Wedding present with a difference (From This Is Wiltshire)

Wedding present with a difference

10:35am Monday 1st September 2008

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A SCHOOL in Ethiopia might not sound like a traditional wedding present, but that's what one Salisbury couple asked for to make their special day complete.

Nathalie and Gareth Allexant-Rowland, who live in the Greencroft, Salisbury, swapped a gift list full of pasta machines and fondue sets for donations to the Tesfa Foundation to help create a school in Addis Ababa.

The Tesfa Foundation provides early childhood education to the poorest children in Ethiopia where there is no public pre-school provision.

With the foundation's help, children there can learn basic maths, English and science and grow in confidence and ability.

Nathalie said: "The aim is to raise £5000, that's the start up money for a brand new school for three to eight-year-olds in Mercato - an area in Addis Ababa that is particularly deprived, they call it the dirty corner. There are three schools in Addis Ababa so far, but none in this area."

Nathalie, 32, has worked at Downton Primary School for a year but has been teaching for ten and got involved with the Tesfa Foundation through a former colleague.

She set up a link between Downton Primary and a school in Addis Ababa to do joint projects and the class raised £250 with a Bring and Buy sale in April to kick-start the campaign.

The couple had a bush wedding in Zambia on August 14 with a civil ceremony by the river followed by a traditional Zambian feast. When they returned to the UK they had a blessing party at the Fisherton Mill Art Gallery on August 23. With cheques given to them by guests at the blessing and through their webpage www.justgiving.com/allexant-rowland they have raised more than £1000 so far and hope to the reach their target with future fundraising events.

Nathalie said: "If we can raise the money, the premises are ready to go, they're just waiting for our money basically - that will pay a local wage to teachers and cover books, pencils and so on. We've already got a waiting list so we're keen to get the money to them as soon as possible."

She will be going out to Addis Ababa in October to meet the teachers and children who will be going to the new school and to do some teacher training.

"It's not just about the money, it's about being hands on as well," she said.

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