‘Becs Is Forever’: Junior Secondary School Named After Rebecca Zammit Lupi Inaugurated In Ethiopia
In an unveiling of three schools, the Rebecca Zammit Lupi Junior Secondary for Ethiopian children was inaugurated yesterday, commemorating her memory in a permanent way.
The two other areas, the playground, and the kindergarten were also named in memory of Maltese people, Johnathan Chetcuti, and Karl Pace.
The six-year-long project, kicked off by the Sigma Foundation, secures food and education for a thousand Ethiopian children in Jimma Bonga, and was supported by €300,000 donated in funds raised by previous Camino expeditions.
One of the contributors at the forefront of this project was Darrin Zammit Lupi, Becs’ father, who wanted to make sure that her memory lives on through a project that she was personally passionate about.
“A dream come true, though a dream I wish I never had to have. This was a very emotional day – the happiest and the saddest if that makes any sense,” Rebecca’s father Darrin Zammit Lupi told Lovin Malta.
“I know Becs would be thrilled, and very proud of what we achieved in her name, especially because she understood and campaigned for the right to an education. She’d be displaying her winning, shy smile; almost embarrassed in that impossibly cute manner of hers by the positive attention and vibes heading her way.”
“I’m eternally grateful to everyone who supported this project. Her family is now so much larger, and she’ll continue to touch countless lives. These children will keep her name alive, and because of that, Becs is forever.”
Becs lost her life two years ago at the tender age of 15 after a long battle with a rare illness. She was passionate about access to education, and her father said that “her memory will live on through this school”.
The inauguration featured several speeches, given by the bishop and cardinal Markos Ghebremedhin, local clergymen, and government officials. Alongside them were Chief Philanthropy Officer Keith Marshall and the Maltese group from the SiGMA Foundation, alongside the staff, parents, students, and many helpers of the school.
Speaking on behalf of Jonathan Chetchuti, the namesake for the playgrounds in the school, Jonathan Dalli remarked on Chetchuti’s mantra for a life centered on sports.
“Jonathan believed that sports were the foundation for life, or in his words “the university of my life”. The principles he learned from sports – dedication, determination, discipline, respect, teamwork, and above all, the importance of having fun – guided him throughout his life.”
“The joy of living is something which Karl Pace embraced in his way of life,” Jonathan Galea opened his speech in reference to his late cousin.
“Karl’s dream was to empower children through education. Thank you to all who’ve helped to make this dream come true today.”
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