The sixth annual Pennies for Panzi fundraiser began on Tuesday, February 4^th and will continue through Friday, February 21st.  The fundraiser is sponsored by the Youth Action Network (YAN) club at Tyrone High School.

The funds will be sent to the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa.

This hospital, one of only two centers like it in all of Africa, treats women and children victimized by rape during the Rwandan genocide.

“Tyrone has done amazing job supporting this cause over the past few years, raising over $2,000 for the hospital,” according to Mrs. Tracy Redinger, Tyrone social studies teacher and YAN club faculty adviser.

Tyrone’s connection with this hospital began following the creation of the Youth Action Network (Y.A.N.) club at TAHS six years ago.

The club was created by students with the help of Mrs. Redinger and Mr. Cummins McNitt after Dr. Lee Ann De Reus, a professor of human development and family studies from Penn State Altoona, spoke at Tyrone High School about the Panzi Foundation, which she co-founded to support the ongoing work of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, DR Congo.

According to their website, the Panzi Foundation’s mission is to “promote basic quality health care for marginalized populations, improve access to quality maternal and reproductive health, promote and encourage the application of women’s rights and gender equality, prevent violence against women and children, and support survivors of rape and sexual violence to rebuild their lives and those of their communities.”

Panzi Hospital has treated 19,270 survivors of sexualized violence from 1999-2012.  In 2012, 1,326 women and 12 men received care for their injuries.

“Tyrone’s Y.A.N. club is one of the only youth led organizations supporting the hospital in the United States,” said Redinger, “they rely on support from us to keep the hospital running.”

The fundraiser is unique in the way that the classroom competition is run.

Students bring pennies in to put in their own classroom jars. Only pennies boost a classroom’s score. Paper money or coins count negatively towards the jar’s score, so students can sabotage other classrooms’ jars with anything that isn’t pennies.

Each grade has its own competition. The classroom with the highest score will receive a pizza party.

“Good luck to all classes! No matter who wins, the money goes to a great cause,” said Redinger.