LITTLE Suzanna Mulhall got swamped in a mountain of backpacks at school. The 10-year-old was up to her neck in bags of all shapes, sizes and designs. But Why?

By Mike Brooke

LITTLE Suzanna Mulhall got swamped in a mountain of backpacks at school.

The 10-year-old was up to her neck in bags of all shapes, sizes and designs.

She led a team of Year-6 pupils at Bethnal Green’s St Elizabeth Catholic Primary who have been collecting the rucksacks for a project to help children from poor families go to schools in countries like Malawi, Liberia, Uganda and Romania.

Suzanna counted 60 bags, which are all ready to be sent to the countries where they are needed.

The scheme by the charity Mary’s Meals to date has distributed 33,000 backpacks abroad.

School head teacher Carolyn Lindsay said: “The project has helped the pupils appreciate things they would normally take for granted. It’s also eco friendly’ because we are recycling unwanted school items.”

The backpacks may not be wanted here—but they mean kids in the Third World can get education.

The project provides them with basic things for school such as bags, writing materials, uniforms and even soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Families usually can’t afford basic items like these which means the youngsters miss out on an education—unless children like Suzanna and her classmates at St Elizabeth Primary have collections for them.