds and donated resources. Elmtree School in Cardiff has closed down and Chris Thomas, ex-Headmistress, has kindly offered to donate a large volume of equipment to Stanford School. Following her visit to Cape Town in January 2005, Chris is now working for School-Aid as Schools Liaison Officer. One of her tasks is to encourage links between the UK and African schools.