Money used to construct outdoor gaga pit
By making crafts and selling ice cream, the Bridges of Peace & Hope Club at the Academy of International Studies (AIS) was able to fund the construction of a gaga pit for schoolchildren in Zambia, Africa.
The afterschool club is made up of 38 fourth- and fifth-grade students at the Danbury magnet elementary school. It is the first club formed in the United States that promotes the ideals of the Bridges of Peace & Hope Organization under the direction of its creator, singer/songwriter John Farrell. These ideals include collaboration with diverse individuals and groups under the supervision of school staff and volunteers. Farrell’s philosophy includes connecting students through arts, music and projects while teaching them to appreciate differences.
Farrell, who recently visited the African school, reported that the students at Mukwashi Trust School are thrilled with the pit. Gaga is a softer form of dodgeball that is played in an octagonal pit generally constructed from wood.
AIS has had a relationship with the African school for five years and has shared in pen pal letter writing and video exchanges. Past fundraisers have helped add two more grades to the school that now includes eighth and ninth graders.
Meg McLoone, DPS child associate at AIS, said the club started fundraising last year to raise $1000 for the pit. Although the pit has been completed, the AIS students are still paying an outstanding debt for part of the project.
“We committed as a community and a school to complete the project,” McLoone said, adding that other AIS students also participated in the efforts. “The idea is that we teach the students in Africa something, and then they teach someone else – like paying it forward.”
The feedback from Africa, as evidenced through photographs, is that the students are very excited about playing gaga, and it’s been a big hit.
“AIS kids are helping kids across the globe – it’s inspiring,” said Mary Levasseur, AIS social worker. “They are making connections – kids like to play and it’s universal.”