Northland 17-year-old leading the cause to help Afghan families make a splash

Kamo High School head prefect Hannah Donnelly is leading the Mufti Day fundraiser to help the Afghani family settling in Whananaki with swimming lessons. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A student is raising money to help fund swimming lessons for two Whangārei-based Afghan families that escaped political turmoil back home.

Kamo High School head prefect Hannah Donnelly describes the day she met the two Afghan families in Whananaki as the highlight of her life so far.

Donnelly, whose initial idea was to donate her old clothes to the family, says she is in a position to take a step further and help out to really make a difference in their lives and in the community.

"I discussed it with other head prefects and in the senior leadership team meeting, and they were on board immediately," the Year 13 student said.

Kamo High students celebrated mufti day yesterday and money raised would go towards helping the Afghan families.

They had no idea how to swim, and since it was more efficient to bring them into town and give them lessons in the hydrothermal pool at Whangārei Aquatic Centre, Donnelly said they also got the centre involved.

The 17-year-old was successful in negotiating a 50 per cent discount per person on each swimming lesson.

Donnelly also interviewed the families late last month and said the hour-and-a-half-conversation not only made her day but also her year.

"They were so grateful to have our support and it was the most humbling experience ever.

"If I was in their position, I would want support as well. They experienced so much trauma and came out here, and they should be nourished."

School principal Natasha Hemara was proud of Donnelly and said her cause encompassed the school values – going above and beyond to help the community.

Hemara also lauded the student's skill at negotiating and organising.

"We have to celebrate that our young people are very capable, mature young individuals who can go out and take action. We make assumptions that they have to be of a certain age before they can start leading things.

"We have built those skills anew and seen them develop in others with Hannah leading it with the prefects' team. It will soon become more widespread."

Anyone willing to help the Afghan families with employment, rental properties or in other ways can email helpingafghanswhohelpedkiwis@gmail.com.