Students at Charterhouse School in Surrey have fundraised more than £2,000 for Savera UK to help end ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices.
Boarding house pupils Sasha Schukken, 16, Phoebe Hornett, 16, Alessandra Barroso Kosanovic, 17, Tatiana Barroso Kosanovic, 17, Isabella Duc, 16, Alexandra Oerlemans, 17 and Bea Harrall, 17, hosted a cheese and wine event for parents and fellow pupils where they educated them on Savera UK’s mission.
Savera UK is a national charity working to end ‘honour’-based abuse and other harmful practices, including female genital mutilation, forced marriage, virginity testing and breast ironing. The charity safeguards and advocates on behalf of those at risk while tackling the root-cause of the issues through campaigning and awareness-raising.
The students explained they heard about Savera UK from their House Master and other pupils in their house. Speaking to Savera UK the students said: “We thought it aligned with our views and that it was an important message to speak about and fundraise for.”
The team, who raised a total of £2,114.45 for the charity, took entrance fees for the event in their school hall. They also made a poster and explained Savera UK’s mission to attendees. They said: “It was a great experience to organise an event and have it go smoothly. Raising the money for a good cause also made the experience more gratifying.”
Speaking about their favourite part of the event, the team said: “Setting up the event for the parents was a great experience.” The team “had fun setting up the cheese boards” and organising the fundraising event.
Asked if they would encourage others to take part in fundraising, the team said: “I would encourage it as it creates leadership opportunities while raising money for a good cause that you believe in.
“Having a fundraising activity going very smoothly is also very satisfying because it’s a very good visual representation of our hard work. Raising a good sum of money also makes it worthwhile because we do make an impact with our donations and makes the whole experience fulfilling.”
Afrah Qassim, Founder and CEO of Savera UK, said: “I am overwhelmed by this generous donation from the pupils at Charterhouse School. As a charity we are dependent on the generosity of others in order to continue our work to end ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices. This money will not only help us in safeguarding and advocating on behalf of those at risk, but in our mission to campaign for a brighter future where these practices are no longer carried out.
“On behalf of the whole Savera UK team we would like to say a huge thank you to Sasha, Phoebe, Alessanfra, Tatiana, Isabella, Alexandra, Bea and all those who attended the event and donated to Savera UK.”
If you are a school, or a young person who wants to get involved in Savera UK, take a look at Savera UK Youth! Our Youth programme holds creative projects and campaigns throughout the year to help develop young people’s skills and encourage you to become part of the team raising awareness of harmful practices. To support Savera UK’s work, find out how your donation can make a difference by clicking here.