STUDENTS at a Felixstowe school have launched an exciting year-long charity project to build community facilities for India's poorest people with a successful start to their fundraising.

STUDENTS at a Felixstowe school have launched an exciting year-long charity project to build community facilities for India's poorest people with a successful start to their fundraising.

The launch evening for the Connecting Youth Around the Globe (CYAG) project raised more than �330 towards Deben High's �2,000 target.

The school has teamed up with four others in the UK and USA aiming to raise �10,000 for a community of “untouchables” or “Dalits” in India - one quarter of the population but who are traditionally shunned, insulted and excluded from society.

It will build a school and community centre to include a cr�che, educational space for children and adults, and a kitchen garden to grow food for the community.

Members of the community, businesses, representatives from Suffolk County Council, governors, parents, and staff attended the launch night, which included entertainment from the Deben Jazz Band, Indian dance by year ten students Aneetta John, Arya Dayanandan and Ardra Udayan and a presentation on the CYAG project by members of the school council.

Headteacher Rob Cawley said: “We are very proud of the students for the work they put into making the launch event such a great success, and of course for the commitment they have made to fundraising for the project.

“It provides them with the chance to really make a difference in the world, and at such an exciting time for the development of education facilities in Felixstowe, a great opportunity to become involved in the building of a school.

“We would like to thank everyone who attended the event, and to all those people in the local community who generously donated raffle prizes and refreshments for the evening. It was a wonderful start to their fundraising efforts.”