Shop's raffle will go toward the education of African girl

Pantry Weigh ran an Easter raffle in support of The Seed, Africa – a charity founded by local girl Georgina-Kate Adams, which focuses on education for African girls.

Lelo, aged 18, comes from a village in Swaziland where many girls are unable to complete their education.

Thanks to a scholarship from The Seed, Lelo is now studying at one of the best boarding schools in her country and plans to go to university in South Africa in 2018.

The Seed, which started in 2012, uses crowdfunding to fund the scholarship programme,

More than 420 tickets were sold during the raffle, which ran from March 16 to April 2, raising a total of £408.50.

In a show of fantastic philanthropic spirit, many customers made donations without claiming their tickets and several commented that they also sponsor the education of a child in a developing economy, or make monthly direct debits to charities.

The lucky raffle winner was Jan Ostram, who won a hamper of goodies donated by Pantry Weigh worth more than £50.

The hamper also included the ingredients and instructions for making a traditional Swazi meal.

Pantry Weigh’s co-owner Ros Oakley said: ‘I heard about the scholarship for Lelo at a fundraising lunch, where I was entranced by a video message from a beautiful young Swazi girl – so keen to learn and so grateful for an education. It will change not only her life for the better, but that of her family, and she hopes it will have a positive impact on many more.’

Georgina-Kate, founder of The Seed, Africa said: ‘I was so touched by Ros’ idea of running a raffle and both Lelo and I have been overwhelmed by the response.

‘Since the earliest days of The Seed, we have received incredible support from the local community and it really affirms the ability of people power to have a positive impact on the world. Huge thanks to everybody who bought a ticket.’