Bishop launches 'Education for All'

06/02/08

The Bishop of London today launched the Diocese of London's 2008 Lent Appeal at St John's CE Primary School, Friern Barnet, after a special Ash Wednesday service for pupils at St John's church. The 2008 Lent Appeal is entitled 'Education for All' and aims to raise funds for the building of three primary schools in Angola and Mozambique.

Through the Angola London Mozambique Association (ALMA), which links the Diocese of London with Anglican Churches in Angola and Mozambique, the Lent Appeal is aimed at supporting the Millennium Development Goal of universal education for all.

In Angola and Mozambique almost two million children are without any formal schooling and the Diocese of London hopes to raise £75,000 during Lent to support the educational needs in these countries.

After a special Ash Wednesday service the Bishop of London walked with children from the church to St John's School where he talked with pupils about the work of ALMA. St John's School hosted the launch of the Diocese's Lent Appeal as both the school and local parish have strong links with St George's Church, Beira and Zove primary school in Mozambique.

The parish priest of St John's, Fr Paul Walmsley-McLeod, will also be visiting Mozambique in June and the pupils at St John's have been learning about this part of Africa in preparation for Fr Paul's visit.

The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres said:

"The 2008 Lent Appeal provides an opportunity to reconfirm the commitment we have made as a Diocese to actively support the Millennium Development Goal of education for all.

"We have excellent partnerships with the church in Africa through the work of ALMA, and I would urge everyone in the Diocese to use their Lenten journeys to realise the commitment we have made of raising funds for three new primary schools in Angola and Mozambique."

The Diocese of London's Lent Appeal: www.london.anglican.org/LentAppeal.