The Cherish Fund is a UK-based registered charity which has the provision of education for African children and young people as its’ primary objective.
Much of The Cherish Fund’s activity is devoted to raising sponsorship for children to attend school in some of the poorest countries in the world.
Cherishing Malawi
Malawi is among the world’s least developed countries – it has few natural resources, and by some measures it has the world’s lowest GDP per head.
Malawi is a peace-loving democracy, but HIV/AIDS has been a huge drain on society and economic activity. Our support is focussed on orphans, as well as children and young people whose families have no regular source of income.
Cherishing Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone was ranked 180th out of 187 countries in the 2013 Human Development Index which measures wealth and quality of life.
The terrible civil war, on which the film Blood Diamond was based, saw many atrocities, the deployment of child soldiers, the collapse of the economy, and the destruction of much of the education system. The few schools that have survived the civil war (an estimated 1,270 primary schools were destroyed in the civil war in the 1990s) are in a poor state and totally inadequate. As a consequence less than half of the adult population can read.
Only half of the 15-24 year old females in Sierra Leone can read – something we will actively address by offering the same curriculum to boys and girls.
25% of children are involved in child labour, and 15% of children are married by the age of 15 – by providing free access to education we can help to break these cycles and give children a much greater level of opportunity.
We need your help
The Cherish Fund is committed to playing it’s part in the re-building of a nation through its’ support of the Spring of Life schools, and invite you to play your part through the Cherish Fund child sponsorship scheme, and give a new generation of young people higher aspirations and a better future.