The ZAM Challenge – raising money to educate orphans in Zambia

Burford School sixth-form pupils took time out from their exams to test their strength and athletic prowess in a charity five-a-side football tournament to raise money to send Zambian orphans to school – the ZAM Challenge! The students are adamant that young people today care strongly about issues such as the right to education whatever your circumstances. Head Girl, Lauren Cummings, said ‘Many of us are going off to university next year but we want to leave Burford with a legacy that will continue to help the poorest children get an education wherever they live in the world’. The five-a-side tournament, which is planned to be an annual event, brought together current pupils and a group of alumni, teachers, and a Cecily’s Fund team. Bill Williams, captaining the teacher’s team, said ‘Cecily’s Fund’s work in Zambia has enabled thousands of children to go to school and gain an education as a route out of poverty and we were delighted when the sixth-form students chose Cecily’s Fund as their charity for the year’. The Oxfordshire-based charity put on a Zambian-style barbecue after the event and were delighted with the enthusiasm the event created.