documento

In the village of Madombidzha, Chloe meets some of
the children who have won scholarships to a highquality
secondary school, including (left) Grace
Ramatsie, 12. “The money I have raised has changed
lives,” says Chloe, 23 (above far left with Julie
Brangstrup, founder of Cash & Rocket, the fundraising
enterprise that backs the bursaries). “I’m doing this
because I want to make a difference and prove to
myself, my family and friends that I’m capable. There’s
nothing more real than being here”
children such as Gladys with a £4,700
annual bursary at Ridgeway College,
one of South Africa’s most innovative
and dynamic independent schools.
The selection process is tough,
tougher than anything Chloe
encountered at school in Monaco,
where she took the same Cambridge
International IGCSE exams that
children like Gladys take within three
years of enrolling at Ridgeway – a
remarkable achievement considering
they speak basic English and have
virtually no access to reading material.
During tests, Gladys had to shine
academically in order to be selected
from 600 children in her district. Now
she’s one of this year’s seven recipients
of a Ridgeway bursary, which covers
school and hostel fees, books, clothes,
sports equipment, medical care,
psycho-social support and weekend
transport to and from their homes.
Hence Gladys’s tears and elation
when she shares the good news with
her family. “This is something very
special for us,” her overjoyed mother
tells hello!. “We are very proud. We
are blessed. God is looking down on us
on this wonderful day.”
Chloe also gets emotional when she
tells us: “I come from a very fortunate
background so to hear kids who have
nothing tell their inspiring stories… I
know it sounds clichéd but it reminds
me just how lucky I am.
‘This is the first time I have got hands
on and where it has been me and not
me and my family… I feel proud’
“We live in a world where people
get caught up in petty things – ‘She’s
fat, she’s skinny’ – then you come
here and see the need and it all
becomes so irrelevant, so petty. ”
BEING THERE
Chloe was a late entry in this year’s
Cash & Rocket tour from Venice to
London, via Geneva and Paris, which
involved nightly fundraising events.
She raised the most cash – an
impressive £350,000 – so it was
heartening for her to witness first
hand where the money is going.
‘We couldn’t provide this help and
funding without the support of
women like Chloe and our sponsors,
including Valentino, Aston Martin
and McArthurGlen,” says Julie, who
was joined on the trip by Tiffany
Persons, founder of Shine on Sierra
Leone, Bianca Collier, chief executive
of OAfrica, and Leigh Bristow,
founder of Sumbandila.
Chloe has confirmed her support
to the Cash & Rocket cause and will
join the May 2015 tour from London
to Cannes.
“The money I raised has changed
lives,” she says. “Particularly the lives
of the seven kids I met today, who
were told they have a Ridgeway
scholarship. They’re going to a new
school and stay in a new hostel, which
[I know] is great because I’ve seen it.
The food is good – I’ve eaten it. And
the beds are comfy – I’ve sat on them.
The kids are cool, I’ve played with
them. It’s all fact now. We lived it.
There’s nothing more real than
being here.”
That authenticity has motivated
Chloe to spread the gospel. “I’ll go
home and brainstorm what I can do
to change more lives. I want to tell my
privileged friends they can make a
difference. We have all this money so
let’s focus and use our privilege to do
amazing things like this.”
She says it’s not only the giving that
has enriched her life but also the
opportunity to prove her worth. “I’ve
raised my hand at fundraisers and
donated to charities. But this is the
first time I got hands on and where it’s
been me and not me and my family.
“I’m doing this because I want to
make a difference and to prove to
myself, my family and friends that I’m
capable. And I have. I’m the first
person in my family to do anything
like this, which makes me feel proud.
And it makes my family proud of me.
Mum sends messages all the time
saying how proud she is of me.”
On her last day, Chloe tells the
children that even her privileged life
isn’t always plain sailing.
“I still struggle being told that I’ll
never be successful like my father and
sell shoes like him. When you have to
prove yourself every day it’s very
challenging. People are constantly
watching and judging me and wanting
to see me fail. That’s hard to live with.
“You have told me you experience
similar things when jealous people in
your community tease you and try to
drag you down. There will always be
people who’ll want to see you and me
fail. So you have to keep going and
not let anything ever stop you.
You have to show them the way.” H
INTERVIEW: MIKE BEHR
PHOTOS: RICHARD WADEY JAMES
To donate, visit justgiving.com/
CashAndRocketMarwynTrust/. For more
information, visit cashandrocket.com.
3