THE CHARITY Sense International has raised £500,000 in an appeal called “My Turn to Learn”. The sum raised includes £216,000 contributed by the UK Government uner the Aid Match funding scheme.
Lord Bates, Minister of State for International Development, visited TouchBase South East, a day service in Barnet run by Sense, to join in the announcement that the fund had reached its target.
The money raised will be used in Bangladesh to fund a programme to help children and young people who are both deaf and blind – by helping them access education and employment.
Sense will work with local organisations in Bangladesh to recruit and train specialist teachers who will support children with dual sensory loss in school. They will also fund training for mainstream teachers. The money will also be used to set up a model school to try out and promote best practice. Finally, the money will also provide some children with meals, to ensure they are in a condition to learn.
Director of Sense International, Alison Marshall, said, “Currently, children with deaf-blindness in Bangladesh rarely get the opportunity to learn vital communication and life skills, leaving them isolated and at greater risk of poverty. Thanks to the tremendous support of the generous British public and the UK government, we will be able to transform the lives of children and young people with deaf-blindness across Bangladesh.”
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