Clifton Fundraiser Aims To Help African Children Go 'Back To School'

Enveloped in muggy, foul-smelling air, young children plop down in the dirt for another school lesson. Some youths perch on benches made of sticks, grateful for an upright seat in this overcrowded classroom that lacks desks and chairs.

Improving these conditions at Kaleu Primary School in Uganda is the goal of the “Back to School Party For Africa,” a wine tasting and silent auction fundraiser run by the Teach Them To Fish Foundation that will be held in Clifton next month.

“It’s nice to have a Saturday night that you can relax, have fun and learn about wine while helping a wonderful cause,” event coordinator Lisa Katzman said.

The event will take place the evening of Saturday, Sept. 10 at Trummer’s On Main on Main Street. Proceeds will benefit construction of a new school in Kaleu Village, Uganda. The Teach Them To Fish Foundation builds schools for poverty-stricken children in Africa and Southeast Asia, said Clifton resident Lawrence Sizemore, the nonprofit charity’s founder.

More than 45 items will be up for bid in the silent auction, Katzman said, including signed David Baldacci novels and signed photographs of Olympic figure skaters Jeffery Buttle, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier.

Trummer’s On Main will host a discussion and tasting of three wines and serve light food. Sizemore plans to give a short presentation about Teach Them To Fish as well.

“We hope as many people as possible will attend so they can learn about the organization,” Katzman said.

Nearly 380 Kaleu Village children in the first through seventh grades attend school in two shacks, Sizemore said.

Less than one-ninth of village girls continue through seventh grade because of “gender inequalities,” he added. For instance, parents may make them remain at home to care for siblings, or the girls may be ashamed of using the bathroom outdoors around boys because their school has no toilets.

Furthermore, only about one-third of village boys continue their studies through seventh grade. In primary school, the children learn content needed to move on to secondary education after completing seventh grade, and without higher education, they “have no future,” Sizemore said.

Construction of the new school’s foundation has already begun, and the building will include brick walls, 84 four-seater desks and latrine-style toilet facilities, Sizemore said.

“You can’t learn sitting in dirt,” he said. “Our principle goal is to get the children up off the dirt.”

The fundraiser will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is limited to 100 people. Tickets cost $75 before Tuesday, Aug. 30 and $85 after Aug. 30. Reservations on Teach Them To Fish’s website before the event are preferred.

Corporate sponsors for this event are also available on the site. Individuals can make donations online to benefit the charity or its schools, and they can join the foundation’s mailing list, Sizemore said.

“We’d like people to just show their support,” he said. “It’s horrifying seeing the ways children suffer on a daily basis. It’s really all about helping these children.”

Individuals who wish to help with this fundraiser may contact Lisa Katzman at 703-618-6537 or by email lkatzman@teachthemtofish.org.

More of the Items Being Auctioned:

Margie Weiss, the mother of Olympic figure skater Michael Weiss, is offering personal training through her business, Body By Weiss. Michael’s wife Lisa Weiss of The Wine Cellar Company has donated a wine cellar design, and both she and Michael plan to attend, she said.

Other auction items include an iPad 2 from Gaeltek LLC, a Potomac River cruise, dining certificates and photographs taken by Al Krachman, a travel and nature photographer from Falls Church.

Resources:

• To buy a ticket for the fundraiser, click here
• To purchase a corporate sponsor for the fundraiser, click here
• To make donations on the foundation's site 
• To join the charity's mailing list
• For more information on Trummer's on Main

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One in a continuing series on how local residents are pursuing their version of the American Dream.