What a World Orphan Week!
During 9-15 February 2009, a record number of school children and fundraisers across the UK took part in World Orphan Week in order to raise money for SOS Children and ensure orphaned children have a family … for life.
During 9-15 February 2009, a record number of school children and fundraisers across the UK took part in World Orphan Week in order to raise money for SOS Children and ensure orphaned children have a family … for life.
Activities included dressing-up days, fashion cat-walks, cake sales and sponsored walks as well as some more unusual ideas such as ‘Bowler Hat Day’ and a sponsored ‘Live on a Dollar-a-Day’ event. WOW 2009 also marked the launch of WOW-inspired lesson plans for participating schools, giving children the opportunity to combine their dressing up fun with global-citizen focussed learning.
A hugely successful week, funds raised will help some of the
14 million orphaned children all around the world today, many of whom have lost their parents because of natural disasters, war, famine, disease or poverty.
Much of the monies raised will go towards the construction of a new SOS Children’s Village in Zambia, a country where 10% of the children are orphans, many losing their parents to AIDS. In a place where the life expectancy is just 38 years old, the construction of the fourth SOS Children’s Village in the country is in direct response to the ever increasing need for quality care for lone children. The Village, which will be ready in June 2010, will consist of 15 family houses providing 150 children with a new family, a nursery and a medical centre. The Village will also run an outreach programme for more than 100 vulnerable children and families in the area.
Take a look at just some of the people who WOW’d in 2009...
Some 2009 WOW'sters
Jordan Parkinson
We were delighted when Jordan, a teenager from Rochester, agreed to be an official Ambassador for World Orphan Week 2009. As well as recording the official campaign song, the fifteen year old encouraged hundreds of children to get involved in WOW by performing and talking about SOS at local schools.
Spurs had the WOW factor!
On Sunday 8 February, World Orphan Week was launched in spectacular style at White Hart Lane, when official SOS partner Tottenham Hotspur’s played Arsenal in the North London Derby. As well as inviting fans to dress up, players warmed up in SOS t-shirts and all staff from stewards to managers, showed their support by wearing WOW badges. The national press even showed their WOW spirit by wearing purple wigs!
William Westley School, Whittlesford
Pupils at William Westley Primary in Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire, have been supporting SOS Children for the last 12 years: they've raised more than £1,000 for the charity this school year alone. The school's pupils, parents and staff fundraise for SOS all year round, not only in World Orphan Week. On their WOW day, pupils chose to dress up in costumes that represented their past fundraising activities for SOS Children including carol singers and characters from their Christmas pantomime ‘Cinderella Rockafella’.
Arnold Mill Primary School
Pupils from Arnold Mill Primary School in Nottingham raised £120 by dressing up in some fabulous outfits and making WOW biscuits!
Bowler Hat Day
Workers in London took the city by storm on WOW’s very own ‘Bowler Hat Day’. Hundreds of workers from the Square Mile wore a Bowler Hat to and from work on the Friday of WOW, which culminated at the Bowler Hatters' Party at Leadenhall Market.
WOW: Helping children like Eva and Angel
Identical twins, Eva and Angel were admitted to the SOS Children’s Village in Livingstone, Zambia, aged 3. Born to a mother who could not take care of them, the twins were left in the care of their father and step-mum.
Soon after, the children were abandoned and left to fend for themselves. They survived by scavenging through rubbish dumps near their home. Thankfully, the Social Welfare department in Livingstone found the girls and sent them to the SOS Village. There, they were cared for by an SOS Mother and welcomed into a new family.
When they arrived, Eva and Angel weighed jus 6 kgs - they were severely malnourished, could neither walk nor talk and had clearly been abused and neglected. Not only were the girls very ill, they found it difficult to trust anyone and would hide in a corner whenever a stranger appeared. They also found it hard to play with the other children.
However, with love, compassion and the perseverance of their SOS mother, Eva and Angel soon started to thrive. Now aged 3 years 7months, the twins are weigh a healthy 11 kgs and are very active and are able to walk and talk. Eva and Angel love to sing and always have a warm smile for visitors. They interact freely with their friends and are a delight to watch.
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