Bands support Jesuit school in Zimbabwe

A charity gig in Brixton (South West London) this Saturday will be helping to raise funds for a Jesuit primary school in Zimbabwe.  Live bands and a DJ will be performing from 8:30 pm at The Dogstar, on the 1st Floor, 389 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9.  Two band members are related to a British Jesuit based in London.

St Peter's Primary School in Mbare (Harare) started in 1913 as a village school under Father Alfred Burbridge SJ.  At that time, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was a part of the British Province of the Society of Jesus.  The school now has over 1000 pupils.  There are three classes in each grade and each class has somewhere between 40 and 50 children!  The school is located in the hub of Mbare with Pedzanhamo, Rufaro Stadium and Mbare Musika only a short walk away.  St Peter’s Mbare is part of St Peter’s Parish and the community house and church are nearby.  

"Mbare is ever vibrant, but people are really struggling and there are numerous stories of the suffering that people have had to endure because of the economic situation," says Ashleigh Callow from Jesuit Missions in London.  "St Peter’s Mbare is not immune to these sufferings as parents struggle to pay ever increasing school fees and schools struggle to keep afloat when the school fees they receive buy them less and less.  Teachers are having to cope with teaching 40 to 50 children, while the children are dealing with the ravages of AIDS and malnutrition."

The charity gig on Saturday night will feature bands the Maydays, the Strand and Red Roots, and DJ Dom Roberts.
Tickets are £5 each, available by contacting 07749 618354 or emailing: annabb82@hotmail.com


 Jesuit Missions: Zimbabwe