We recently shared a letter from our Year 9 student Naemi Asmerom, which outlined her heartfelt plea to call on our school community to support the women and children of Afghanistan who don’t have access to education under Taliban rule.

Since then, Naemi’s powerful words have touched the hearts of staff and students in schools across the city, and we have been inundated with offers of support and encouragement to help this incredible cause.

This month, we welcomed staff from Hillcrest Primary school who brought one of their Year 5 students to Mount St Mary’s to meet Naemi. Born in Afghanistan, with family who still reside there, it was incredibly humbling to hear the two students talk about the first-hand experience she has encountered of this war-torn country when visiting her family. Two very different reasons why this cause is important, but with a common interest to do whatever they can to help.

It is remarkable to see the impact the partnership between the two school communities has had on Neami’s appeal. There is a shared passion to contribute to providing people who are less fortunate the access to the things we can easily take for granted. Whilst the word “Retribuam” is at the core of our student’s morals, the wide spread nature of it’s meaning is being adopted by the student body throughout Leeds and continues to grow.