BBMA students raise funds for Africa

Students at Big Blue Marble Academy (BBMA) recently completed a change drive throughout the Charleston area to provide pre-and postnatal care for 2 mothers and their babies at the Rotifunk Hospital in Sierra Leone, Africa as part of its “Change for a Change” project.

In total, children at BBMA Cane Bay, Mount Pleasant and Folly raised more than $271, which directly benefits the new families. This initiative is part of BBMA’s Passport to Community program that aims to teach young learners character development through mindfulness and encourage them to become good citizens through service learning activities, known as Heart Projects.

Throughout March and April, the students collected change to benefit Mission of Hope’s Madonna project at the hospital while learning that mothers need healthy food, clean water, and doctors to have healthy babies. By making posters to inform the community of the need, asking for change to help the mothers and babies, along with brainstorming locations to display their posters, the students are actively doing their part to generate awareness and attract donations.

Change was collected through weekly in-classroom competitions and other fun events. Afterwards, the students were responsible for counting and rolling it into coin containers, as well as creating cards for the new mothers, giving them tangible opportunities to practice skills they learn in their classrooms. The young learners then quantify their efforts through how many mothers their change is able to support so they can better understand their impact.

“We want Big Blue Marble Academy students to understand that they are capable of making a difference at any age,” said Jomar Jenkins, CEO of Big Blue Marble Academy. “Our Passport to Community programs, like Change for a Change and other Heart Projects, help our young learners to be mindful of those around them while identifying opportunities to help, in big and small ways.”

Collectively, students across all of BBMA’s locations raised $17,548.13 — enough to help 175 new mothers.