A committee of Edinburgh women, including local businesswoman Sheila Dhariwal of Galerie Mirages and Trishna Singh OBE, are holding a Ceilidh for South Sudan at Stockbridge House, Edinburgh on Saturday the 29th September 2018 to raise funds to help young refugees from South Sudan, who are affected by Africa’s longest-running civil war, access education. Tickets are £15/£5 and include dinner.
The fundraiser supports MADEF Kenya, a self-help group of young volunteer South Sudanese refugees. Founded by a group of South Sudanese refugees, including current Director, Mike Riek Buom, MADEF Kenya run a number of educational programmes in Kakuma Refugee Camp. All funds raised from the Ceilidh for South Sudan go towards MADEF Kenya’s tuition programmes, solar lighting initiatives, a library project, as well as a women’s project; and sponsors are sought for individual school children, costing £140 per year for full sponsorship, or £70 per year for shared sponsorship.
“Ten years ago”, says Sheila Dhariwal “I had the chance to sponsor and meet Mike, an unaccompanied minor who’d been alone in a refugee camp from the age of 12. His courage and determination to get an education, was totally inspiring. His dream was to be a doctor. He will sit his finals next year, qualifying in medicine and surgery – an incredible achievement.
“But Mike has not forgotten what it was like to be a child alone in a refugee camp – he’s spearheaded MADEF, helping hundreds of other refugee children, just like him and helping to keep hope alive.”
MADEF was born when the founders originally came together and went without lunch to help a fellow refugee who had no money to go to school. The first Ceilidh for South Sudan was held in 2010 to raise funds to help one student, Ben, attend college. “He went on to complete a business management degree and has now bravely returned to his war-torn country to support his whole extended family and helping his people, who are facing the ravages of war, by working for an international aid agency.”
“The women’s group provides basic education classes for mothers and, for the first time, five women reached the educational level to be admitted into school in the refugee camp – this is a truly amazing and life-changing achievement. The team have also started sewing classes and, in partnership with Galerie Mirages, have started a very successful income generating project. The project produces bags for life in beautiful fabric with African style prints. These bags are for sale in Edinburgh in Galerie Mirages, the One World Shop and the Edinburgh Centre for Nutrition and Therapy, with all profits going back to the project in Kakuma.”
The event has grown year-on-year, with 20 primary and 13 secondary pupils sponsored in 2017. The solar lighting initiative is now helping over 3,500 children who are able to read and study at night (most homes in the refugee camp have no light).
The children receiving sponsorship are able to greatly improve their grades and have a higher chance of scholarship to a Kenyan secondary school. This is the most ambitious ceilidh fundraiser to date, with sponsorships sought for both primary and secondary school students.
This years Ceilidh will have live music and direction from Carrie on Dancing. There will be curries for dinner cooked by a guest chef from Leith’s Punjabi Junction along with donated cakes and desserts (tickets include dinner). There will also be a Tombola and Raffle (tickets £1) with prizes including designer jewellery from Galerie Mirages and donations from local people and business owners.
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