A Coventry-based charity’s campaign to build a safe home for orphaned children in Nepal is set to receive a boost thanks to a weekend of dance.
Young performers from local dance schools will take to the stage with a production of James and the Giant Peach, raising funds for Feed The Hungry UK and its work with the Innovative Academy in Nepal.
The school currently educates 440 children aged between 5 and 16 from some of the country’s poorest communities, completely free of charge. Among its pupils are 37 orphaned children who have no family or home of their own and are currently living on the school site.
Nepalese authorities have ordered the school to provide dedicated accommodation for the children, warning that the entire school could face closure if a separate living block is not built.
The total cost of the construction project is £70,000. Feed The Hungry UK has already raised £23,000, allowing the ground floor of the building to be completed. Funds raised through the performances will help support the next phase of work and move the project closer to giving the children a safe, permanent place to call home.
The campaign is being run in partnership with Pastor Ruben Rasaili of Mission for Tribes and Nations, who oversees the Innovative Academy and its wider community work.
The Leamington and Warwick Academy of Dance and Pointe the Way Ballet School in Warwick will stage two performances of James and the Giant Peach at the Royal Spa Centre next month, with every ticket sold helping to support the orphanage project.
Roald Dahl’s much-loved children’s story follows young James Henry Trotter, an orphan who finds friendship, family and a place to belong in the most unexpected circumstances. For those involved in the production, the connection with the children in Nepal has made the performance especially meaningful.
The show will feature dancers and performers from both dance schools and promises to be a celebration of young local talent, energy and dedication.
Principal Vivienne Kibble said:
“We are so proud of everything these young performers have achieved, and we wanted their hard work to count for something beyond the stage.
“When we learned about the children at the Innovative Academy — 37 orphans in exactly the same position as James himself — it felt like the perfect fit.
“We hope audiences will come along, be wowed by our incredible dancers, and help us do something truly meaningful.”
James and the Giant Peach will be performed at The Royal Spa Centre, Leamington, on July 4 and 5, with shows at 1.30pm and 6.30pm on both days.
