Covid-19 Education Fund STAR Bristol

Recently it has come to our attention that a number of low income and refugee families in the Lawrence Hill ward of Bristol have been left without any form of education since lockdown began. These children are from low-income backgrounds, and these families  simply cannot afford to buy a laptop. We believe education is a human right. An adequate education should not be dependent on how much income people have.  Schools shut on March 20th, almost four months ago. These children have not had any education for four months. Schooling has been online only, which is impossible  without access to laptops or tablets. Furthermore, many of their parents do not speak English well enough to teach them. It is unacceptable and unfair that these families have had to worry about providing their children with education whilst also dealing with the financial, emotional and psychological effects of a global pandemic. Many of these parents are on zero hour contracts, as well as other precarious forms of employment, which has resulted in a loss of income during this time. Some families don't even have basic tools needed for education such as pencils and pens, let alone laptops and tablets. We will use the money raised to provide families with laptops/tablets to allow for them to access online educational resources.

We have got to know many of these children through our involvement in Homework Club. These children are bright, well-mannered, capable and hardworking. They love learning and are truly a joy to work with. Myself and Abi Greenfield are the co-ordinators of 'Homework Club', under the Bristol division of the registered charity Student Action for Refugees. Homework club is a twice weekly session put on through the Bristol Somali Resources Centre at Barton Hill Settlement to provide second-generation refugees with help with their schoolwork. Please consider donating and helping these children.