Strongly influenced by Nelson Mandela’s 2005 Trafalgar Square speech on poverty in Africa, Emma is a founding member and director of the Leopold Corporate and Social Responsibility Forum, a group that aims to create links between Leopold Primary School in Willesden London to Belle Higher Primary School in South Africa, in an effort to bring advancement, development and technology to the classrooms of the children of Soweto. This project has the backing of British High Commissioner Paul Boateng. (See attached letter)

In 2005, Emma visited Soweto on behalf of the project, travelling to Belle Higher Primary School and meeting with the head-teacher Mr Usiba bearing gifts, letters and pictures from the children in London.

Through on-going funding activities, the forum are continuing to work towards providing, teachers, children and parents with the abilities for modern technological training so that they are able to move on in the skills market. Through the BBC and other media that Emma and her team have created around the project, the Belle school has benefited just recently from monetary donations from other sectors of the business community and other schools in the Willesden area, for which we are grateful! The forum intends to hub other such schools in the future all of whom equally require and deserve the help and support from the business community  

'The British High Commission in Pretoria has had the privilege of supporting Emma Meredith's work to build links between Belle school in Soweto and Leopold School in London.  Emma's commitment, drive and initiative have been major factors in ensuring that the project to link the two schools has been a success.  I have visited Belle school in Soweto a number of times, and know just how much they value the link with Leopold, and the incredible effort put in by Emma and her colleagues.  The British High Commissioner to South Africa, the Right Honourable Paul Boateng, visited Belle school in June 2005 in order to celebrate with the pupils, teachers and parents the unique relationship between the two schools, brought about by Emma's work.  

Nicholas Collier
Second Secretary
British High Commission
Pretoria

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