Supporters of the Friends of Pestalozzi, the charity which sponsors international students from disadvantaged backgrounds, raised ?5,000 at a Fine Wine and Canape reception recently.

The fundraiser celebrated 46 years of the charity’s operation on the Isle of Man and was kindly hosted by Joanna Crookall at her home in Grenaby. Lieutenant Governor, Sir Richard Gozney, and his wife, Lady Diana Gozney, were in attendance and the event featured music from local guitarist Sean Crossley.

Members of the Isle of Man Friends of Pestalozzi provided the homemade canapes and were easily identifiable by their red aprons featuring the charity’s lady-bug emblem which symbolises ‘Hope and Luck’ through its two red spots.

Daxa Patel, Chairman of the Isle of Man Friends of Pestalozzi and a Council Member of the Pestalozzi Trust, said; “It was a fantastic evening – it’s the first time we have held a reception in a marquee and the weather was suitably lovely. We’re very grateful to everyone who came to support us and to our members who help us keep costs down by providing food and allowing us to use their private residences.”
 
The original Pestalozzi UK charity was inspired by a Swiss educational reformer, who set up schools to include all social-classes during the Napoleonic wars. Its aim now is to provide opportunities for academically-gifted children from deprived communities to further their studies at home or abroad.
 
An Isle of Man division was created in 1971 after a local Girl Guides group decided to raise funds for the Pestalozzi Village where students come to study in England. Individuals that the Isle of Man Friends of Pestalozzi have supported include Dechen Yangkyi, who has recently graduated from Bucknell University and hopes to work as a patient care technician or certified nursing assistant in Tibet before going onto medical school.

Roshan Rai, from India, is now pursuing a Master of Business Administration and Justin Mushitu has finished his studies and returned to Zambia to form an Online Buy and Earn, which he hopes to extend across all of Africa. Washington Mudziviri from Zimbabwe is at medical school at Duke University and Laxmi Rajak has returned from Nepal and is currently assessing a local teaching programme.

“The Pestalozzi programme offers academically-gifted students from disadvantaged countries the opportunity to develop and shine,” said Daxa. “Education is everything and the money raised here on the Isle of Man will go to help future students fulfil their potential and become globally-conscious leaders of the future.”

If you’d like to find out more about Friends of Pestalozzi, Isle of Man, search: @PestalozziIOM on Facebook or online at: http://www.pestalozzi.org.uk/section.php/82/1/friends_of_pestalozzi_groups