Sweeping leaves and selling stuffed animals to fight child slavery: You are our role models!
A big round of applause for our fourth-grade elementary school students: Because they wanted to do everything they could to help end child slavery in Ghana, the girls and boys showed incredible creativity. They raised nearly 1,300 euros to donate to the organization IJM.
During a class with their homeroom teachers, Katrin Weißenborn and Maria Gloerfeld, the children watched a film about slave labor in Ghana. The age-appropriate—yet nonetheless unvarnished—documentary made a deep impression on the students. While they themselves enjoy what is arguably the best possible education at the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School, they saw their peers in Africa toiling away. They realized: These children in Ghana have no opportunity to attend school—no education at all. Instead, they have to work hard.
There is more slavery than ever before
The Steinmühlen class decided: “We’re going to change the system.” Their plan was to help transform the existing system in Ghana. The organization International Justice Mission (IJM) proved to be a suitable partner in the fight against inhumane practices in Africa.
“There is more slavery today than ever before,” the two teachers reported.
Seeing the other children work so hard had a profound effect on the class at Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School. So the children decided to try all sorts of ways to raise funds:
“I’ll give you my allowance”
“I do household chores and donate the money I get from my parents for them.”
“I’m donating the reward I get from my parents for getting a good grade.”
They played music in the city
And there’s more. The children used a vendor’s tray to sell gummy bears to their peers and donated the proceeds. They sold homemade cookies at the fall festival, sold their magazines, set up a donation box at the family festival, and sold their stuffed animals. The students donated the proceeds from returnable bottles, sold T-shirts, raked leaves, did chores for their grandparents, and sold handmade jewelry at the flea market. They played music in town and offered vegetables for sale to interested people. – A series of creative initiatives that made it clear: What they had witnessed had moved the children so deeply that they were eager to contribute financially, even if it meant making sacrifices of their own.
2,600 euros to fight an inhumane system
The teachers hadn’t expected that they would ultimately raise nearly 1,300 euros for the donation. Class teacher Katrin Weißenborn kept her promise to match the amount out of her own pocket—what a wonderful gesture!
All in all, it was a wonderful initiative that mobilized a lot of people to take a small step toward challenging a system that disregards human dignity. Thanks to everyone’s hard work and generosity, we raised 2,600 euros.
Steinmühle would like to thank all the children and their parents who championed this cause and supported their children in doing good. We would also like to thank the dedicated teachers Maria Gloerfeld and Katrin Weißenborn, who made an additional donation.
You are all the role models we need. And not just at Christmas!
