Friends of Ibba Girls School, the UK based charity supporting girls’ education in South Sudan, is launching its most exciting and high profile fundraising appeal to date: Pencil Power. The campaign is launched on October 9th 2014 in London and followed by a Pencil Power ‘selfie’ campaign on October 11th 2014, coinciding with the UN International Day of the Girl Child*
‘Pencil Power’ is a public campaign to raise awareness of the urgent need for girl-child education in South Sudan and to channel funding to a pioneering new girls school in Ibba, Western Equatorial State. The most urgent need is to raise £250,000 by 31 December 2014 to fund further buildings, dormitories and teaching staff to make it possible for 40 more ten year old girls to join the first 40 girls at Ibba Girls Boarding School in February 2015.
Education provision in South Sudan is very poor and most girls drop out of school by the age of 10 to help full time with childcare, and soon succumbing to family pressure to marry young. A 14 year old girl in South Sudan is more likely to die in child-birth than complete her education. Education for girls is seen as the hope for South Sudan as educating girls not only improves their life chances but their health and well-being and that of their families.
The stakes are high and time is short, but the future of the world’s youngest but fragile nation lies in education. For these girls, a pencil can spell hope, and the chance to build a new life.
People can get involved by taking a #pencilpower selfie and nominating others to do the same to spread the message across social media. The fundraising mechanism is to donate £5.00 per selfie to FIGS – which pays to educate a girl for a day at Ibba Girls Boarding School. To donate text PENCIL to 70660.
*http://www.un.org/en/events/girlchild
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Media Invitation:
You are invited to the launch night on Thursday 9th October 2014 at St Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ from 5:00pm-7:00pm to find out more about education in South Sudan and the pioneering worj the is being done for girls education in Ibba. More information throughout our website www.ibbagirlsschool.org and our new film here.
Issued on behalf of Friends of Ibba Girls School by Leapfrog PR. Editorial contacts are Felicity Read, Melissa Patel or Willow Tonks on 01242 282000. Email: [email protected] Work on Pencil Power and FIGS is pro-bono.
