Meeting Needs backs projects supporting more than 300 children in Ethiopia and South West London

Meeting Needs, the event industry charity, is funding two new projects that will improve the wellbeing, learning and development of children in Ethiopia and South West London.

Through grants totalling £12,500, the charity is supporting a sanitation project for young children at a primary school in Gondar, Ethiopia, and helping fund a specialist summer school for children and young people with Down Syndrome in South West London.

In Ethiopia, 240 children aged four to six at Kebele 20 Elementary School will benefit from new age-appropriate toilet and handwashing facilities, after previously having to use a nearby field. The £10,000 project will deliver six toilets and four handwashing stations, alongside water, sanitation and hygiene education.

The initiative is being coordinated by UK-based charities Together We Learn and Children’s Voices in Action, with construction monitored fortnightly and progress evidenced through photo reports. The project is expected to take eight months to complete.

As well as improving conditions for current pupils and five members of staff, the project will also support future intakes, with an estimated 60 to 80 additional children expected to benefit each year.

Caroline Walker, CEO of Together We Learn, said:  “This will improve children’s wellbeing and motivation in school. This will be measured through a series of survey questions to understand children’s emotional experiences of school, learning and using the bathrooms, answered in a child-friendly manner.” 

Meeting Needs is also providing a £2,500 grant to support Holiday Club 21, a week-long summer school run by 21&Co, a parent-led charity supporting families of children and young people with Down Syndrome across South West London.

The programme supports 60 children and young people aged five to 19 through fun, interactive and educational indoor and outdoor activities. Designed to reinforce learning during the school holidays, Holiday Club 21 helps participants build maths and English skills, develop confidence, strengthen friendships and return to school in September ready to continue their progress.

The Meeting Needs grant will fund materials and consumables including paper, pens, ink, glue sticks, sand, craft materials and other learning resources. Additional financial support is being provided by the Hollyhock Foundation.

Trustee Georgina Devereaux said: “During the week, we make a book for each child to take away with them, and they stick photos of their activities in the worksheets. Many parents then use these in the holidays to work on new skills and show them to the school in September.”

Together, the two grants reflect Meeting Needs’ commitment to backing practical projects that create lasting impact for children, families and communities.

For more information about Meeting Needs and its work, visit: https://meetingneeds.org.uk