Banker lays down £100,000 challenge

A City banker has pledged up to £100,000 to match public donations towards the FT’s seasonal charity appeal on behalf of Camfed International – and he is challenging others to join him in a gift-matching syndicate.

Peter Sherratt, chief legal officer for Europe and Asia at Lehman Brothers, the investment bank, is a member of Camfed’s board. He will personally match donations to the FT appeal pound for pound up to £100,000. Thanks to the generosity of readers, the appeal has raised almost £50,000 in its first week. Mr Sherratt’s commitment of matching funds will double that, taking the overall total to virtually £100,000.

Mr Sherratt wants others to join his initiative and form a syndicate that would leverage public donations by agreeing to match them up to a specified sum. The FT will keep readers up-to-date on the syndicate’s membership and progress.

Camfed supports the education of girls in poor parts of Africa, with the aim of creating a virtuous circle: educated women are more likely to find jobs, less likely to get HIV/Aids and are likely to raise healthier, better educated families of their own.

Mr Sherratt, a long-time backer of the charity, says: “I believe that supporting Camfed’s work is one of the best investments individuals can make in alleviating poverty in Africa, because educating girls has such powerful knock-on effects.”