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Fundraising Fun - Spring 2021

As Spring arrives and we launch ourselves into a brave new season, we continue to work towards a compassionate new world where the connections between people around the world are fostered and respected. Education is the cornerstone of creating a world where we all thrive, and to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 we need to expand the reach of our projects, so we can help more children access education. To make this happen, we need you to invest in education.


The story of what we do is told through our projects. These projects are designed by educators around the world to solve the direct problems they face in a sustainable way. The Foundation facilitates these projects to get them started and become sustainable.



Access to Education

In rural areas some children walk a long way to school every day, sometimes up to 5 miles each way. If a child walks 50 miles per week and the school terms add up to 18 weeks, that’s 900 miles a year. That’s the equivalent of walking the entire length of the U.K. every year. 

I (Lucy Lee) wanted to know what that would be like, so I decided to walk or cycle 50 miles per week on a (Covid safe and virtual) Conqueror Challenge from Lands End to John O’Groats which is 1083 miles. It takes me 3hrs 30mins to walk 10 miles (although I need a break in the middle so it’s more like 4 hours!) that’s a lot of time in the day on top of school and other work that children might help with. It takes me 1hour and 30mins to cycle the same distance, and uses a lot less energy. 

The teachers in these remote schools in The Gambia are very keen for every child who walks a long way to school to have a bicycle so that they can get there on time and not be too tired to study. That’s why I’m doing this challenge as a fundraising activity. I’m aiming to raise money for 100 bicycles. Find out how many miles I have gone, and how many bikes I’ve raised money for so far on my fundraising page here.

Education Dialogue

The most powerful way to understand the challenges to accessing education is to talk to someone who has had these challenges themselves. When this is made as a documentary film, then more people can understand and be moved by the situations that prevent access to education. Until we have heard these stories, it’s just numbers on a page. Stories give us the human connection, and the urgency to do something about it.


That’s why we are showing a series of inspiring films over the coming months that help us to connect and understand others, and are moving testaments of hope that we all need right now. These films rekindle the spark of the importance of education for everyone everywhere. You can register to watch the films here:


I Am Belmaya, and a Live Q&A with director Sue Carpenter

This documentary follows an uneducated young Dalit woman’s transformational journey from subjugated wife to award-winning documentary filmmaker.


Madan Sara, by Etant Dupain

A documentary telling the stories of the women known as Madan Sara in Haiti who work tirelessly to buy, distribute, and sell food in markets through the country. Despite facing intense hardship and social stigma, they work to put their children through school and house their families.


Emu Runner, by Imogen Thomas

The story of an 8-year-old indigenous Australian girl dealing with her mother’s death by forging a bond with a wild emu. This heart-warming family film will educate and motivate the audience to learn more about children reaching their potential while overcoming adversity.


Resources for Educators

We have hosted 25 Life Long Learning webinars now, and they have evolved into 3 themes; Supporting Teaching and Learning, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. We have been so grateful to the many educators who have given their time freely to promote learning and personal development with us.


The feedback so far is that the webinars have been a useful resource for educators and they have also helped to raise awareness of the digital divide experienced by learners around the world. The funds raised from these webinars support the learning resource centres, literacy resources and projects to combat the digital divide such as supplying solar radios to students in The Gambia during lockdown.


We have more great webinars coming up so please book onto them here.


We believe education gives people choices and that is why it is our mission to share learning at every opportunity.


Something Good to Share

You might have noticed on social media that the Foundation has set up a charity gift shop, which you can find here.


These are the perfect gifts for anyone who is looking for sustainable giving. A gift that has no plastic packaging, no transport costs, doesn’t take up space, and will never be an unwanted gift. These gifts keep on giving and each one has environmental sustainability build into it, as well as the ‘fishing rod’ of being able to access education.


This morning Ann, our CEO, was amazed to receive a gift certificate in her inbox. Someone had given her the gift of a bicycle, “the best gift possible” she said.



Buying someone the gift of education doesn’t have to be for a special celebration, it can be just because it is a good thing to do, and to say “thank you” to someone.


Thank you for reading this post, and please do get involved in any of the fundraising activities we are doing above. Please also leave a comment to tell us what fundraising activities you have enjoyed with us so far.


Steve Sinnott • Apr 20, 2021

Walking for Education For All

By Nicolet Nguyen & Becky Brace • 24 Oct, 2024
We both love London and walking, and this year, in honor of The Steve Sinnott Foundation's 15th Anniversary we have decided to embark on this journey. We planned to complete the 10KM walk along the river Thames, passing by many iconic London attractions on the way. We wanted to raise funds, and awareness, to ensure that every child worldwide, can have the opportunity to go to school, as well as adults too. It was an amazing experience and we enjoyed each other's company on luckily a very sunny day! “Since working for the Foundation I have witnessed firsthand the impact it has in supporting young people develop essential life skills by working to ensure provision of quality education for all children worldwide. The ripple effect of this education is truly remarkable as students go on to empower and educate others.” - Nicolet “I’ve been friends with Nicolet since we were kids, and I appreciate her and support her in any way that I can! She does amazing work for the Steve Sinnott Foundation and I want to be able to support her in this as well. A sponsored walk would not only be something we can accomplish together, but the fact that our efforts could go some way to making a difference for children around the world made it very worthwhile.” - Becky 

Charities Working Together

By Ann Beatty • 29 Aug, 2024
H'arts in Mind is an inclusive mental health Arts charity run by people with lived experience. They support people with mental health or physical challenges who have an interest in Art. The Steve Sinnott Foundation (SSF) is an international education charity also based in Hertfordshire. The foundation is working with teachers and educators to deliver projects that progress the achievement if Sustainable Development Goal 4 - ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life long learning opportunities. Kim Rasit CEO and founder of H'arts in Mind met up with Ann Beatty CEO SSF to see how two small local charities might support each other. They decided they would work together to develop a space in the art gallery for future artists or others to exhibit in the space. SSF would be the first exhibition to test out the space. The exhibition took place August 21st to 25th and we are really pleased to report it was a great success. SSF provided workshops on Storytelling, Jewellery Making and Vision Board and Well-being as well as exhibiting their work on Positive Periods and Preventing Gender Based Violence.

UNESCO ASPnet schools’ contribution to the UK

By BY SAARAH RAHMAN • 08 Jul, 2024
The Foundation has been working in partnership with UNESCO since 2015 and Ann Beatty our CEO is the UNESCO ASPnet Co-ordinator in the UK. There are 145 schools in the programme and Coventry City is currently supporting all schools in the city with the opportunity of accreditation. In January, Warwick University and Coventry City Council hosted an event at the House of Commons to celebrate UNESCO ASPnet schools’ contribution to the UK. Saarah Rahman who helped organise the event, is currently studying at the University of Warwick in her final year, reading politics and international studies. Saarah shares her thoughts on ASPnet and her personal journey in education. I believe that being a part of UNESCO ASPNET and the Hidden Heroes project will help to lift hundreds of schoolchildren out of educational deprivation. This is an issue that I have personally grown up with my entire life. Educational deprivation is a very personal topic for me, as someone who originates from Tower Hamlets and as a British Bangladeshi Muslim, I am already socially and economically hindered. I went to your average underperforming state school, where I was never able to take part in programmes which helped to improve my confidence and critical thinking skills, as well as deepen my awareness of the world around me. I was always stuck in a bubble at school, believing that students like me would never be able to leave Tower Hamlets; that my whole life would only start and end here, in this small pocket of London. From not having a laptop until I was seventeen and being on Free School Meals when I was younger, I have faced the brunt of deprivation in education. It was when I got into The University of Warwick that I realised the deprivation gap between me and my classmates was much greater than it seemed. My classmates had opportunities to take part in initiatives such as Model UN at school, Pupil Parliament, and so many other extracurriculars that they had at their disposal, because of the type of funding their school during sixth form and secondary had received. Meanwhile, I had to scout for my extracurricular opportunities during school, alongside the challenge that they had to be free. The disparity gap is prominent in who runs for execs or higher student positions, and the common denominator between these types of students is they had leadership positions and extracurriculars handed to them during their time in compulsory education. They were given the confidence at an early age to apply for these roles inside and outside of the University, which will ultimately lead to them being in a better position to take up opportunities. This is why I am a massive advocate for initiatives such as UNESCO ASPnet, because giving young people the confidence to explore social issues alongside critical thinking skills, will boost their confidence in academic and nonacademic settings. Working-class, underprivileged students are always in competition with students who have been given the resources to enrich their education throughout their lives, which shows in their confidence in applying for and receiving opportunities throughout their time inside and outside of higher education. Hopefully, with initiatives such as Hidden Heroes and UNESCO, we finally give underprivileged students the stepping stones they need to get out of their comfort zone and take up opportunities. To find out more about UNESCO ASPnet in the U.K. and how your school can join, visit https://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk/unesco-aspnet
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