Two of the Middle East's hardest working and best-loved PE teachers joined forces on the last week of term to support a fantastic cause.
Rob Weaver and his Wellington International School students embraced the spirit of Ramadan, as they donated a mountain of sports equipment to charity. The equipment, ranging from footballs to trainers, and strips to shin-guards, was collected by former BSK Head of PE, Calum Erskine (now Head of PE at Haileybury Almaty), during a short layover in Dubai on his way to engage in two weeks of volunteer work with Link Ethiopia.
Rob was delighted he and his students were able to help:
"We put a message out via registration classes to say that we were collecting sports equipment for charity. I wasn't too sure if any of the students would bring anything in, but the response has been fantastic; it's great to see them being so thoughtful and consciencious, especially at this time of year."
The 'Erskine-wink' pulls through
After Calum's whistle-stop tour at WIS, it was straight back to DXB for the second leg of his journey, but it wasn't all plain-sailing. Overloaded with sports bags and suitcases, Erskine's next challenge was finding a way to charm the airline staff at check-in to allow him on board with cargo almost three times more than the allocated weight limit.
"I was extremely worried that the extra luggage wouldn't be allowed on the plane, as I'd been told the flight was full and they weren't allowing any additional bags to be checked in. Thankfully the famous 'Erskine-wink' worked a treat and we were able to deliver the goods."
The precious cargo was welcomed with open arms by the children of Bishoftu, who have benefited greatly from the fantastic work that Link Ethiopia has done in the region.
"The equipment that Rob and the WIS students have donated will make a huge difference to the lives of the kids here in Bishoftu. It's very much a long-term project, but every little bit helps, so I'd like to once again express my gratitude towards the students and teachers of WIS for their generosity."
To find about more about Calum's work, head over to the Project Bishoftu facebook page.