Charities Supported by Oxford International College and Oxford Science Studies
We are currently involved in a number of charitable ventures, brief details of which are given below.
Click for Charity
We are currently running a click for charity campaign in collaboration with Oxford Science Studies, The Oxford Summer Academy and Charismatic Cars. The idea is very simple – we just ask people to spare about a minute to like or follow these organisations on Facebook and Twitter. For each person who clicks for charity we donate £1 to The Sub-Saharan Children’s Hope Trust (see below).
Please spare a few clicks for us – just click on the this link and help us raise money!
The Sub-Saharan Children’s Hope Trust
From its inception, Oxford International College and Oxford Science Studies have been involved with the Sub-Saharan Children’s Hope Trust where Nick Strugnell, our Head of Online Marketing, is chairman of the board of trustees. The trust has recently obtained charity status. Its primary aim is to improve the lives, mostly via education, of children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
On 9th March 2012 the charity will be having its official launch dinner which will be held at St. Edward’s School in Oxford. If you would like to attend this event please contact me: Nick Strugnell - nick@oxss.co.uk.
The mission statement of the charity is: “The prevention or relief of poverty and financial hardship in Sub-Saharan countries by providing or assisting in the provision of education, training, healthcare projects and all the necessary support designed to enable individuals to live and generate a sustainable income and be self-sufficient.” Currently most of the organisation’s efforts are focused on Zimbabwe. The founder of the charity, Henry Chitsenga, is a Zimbabwean who is currently working as a maths teacher at St. Edward’s School in Oxford. The charity has already installed a solar water pump for a school in Sabvure, Zimbabwe, which we have helped to fund. We are also in the process of setting a fund-raiser to meet the remainder of the cost.
The provision of education is one of the primary aims of this charity. Poverty and gender discrimination has a severely detrimental effect on thousands of children in Sub-Saharan African. Approximately £30 will fund the education of a primary school child for a year in Zimbabwe – so even small sums of money can make a dramatic difference.
If you would like to donate please click on the following link: www.justgiving.com/OIC-and-OXSS. If you are interested in being involved please contact Nick Strugnell. We are hoping that we will be able to collaborate with this charity and get our students involved in fund raising and “behind-the-scenes” help that all charities need. We may also assist tutors who wish to teach or provide other forms of help in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are currently considering assisting a small group of post A-level students who are hoping to spend a few months in Africa.
Going Green
Both Oxford Science Studies and Oxford International College are aware of their environmental impact. So we have decided that periodically we will buy an acre or two forest, so far we have half an acre in Guatemala and half an acre in Ecuador. For further details see our Going Green page.
Reach
Oxford International College and Oxford Science Studies have been raising money for Reach, a UK based charity for providing assistance to children with upper limb deficiencies and their families. In 2010 Nick Strugnell and Peter Downey (Head Warden on the Oxford Science Studies residential courses) cycled around Iceland to raise money for Reach. Their journey took 15 days and covered 847 miles through wind, rain, snow (for about 5 minutes) and the infamous ash cloud from Eyjafjallajökull. Through generous donations from Oxford Science Studies customers and significant contributions from our two organisations, nearly £15,000 pounds has been raised.
In a moment of folly Peter Downey has agreed to run the London Marathon in 2012 to raise yet more money for Reach. Peter is currently training hard for the marathon and we wish him (and his troublesome knees) the best of luck. You can sponsor Peter on the official JustGiving site – so far he has raised a further £1,500 for Reach, again with contributions from Oxford Science Studies and their customers. This brings the total raise for Reach to around £16,000 – around 30% of their annual total. JustGiving site.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia, when used wisely, can be a great educational resource – Oxford International College donate monthly to help keep Wikipedia free to use and free of adverts.
Sing around Iceland
In another moment of folly Daniel Hutton has been following Nick Strugnell and Peter Downey’s tyre tracks and cycling around Iceland. Daniel opted to take the scenic route and spent a couple of months in Iceland. Also he has been singing for his supper – literally – whenever possible he has sung to whatever audience he can find in exchange for a bed (or floor) for the night. So far he has raised over £3,000 for two charities: Ljosid in Reykjavik (helping people with cancer in Iceland) and Carers' Resource in Harrogate (helping carers in Yorkshire). Both Oxford International College and Oxford Science Studies have donated. You can still sponsor Daniel on the official Just Giving site.
Greenpower Eco Car Race
Oxford International College is currently providing funding for the Greenpower Eco Car Race project at Collingwood School in Surrey. Teams from each school have to design and build an efficient (eco-friendly) car which is raced around the Top Gear test track. We are all for educational projects which have green credentials.
British Dyslexia Association
We are also paid up corporate members of the British Dyslexia Association. An excellent organisation providing support for dyslexics and those involved in their education. Oxford International College and Oxford Science Studies endeavour to be 'dyslexic friendly'. During the summer vacation Oxford Science Studies runs short courses for dyslexics.
Oxfam and Mind
We make monthly donations to Oxfam and Mind.
Scholarship Programme
Oxford Science Studies has been running a scholarship programme for a number of years, aiming to provide subsidised access to our holiday courses for students who would not otherwise be able to attend. If you are interested a scholarship, which we award on a need and merit basis, please contact us on scholarship@oxss.co.uk.
Body Image Research and Breast Cancer
We provided financial and technical support for a research project in body image and breast cancer.