Mayo children invited to kick off the summer with Team Hope tea party
The campaign aims to raise €50,000 nationally to support initiatives that help families build brighter futures, including community savings groups, education projects and supports for vulnerable children.
Kids throughout Mayo are being invited to celebrate the start of summer by hosting a tea party to support children and communities affected by poverty in Africa.
Team Hope, best known for its Christmas Shoebox Appeal, is encouraging communities to come together and host tea parties around kitchen tables, in school halls, gardens and workplaces, to help create lasting change for children in countries including Burundi, Rwanda and Malawi.
And, for those who want to support the initiative this June but can’t host an event, Team Hope are inviting them to join the movement digitally by donating the cost of their morning brew today.
The campaign aims to raise €50,000 nationally to support initiatives that help families build brighter futures, including community savings groups, education projects and supports for vulnerable children.
Primary schools are being encouraged to lead the way, and the charity is also encouraging sports clubs, businesses, community groups and families across Ireland to host their own events by registering at teamhope.ie.
Team Hope CEO, Deborah Lowry, said the campaign builds on the extraordinary generosity already shown by communities across Ireland through the Christmas Shoebox Appeal.
“For years, children and families in Mayo have shown incredible kindness through the Christmas Shoebox Appeal, sending gifts and messages of hope to children who may otherwise receive nothing,” she said.
“The Team Hope tea party is about deepening that connection and helping communities create lasting opportunities for children and families. When we visit the communities we work with, we see firsthand the incredible difference these projects make. You can’t aim for hope if you can’t see it.”
During a recent visit to Burundi, Ms Lowry met Suavis Nishimwe, her husband Bosco and their nine children in Gitega Province. Through a Team Hope-supported community savings group, the family were able to save money and start a small restaurant business that completely transformed their circumstances.
Beginning with just 2kg of rice, 1kg of beans and basic cooking supplies, the family restaurant now serves more than 70 meals a day and earns enough income to support their children and plan for the future.
“The reality is that these children are full of hope, potential and dignity,” Ms Lowry said. Sometimes all families need is a small opportunity and someone to believe in them. The support we receive from people across Ireland helps communities build brighter futures for their families.
“Every Tea Party hosted this June will help bring hope, opportunity and lasting change to children and families who need it most. And we are inviting people to join the movement virtually by donating the cost of their favourite cup of tea or coffee today.”
Participants who register a Tea Party will receive a digital fundraising pack, recipes, ideas and resources to help organise their event. Visit teamhope.ie for information on registration and donation.