Kick It Foward 2013: College of Charleston Students will Pack 1,500 Boxes of School Supplies

Charleston, SC – On Sunday, January 6, 2013, a group of College of Charleston students committed to making a difference will be packing more than 1,500 boxes of school supplies in preparation for their trip to Cameroon, Africa. The students will gather at the Beatty Center (5 Liberty Street) this Sunday, January 6 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to pack items to be shipped overseas. Meet the team.

The project, Kick It Forward 2013, will provide the opportunity for 1,000 African children to go to school and give them the necessary supplies to stay in school. In March, College of Charleston students will travel to Africa to create clean water education programs, empower women with micro loans and facilitate a business plan competition for businesses and medical universities in the areas surrounding Cameroon.

“Public education is free to children in Cameroon, but families don’t see the value of buying school supplies when those children could be working in the fields to support the family,” says David Desplaces, associate professor and group advisor. “Very few families have plumbing, the water is contaminated and women are disregarded as bread winners. We want to show them the importance of education and provide them with other opportunities.”

The project is sponsored by the School of Business’s Enactus (formely SIFE) Team in partnership with Possibilities Without Borders, with support of Hapag-Lloy (Charleston), The Digital Corridor, Brain Power Software, SSA Marine, and the John James Company.

Donations have come in from individuals, schools and businesses around the state and so far, the students have collected supplies to create 1,500 school packages, as well as 3,000 dictation books, over 100 soccer balls and 10 pumps, and three rack servers.

If you’d like more information or would like to make a donation, contact David Desplaces at 843.566-5640 or desplacesd@cofc.edu or visit www.kickitforwardcameroon.blogspot.com.