Truckload of books

By Kim Brooks
STAFF and students at Cranbourne Secondary College collected a truckload of books for AIDS-affected children in Malawi.
Ross Huggard, English teacher and senior school leader at Cranbourne Secondary College, organised staff and students to collect used textbooks and resources from the school and their homes for the Australian Progressive Academy in Malawi.
The academy educates children with AIDS and is entirely funded by donations from Australia. The Malawi government will close the school down if they do not have the resources to educate the children.
Two pallet loads of books were given to a Frankston-based charity, The Australian AIDS Fund, which must raise $1000 to ship the books over to Malawi.
Mr Huggard, who initiated the appeal, was overwhelmed by the response he received.
“It was an appeal for educational books and resources – the response was astounding and humbling,” he said.
Mr Huggard understands that Malawi is the second poorest nation on earth and wanted to help. The school has received in excess of 500 books to donate. A lot of the books were used textbooks that would have ended up in landfill.
“Out of date textbooks get pulped,” Mr Huggard said.
Some of the staff were so affected by the plight of the Malawi children they purchased new books to contribute to the appeal.
“People sensed that this is awful,” Mr Huggard said. “They wanted to help any way they could.”
The books will educate and assist children who have AIDS or were born with AIDS. Some of them have lost their parents to AIDS and they have no-one to care for their welfare and education.
‘These are very vulnerable kids,” Mr Huggard said.
“The whole purpose of this is for Australians who have plenty, to give to those who have nothing”.
Mr Huggard said it wasn’t a big effort, but Cranbourne Secondary College has helped some kids get an education.
For more information on The Australian AIDS Fund, or to donate, go to their website www.aids.net.au