Susannah Ali - BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy
The school had very little equipment and what they did have was in terrible condition. I wanted to use my knowledge and experience to do something that made a difference.
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Susannah is a current student who spent a lot of time in South Africa at a disabled school, helping the students and rasing money for new equipment via her charity.
Her visits
Susannah spent six weeks of her 2009 summer break volunteering in schools in rural communities around the city of Durban, South Africa.
Susannah said "I spent some time teaching children out in the rural communities and once a week we visited a school specifically for disabled children. The children had a variety of disabilities, both physical and mental, and most had to live in at the school as their families couldn't afford to look after them at home."
Her charity
What Susannah had experienced during that summer affected her so deeply that she set up the charity 'Help 4 Happy's' on her return. More than £20,000 has been raised so far and used to provide functioning wheelchairs and wheelchair assessments to more than 80 children, and one electric wheelchair for a severely disabled student.
"As the school was completely reliant on donations they had very little equipment and what they did have was in terrible condition, so most of the children's needs were not being met. For example, the children had to help each other get from their beds to their wheelchair, if they had one, and to use the toilets."
On returning to Derby to begin the second year of her degree, Susannah and her partner Dan Bullock, a graphic designer based in Derby, set up the website, www.help4happys.co.uk and began to fundraise tirelessly with members of their Derby Bass Street Christadelphian Church community.
Fundraising
A 24-hour sponsored sing-a-thon, Lands End to John O'Groats bike ride, and donations through the website helped the charity - named Help 4 Happy's after the head teacher of the school, Happy - raised more than £1,000 in its first year. In 2010, Susannah returned to South Africa with Dan to purchase the first 40 wheelchairs for the school through a company which also carries out detailed wheelchair assessments for the children.
The future
After graduating, Susannah will be looking to gain an entry position as an Occupational Therapist in the NHS but has pledged to continue to fundraise, and to return to Happy's in Durban each year to ensure the donations are well spent. She and Dan are also revamping their website to ensure people can find out about the inspiring students and give easily to the charity.
Susannah said: "I have been so inspired by the students at Happy's school, and feel they have taught me so much more than I think I could ever give to them."
