Cabaret for Rwanda event raises money for special school trip

Cabaret for Rwanda was an evening of lively entertainment which raised £1,500 to help send nine Sixth Form students to visit their school partners in Rwanda in October 2016.

The school aims to raise a further £3,000 to fund the trip and purchase ICT equipment for the Rwandan school. They have set up a JustGiving page and welcome any donations to help reach their target.

Since 2012 St Philip Howard has had a relationship with Rwandan secondary school ES Kagogo which is attended by 500 12-21 year olds. During their visit the sixth formers will work alongside the Rwandan students, assisting them with spoken and written English as well as ICT skills. During the trip the students are also keen to get involved extra curricular activities at the school and will join in with sports, games, music and dance. Scheduled visits to other local primary and secondary schools have been arranged during their stay. Students from St Joseph’s in Kampala, Uganda, who St Philip Howard have already made links with, will be joining the Sixth Formers on their visit.

The cabaret evening was a great success. Students from every year group got involved to bring together the evening. Students gave up their spare time to produce and rehearse their acts, treating the audience to a range of performances.

Some students put on a Bollywood themed dance routine, others did instrumental solos and performed their favourite songs from musicals. One group of students put on a modern day interpretation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The idea for Cabaret for Rwanda came from the Arundel Catenian Society, an international body of Catholic laymen who come together in friendship and faith. They assist in fundraising for a wide variety of charities. Members of the Catenian gave their full support to the cabaret, bringing friends and family into the audience.

They also added to the fundraising effort by running a successful auction and raffle, prizes for which were donated by The Avisford Park, Amberley Museum, Edgcumbes, West Dean Gardens, Lisa Edwards Hair in Chichester, Nutbourne Vineyard and Sparks Yard. Overall the school is thrilled with the success of Caberet for Rwanda and will continue their fundraising efforts ahead of the trip.

Contact Alison Baker at St Philip Howard High School for more infomation on the school’s Rwandan link. To make a donation to support the school’s trip to Rwanda, visit their JustGiving page at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/SphtoRwanda.

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