A year ago, 15-year-old Rebecca Zammit Lupi, whose battle with cancer was chronicled by her father Darrin, passed away.

During her life, Rebecca, better known as Becs, was passionate about giving a voice to those who were unable to speak for themselves. One of her wishes was for a school to be built in Ethiopia for children who did not have access to education.

A year later and her cousin, independent Ħaż-Żebbuġ local councillor, Steve Zammit Lupi, decided to create and launch a fundraiser to make Bec’s dream come true.

Steve’s fundraising efforts took place in the form of a birdwatching journey on New Year’s Day, during which the councillor spotted no less than 45 bird species, surpassing his target of 40. The full day of birding resulted in a whopping €1,000 raised for the construction of the secondary school in Ethiopia in memory of Becs. However, just a few hours later, Steve announced that a total of €2,066 had been collected!