The Rosie Dwyer Appeal Fund

Last December a dreadful tragedy struck John and Rachel Dwyer and their two surviving children, Jacob and Florence, when their daughter Rosie Dwyer, 19, died suddenly of septicaemia while at home in west London. Rosie, a very popular and outgoing young woman, was a successful art student and was studying at the Chelsea College of Art and Design when she died. In 2007 one of her works was featured on the website of the Saatchi Gallery Online Art Prize for Schools.

A few weeks later, early in 2009, the Dwyer family decided to establish a fund in memory of Rosie. She had visited a small Maasai village in East Africa in 2004 and was bowled over by the people there. So they chose a project specifically to fund a craft teacher (plus the necessary craft materials) at a primary school in Western Kenya already supported by ACE Africa. This will be a truly fitting memorial to Rosie, who lived her life in glorious technicolor and was passionate about art.

The teacher will work at the South End Primary School in Bungoma, which provides education to children totally orphaned by HIV/AIDS and left in extremely vulnerable circumstances. ACE Africa provides food, basic educational material and equipment to a number of children within the school, without which their extended families could not afford to send them there.

Since January, the monies donated by the friends and families of the Dwyers have been channelled into this appeal. Furthermore, two close friends of the family hit on the idea of "Running for Rosie" in the London 10k Race, which was held on July 12th in central London. No less than 70 runners took part in the race, many of whom set up their own fundraising page online.

As a result, the appeal combined with the proceeds from this sponsorship of the London 10k runners has already raised the enormous figure of over GBP23,000, plus a further 5,000 in Gift Aid.

We at ACE Africa have been extremely moved by the support we have received from the Dwyer family and their friends, through the appeal. The money raised will touch the lives of many orphaned children for years to come. Rosie's family hope the fund will continue.