A four-strong team from Ballakermeen High School highlighting the work of the small charity Disability Africa were the victors in the Grand Final of this year’s One World Charity Challenge programme.
They were among the eight finalists drawn from the 33 teams of Year 12 students across all six of the Island’s secondary schools who participated in the competition in a bid to win money for a small international development charity.
Performing before a capacity audience that included the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Chief Minister Alf Cannan, all eight finalists gave hugely entertaining performances that included everything from interpretative dance and song to paparazzi-style videos and game show questions.
The winning team focused on Disability Africa’s playschemes which aim to remove the stigma of disability that still exists in some of the world’s poorest communities and help to provide access to education and healthcare for disabled children. They won the top prize of £1,500 for Disability Africa.
In second place were the team from Castle Rushen High School who were supporting the locally-based charity Leprosy Mission (Isle of Man). They won £1,250 for Leprosy Mission (Isle of Man) but also picked up one of the special AFD Advocacy prizes for their work on raising awareness which added another £500 to their total.
Third in the main competition were the team from Queen Elizabeth II High School who chose to represent International Health Partners. This is a charity that works to deliver vital medicines to disadvantaged communities around the world providing access to healthcare for those who need it most. They won £1,000 for the charity.
Meanwhile, a second team from Ballakermeen High School were awarded the top AFD Award for Advocacy worth £1,000 as well as a £500 prize in the main competition for their work representing another locally-based charity Coral & Pearl Hostels Trust.
Other teams were from St Ninian’s High School (representing Edukid and Education Saves Lives) and Ramsey Grammar School (representing Tree Aid and Hands of Hope). They each won £500 for their charities with the team supporting Education Saves Lives also picking up an additional £500 AFD Advocacy award.
Judges for the event were Dr Christa McCartney from the One World Centre, Lady Lorimer, Bradley Chambers (the current Manx Bard) and Kristina Reeves, a former teacher who helped pilot the One World Charity Challenge programme in 2006-2007.
Thanks go to the Isle of Man Government for funding the educational side of the competition through the International Development Education and Awareness Raising grant. Also to the H&S Davidson Trust, Gough Ritchie Charitable Trust and AFD Software for providing the prize money that is donated to the charities. A massive thanks also to AFD for the loan of the venue and the technical help they provided the students.
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of One World Charity Challenge – if you have been involved either as a student or a charity representative over those years, we’d love to hear your thoughts about the project. Do get in touch!
