Princess Beatrice and Sarah, Duchess of York at the House of Lords for the Education in Emergencies event. Photo: Street Child

Street Child, backed by its founder patron Sarah, Duchess of York, announced it had raised a total of £2.8 million pounds from its latest campaign to get children into education.

“I am delighted to announce that Street Child’s ‘Count Me In’ campaign raised the fantastic total of £1.4M which the UK Government is matching thanks to UK Aid Match,” said the duchess. “With the grand total of £2.8M, the amazing team at Street Child will be able to help thousands more children go to school and learn.”

The charity, which merged with the Duchess of York’s organisation Children in Crisis in 2018, works on the principle that universal basic education is the single greatest step that can be taken towards the elimination of global poverty.

Street Child launched the campaign on 21st November 2018 at Kensington Palace with Sarah, Duchess of York and the charity’s global ambassador, Princess Eugenie, and culminated with a panel event at the House of Lords on 19th February which was attended by the Duchess and Princess Beatrice.

There are 121 million school-aged children around the world who are not in education, and the Count Me In campaign worked to raise funds to give more children access to education and the resources they need to learn.

The Duchess of York expressed her gratitude to those who made the campaign possible. “Thank you to everyone who supported the appeal and who continues to support Street Child’s work. During the appeal, I visited schools supported by Street Child in Sierra Leone and met children whose lives are being transformed by having access to education. It means so much.”

International Development Minister Harriett Baldwin said: “Giving children living in the north of Sierra Leone the chance to go to school means Street Child are making sure they reach their full potential. Instead of spending their days on the streets, they will have a future.

“I am delighted to announce DFID has matched £1.4m to Street Child’s Count Me In campaign, helping to raise a total of £2.8m. This partnership means every pound the British public generously donated will go twice as far.”