Junior Tommy Londres is working to connect the students of Moorestown High School with the students of Mercy High School in Malawi, Africa.
On Nov. 3, Moorestown High School junior Tommy Londres, his parents and his cousin departed Philadelphia International Airport with 15 suitcases in tow. Four of the bags contained the family’s personal belongings, but in the remaining 11 were enough school supplies to give every student at Mercy High School in Malawi, Africa, a one-subject notebook, a folder, pen, pencil and eraser.
For Londres, connecting with the students of Mercy High School has become something of a passion project. His goal since first visiting the school his freshman year has not only been to raise funds for the school in one of Africa’s poorest countries but to teach his friends and family that these students are just like them — just living in a different place.
Londres’ father, Tom, said the school first came onto the family’s radar through family friend Bruce Main. Around 10 years ago, Main, the founder and president of UrbanPromise in Camden, connected with international students from impoverished countries and trained them in the education model he had implemented in Camden, which got kids off the streets and enriched their lives through education.
Tom said Main approached him inquiring if he might be willing to donate money to help fund a school in Malawi being started by a man named Peter Gamula. He said he was more than willing to contribute to a good cause, but with a busy work schedule and trying to raise four kids, he wasn’t interested in being involved in the school beyond the donation.
Two years ago, when Tommy was a freshman, Tom proposed the idea of going anywhere in the world Tommy wanted to go during his spring break. Tommy suggested Africa, and in return, Tom suggested they pay a visit to the school the family was helping to fund.
The first half of the trip was spent adventuring through Kruger National Park while the second half was spent visiting Mercy High School. The experience was a life-changing one for both Tom and Tommy.
“Tommy fell in love with the students there,” Tom said. “He fell in love with the founder. I renewed my interest and doubled down and said I really want to get involved.”
Londres said the experience was a humbling one. He learned that some people go days without food or walk two hours to fetch water. He said the students’ stories gave him a new perspective and opened his eyes to the things he was taking for granted each day. He said despite not having much, the students possessed great energy and passion about being at the school.
“That first trip two years ago really sparked something in me,” Londres said.
When they returned from that first trip, Londres said he and his father felt invigorated to help. As a sophomore, Londres proposed the idea of getting Moorestown High School connected with Mercy High School through a school-wide charity effort. Last year, MHS raising nearly $2,000 through ticket sales for Spirit Week, Homecoming, the talent show and various other events. Londres presented Gamula with the check in person at a Board of Education meeting last March. The money funded one year of internet supply, a television monitor and a video camera for the school.
This past summer, Tom proposed the idea of returning to Malawi in November when Tommy was going to be off from school during the teachers’ convention. Londres said he was taken back by the suggestion. He knew he would return to Mercy some day, but he didn’t anticipate going back so soon. He said he was eager to return.
The family created a SignUpGenius page online encouraging friends to donate school supplies for the family to take with them during their trip. Additionally, Moorestown High School put forth the money to buy 50 scientific calculators for the school. The family left with 401 one-subject notebooks, 2,500 pencils, 1,600 pens, 400 folders, 400 erasers and 50 scientific calculators in tow the first week of November.
They were eager to surprise the students with the supplies, but they were greeted with a surprise themselves. He said in the two years that had passed, the school had made drastic progress with the addition of solar panels, fresh paint, two entirely new buildings, a soccer field and more students.
Londres said while his first trip was all about learning about a different way of life, the second trip was about connecting with the students.
“They’re just like us; they’re just living in a different place,” Londres said. “There’s really no difference between us. It’s just where we’re living and how we’re living. I just think this trip I connected with the students better.”
Despite living in extreme poverty, the students are happy and make the best of what they have, Londres said. He said his takeaway was the students at Mercy High School were just like the students at Moorestown High School — they both possess dreams and aspirations.
Tom said his son is working hard to bring what he’s learned back to Moorestown.
“He really cares about trying to help his class and his larger school see something beyond the 1,600 kids and the boundaries of Moorestown and all that offers on a good day and say that there’s something beyond this,” Tom said.
Ultimately, Londres wants to continue raising money and collecting supplies to send to Mercy. He said he doesn’t anticipate his relationship with Mercy High School going anywhere, and his hope is he is an example to his fellow Moorestown students that anyone is capable of making an impact.
“We may not realize it, but we have the opportunity to make change, real change,” Londres said. “We have that opportunity, and I just think everyone should seize the opportunity.”
For more information on Mercy High School, visit www.mercycaremalawi.com.
