Maggies' School Fund

If you were lucky to have met her, you will know that Maggie Mulubwa is a super smart girl and sharp as hell!

She is the lead actress in my feature film I AM NOT A WITCH. She was discovered playing on a peninsula with her friends until a 'tall white man and a fat black man' spotted her and took a photo of her.

She is a charming and incredible character who made an incredible impression on all of us.

As some of you may not know that Maggie, although 9, has never been to school. Since we found this out, we have been working with her family to change that.

Maggie, lives near Samfya in northern Zambia with her brothers and sisters. Her Aunt, Doreen, is her primary guardian. Her mother suffers from an undiagnosed mental illness and is unable to fully provide for her. Her grandmother, who she is very close to, is now suffering from cancer that has spread to her chest.

Maggie shares a house with 9 other children, including cousins, who all depend on Doreen to provide for them. We dropped Maggie off after shooting and met and discussed with her family at her home. We decided that the best place for her would be a boarding school - as it would give her the best environment to catch up after 4 years of not attending school.

The good news is that we have found a school that could be ideal for Maggie. It's a boarding school based in Lusaka that will not only give the opportunity for Maggie to catch up but it will also allow her to skip a few grades up so that she doesn't have to learn with kids that are much younger than her. The school is Thornhill School based in Lusaka, Chelston.

www.thornhillschoolnet.com

Gabriel and I have visited the school, took a look around and met with the headmaster. It's a great place for Maggie because although it's a private school, it's still quite down to earth. The school has a history of accepting street kids and kids from different backgrounds. They also serve Nshima everyday - which is great for Maggie.

We are hoping to raise at least enough money to send Maggie to Thornhill for her primary school education (ideally until grade 8) or until she catches up to her age level.  Then after she catches up we can send her to secondary school that's nearer her home and more affordable.

Film four and BFI have agreed to also support Maggie with her fees. This is something we will know more of next year once they review how much support they can provide her.

But in the meantime we need to act now as Maggie starts school on January 2nd 2017. That is the reason that we need to raise enough now to get her starting school on time, without her losing another term. Therefore we would need to raise enough now to pay the tuition fee for her first year, as well as for her school uniform, enrolment fee, transport, etc.

Sombo - who was Maggies on set tutor and support has agreed to continue looking after Maggie in between term time. We will arrange to send her home during long holidays. I also have loads of family in Lusaka who will check on her and take her out for weekends etc.

Maggie is a special girl who needs as much of our support so she can achieve her full potential.

Please give what you can and spread the word so we can give our daughter everything she deserves.

And here come the quote...

'Imiti ikula empanga'... It's a Bemba saying which means it's growing trees that make up a forest. Which means it's through the growth of our children that will ensure continuity of us as people. 

Think about it...

Fees (1 year);

Tuition fees ;19,500 Kwacha (£1,625)
Enrolment; 500 Kwacha (£42)
Aptitude test; 200 Kwacha (£17)
PTA fund; 200 Kwacha (£17)
Sports Fund; 500 Kwacha  (£42)
Uniform & Books; 1,820 Kwacha  (£152)
Clothes & Toiletries; 2,000 Kwacha  (£162)
Transport & Care; 6,240 Kwacha (£520)
Contingency; 3,096 Kwacha  (£258)

Total; 34,956 Kwacha (£2,838)

Fees to gofundme will be 7.9% of the above so I rounded up to £3,000.

Please note; Transport includes the cost of paying someone to pick her up and drop her off, or paying for someone to take her in during half term ( which is 4 times in an academic year). It's a lot but it means she'll always have someone there just in case.