Dance school steps up to help children in Zambia

She never thought the trip would lead to more than a decade of helping hundreds of preschool children as well. Her initial intention, says Kelly, was to simply form a connection with Auleria and her family, and see ChildFund Zambia’s work in action.

“I knew the face-to-face visit would be life-changing for both my family and Auleria’s family,” Kelly says.

“Our visit gave so much joy to not only Auleria but her whole village. It also brought so much joy to my family. It was a great experience for my daughter to see that we should not take our lives for granted in Australia.

“The visit also gave me a first-hand insight to how ChildFund works and how we could further assist.”

As part of her trip, Kelly and her family visited a small preschool – which later became the Kelly Egan Early Childhood Education Centre – in Auleria’s community. Kelly remembers an empty room and children sitting on the floor. “There was one chalkboard and no tables or chairs,” Kelly says. “There was a separate office for the principal and with a large desk, and on the wall were green cardboard sheets taped together that listed the children that were sponsored by ChildFund.”

It was only after her sponsor visit to Zambia, says Kelly, that it became clear that education was the only way to break the cycle of poverty within disadvantaged communities.

“For us the amount of money raised at our annual concert is not grand but transferred to Zambian kwacha it is a substantial amount,” Kelly says. “This money has enabled the preschool in Zambia to have tables and chairs, fix rundown parts of the building, and buy teaching resources and other items to help in the education of Zambian children.

“All children deserve the bare necessities to survive in this world and it is heartbreaking to think that not every child has this.

“If you can manage to find that little bit extra to give to ChildFund each month please do so as what seems so little to us can offer so much hope to those in a developing community.”