Imagine a world where every child has an equal opportunity to receive a good education. Now, imagine a school where there are no books, no desks, no pens, paper and supplies.This is a daily reality for millions of African children left orphaned by AIDS.
ONE March for Children
Chellie Kew (founder of the "Q" fund, and originator of the ONE March) describes the origin of the march in this backgrounder.
“Rain splashing on our faces,
our hair is soaked,
And still we walk.
We walk for the children,
For their futures.
We walk for a life that could be saved.
Children that are living on the streets,
So much less fortunate than us.
They were orphaned by AIDs,
In Africa doing their best to survive.”
Emma Teresko 7th grade
The Julia Morgan School for Girls
We invite your school to continue the unbroken circle of the International ONE March for Children, when schoolchildren around the world walk together in solidarity for the millions of African children without access to a good education.
- Date: Ongoing. The first ONE March was on December 1, 2005.
- Time: 1 o'clock local time (recommended duration of the March: 1 hour)
- Where: A location of the organizing group's choice (school grounds, track, park, neighborhood; you will map your own route)
- Cost: $1 per participant with 100% of funds going directly to construction of additional schools for African orphans.
- Registration Form (PDF format - to register please download, print and mail back to us)
Media support pack for schools (downloads of media advisory and press release templates for use by participating schools)
some of the schools that have participated
- Chimoza Community School, Zambia
- CATE School, Carpenteria Calif.
- Castilleja School, Palo Alto Calif.
- Dana Hall, Wellesley, MA
- Hamlin School, California
- The Julia Morgan School for Girls, Oakland, Calif.
- Lexington School , Los Gatos Calif. (sister school of Chimoza)
- Marlborough School, Los Angeles Calif.
Menlo School, Atherton Calif.
Oldfields School, Glencoe MD
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto Calif.
Scripps College, Claremont Calif.
University of California at Santa Barbara - Vail Mountain School, Vail, Colorado
- Images and text received to-date from schools
Questions and Answers
What is the ONE March?
The International ONE March for Children is a fundraiser organized by The “Q” Fund in which school children from around the world will walk together to raise funds and show solidarity for the millions of African children without access to a good education.
When and where does the ONE March take place?
The first annual ONE March took place on World AIDS Day – December 1, 2005 . The ONE March was designed to be a grass-roots effort within individual schools and communities. Therefore, it will take place in many different locations on that day. Although the recommended start time is 1:00 local time, if that presents a scheduling conflict a school may choose an alternate time on that day, or an alternate day.
Who can participate in the ONE March?
The “Q” Fund encourages anyone who is interested to organize a ONE March at their school!
How long is the ONE March?
The recommended length is one hour, and you may plan any route you choose, whether it is on or off school property.
How much does it cost to participate? How will the money raised be used?
The cost to participate is $1 per person. 100% of all funds generated by the ONE March will be used to build additional schools for the orphaned African children.
How can we sign up to have the ONE March at our school?
You can download a registration form by clicking here.
How can we publicize the ONE March event we are planning?
We have created a media tip sheet, media advisory and pre-and post-event press releases that you can personalize for your event. You should distribute these to the local media via e-mail or fax, and then follow-up by telephone to maximize your chance of getting media coverage. These can be accessed at www.onemarch.org/media.htm
How do we turn in the funds raised by the ONE March?
Since most students will pay with cash, we recommend that your school deposit the funds and write one check for the total amount raised. This is ensure that we receive your donation and can credit your school’s participation properly. PLEASE do not send cash in the mail!
We will contact your school immediately following the ONE March with instructions on where and how to submit your funds to the “Q” Fund. The “Q” Fund is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, so your contribution may qualify to be tax deductible.
Will there be any follow-up after the ONE March?
Yes! We encourage students to write, draw, photograph etc. something that captures their experience and send them to us via email (chellie@onemarch.org) We will post these submissions on our ONEmarch.org website so that others may see how this event has impacted students around the world. In addition, the ONE March will be an annual event, so we will be encouraging you to beginning planning for next year!
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