Children at a primary school have thrown their weight behind Islamic Help’s Eco Village by launching...

Children at a primary school have thrown their weight behind Islamic Help’s Eco Village by launching a fundraising campaign to build an Eco House at the pioneering complex.

Youngsters at Iqra School in Slough held a special assembly where Islamic Help staff and volunteers hosted a presentation on the concept of charity and the Eco Village in Tanzania.

Each of the 635 pupils will be given the option of taking home a money box bearing the Eco Village sticker as part of the fundraising campaign. The boxes will have a unique identifier for each child who will be asked to encourage their family and relatives to make donations.

Year groups and classes at the school will also do their own fundraising and Islamic Help will donate a variety of prizes to reward their efforts. They include a tablet for the child who collects the most; £250 for the class that raises the highest amount and £750 for the year group that raises the most across the school.

A variety of fundraising events including a sports day, a cake/food sale and a charity dinner are also planned at the school, which has sent a letter to parents explaining the fundraising efforts and how they can help reach the £60,000 target for an Eco House.

Set in 30 acres of lush green surroundings just outside the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, the Eco Village will eventually feature 16 children’s homes, a sports ground, playground, training centre, community centre and library.

Three of the homes have already been completed - two are now occupied by orphans and their guardians - and there is also a permaculture farm and what is believed to be Africa’s first Eco Mosque.

Islamic Help has been working in Tanzania since 2009 with life-changing initiatives and focusing on sustainable development including orphan care and sponsorships, livelihood and income generation.

Please support our efforts. You can read more about the Eco Village and donate here.