The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

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IRC Book Drive for Western Zambia’s School of Silumbu

IRC Book Drive for Western Zambia’s School of Silumbu

The window panes are edged with jagged glass, letting rain into classrooms during the wet season, and cold winds in the winter. The couple of beakers students use for chemistry are cracked and dusty. Many girls drop out of class as they get older in order to take on domestic responsibilities. The few boys who reach grade nine can’t afford transportation to the nearest high school.

Western Zambia’s School of Silumbu needs help, and the International Refugee Committee Club is aspiring to make the students’ experience a little brighter through a year-long book drive.

“Our goal is to collect enough books so the students have access to better resources,” said co-president of the IRC club senior Cosette Gonzales. Working alongside the club’s other co-president, senior Ashley Tangaroman, Gonzales is also collaborating with senior Tim Maytom.

Maytom’ established his club, the Friends of Silumbu, at the beginning of the year with the motive to fundraise for the School of Silumbu. Later in the year, Friends of Silumbu was merged into IRC, which is a CCHS club that helps San Diego refugees.

Tim discovered the cause through his father. A South African doctor who works in Africa, Tim’s father was working to establish a fishing lodge near Silumbu when a friend asked if he wanted to financially support the School of Silumbu.

Maytom has visited the school once before with his father, and hopes the tangibility of seeing the results of helping the school will encourage people to contribute. He said, “Most students are aware of what’s going on in Africa, but most don’t have a direct link to help out, so we could make it more accessible for them.”

Traveling to the district around twice a year, Maytom’s father provides the opportunity to easily transport goods to the school. “I’m sure everyone has those old children’s books sitting on the shelf collecting dust at home, and they’re relatively easy to transport,” said Maytom.

The club asks for light-weight, gently-used elementary school books and textbooks, which can be dropped off in Mrs. Rosalie Wisniew’s room in Drexel Hall 119.Though Maytom’s father will be traveling to Zambia sometime this month, the drive does not have a specific deadline and will continue throughout the year. Eventually, the club wants to accumulate enough books to establish a special CCHS library at the School of Silumbu.

For the remainder of the drive, Tim encourages students to be altruistic. He said, “I think everyone needs to learn to help others, and live out their Christian values, and this is just another opportunity to do that.”

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IRC Book Drive for Western Zambia’s School of Silumbu