Because we are girls...

UPDATE: 2nd May 2016 - We are delighted to announce girls raised £12,000 in their fundraising for the charity Plan UK.

The entire senior school - 600 girls plus staff – walked 10K on behalf of Plan UK and the Because I am a Girl campaign on Tuesday 15th March. Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign aims to help millions of girls worldwide receive quality education free from violence.

Jane Lunnon, said: “We wanted our girls to reflect on how lucky they are to have an education, to grow up in a society where girls and women have opportunities, where they are free to imagine their own futures. As students collected sponsorship for the cause, they considered how their counterparts in many countries across the world are forced into early marriages, denied their childhood and even the most basic education.”

The girls, their teachers and support staff (including a number who are not girls!) enjoyed spending an afternoon out of school – a number of parents also joined in. Amy Wong, Year 13, said: “Doing the walk gave us a better perspective; we’re more appreciative of what we have and why raising awareness is so important.” And Ella Bassadone, Year 9, commented: “It was a really fun thing to do, as it brought the school together. It made us think about girls who don’t have the advantages we have.”

“It is fantastic that pupils from Wimbledon High School chose to take part in Plan’s World Wide Walk, walking in solidarity with 62 million school-aged girls around the world who are missing out on an education,” says Plan UK’s chief executive Tanya Barron.“Poverty, discrimination and child marriage are among the many barriers keeping millions out of school. Plan UK is using its campaign to make a positive, lasting difference to the lives of four million of the world’s poorest girls.”