An evening of international celebrations

The Pestalozzi International Village in Sedlescombe, is home to 50 disadvantaged students from seven countries as far flung as Belize, Tibet and Zambia, who are in the UK on a two year scholarship to study the International Baccalaureate diploma.

The International Celebration, will offer the community a chance to meet students and learn about their home cultures. Lunch will feature dishes from Nepal, India and Africa, and guests will be entertained by a student play, dances, music from around the world and activities such as face painting and henna tattooing.

In a break from tradition, this year’s event will feature a Pestalozzi Question Time, with a panel of students responding to audience questions about their lives, families, cultures, studies, hopes and dreams.

Marketing officer Jonathan Williams said: “Many of our students have amazing stories and have overcome huge challenges just to be here. For example, can you imagine wanting an education so badly that you’d sit outside the windows of a school you couldn’t afford to attend just to listen to the teacher? Or leaving everything and everyone you know to travel half way around the world and follow your dream of an education? Pestalozzi Question Time will give us all a chance to find out more about these students’ extraordinary experiences. I’m sure it will be a real inspiration.” Pestalozzi’s International Celebration will run 1-4pm on Saturday March 9 - visit www.pestalozzi.org.uk for more details.