EMILY: INSPIRED TO HELP REFUGEES

Reader Emily, aged ten, explains how a Cathy Cassidy book inspired her to raise money for a refugee charity...

Emily says:

The Cathy Cassidy book SAMI'S SILVER LINING opened my eyes to the extreme danger that unaccompanied child refugees experience in order to find a safe home. The book was so tense and exciting I could not put it down! I couldn't wait to tell my mum about Sami's story and both of us started to cry at what he had been through. My mum was so hooked on the story she read to the end to see what happened to Sami and his friends.

Over half term, Mum and I came up with the idea of decorating cards with Hama beads and selling them for £1, with all the money going to SAFE PASSAGE, which is a charity helping child refugees. We came up with several designs, including animals like flamingoes and unicorns and other things like flowers, sunglasses and melons! My brother Tom helped with the cards, and we came up with slogans like 'Mum, you're one in a melon' for Mother's Day and also simple things like 'Stay cool on your birthday,' and 'Thank you!' 

We have now made almost 200 cards and raised £215 so far - some people have been very generous and given more than £1! My teacher and our classroom assistant bought cards and donated money, which was great. Our school has the ethos 'Together' and we are encouraged to think of others, so I guess this fitted perfectly with that. One of my mum's friends kindly bought us some more Hama beads on Ebay so now we have a big supply to make even more. 

I've also been growing my hair with the plan to donate it to the Princess Trust. who make wigs for children and young people experiencing hair loss due to cancer treatment, and last week it was finally long enough for the chop, so I thought I'd send a picture of that too! I hope Cathy's book will inspire more kids to start raising money for SAFE PASSAGE and also to realise how lucky they are to have the safety of a home and family.

Cathy says:

Wow... Emily's story is so lovely it made me feel really emotional - and very proud of her kindness and determination to help others. Have YOU ever been inspired to help others? I'd love to hear your stories!