Keen to find out more? Here’s a quick summary of the last 3 months

We dismantled our Remembering Tree project in Stratford upon Avon, a great success this year with a 25% uplift on gross donations! I’m already thinking about next year as it’s the 10^th anniversary of the project so watch this space!

In February a planned winter swim fundraiser had to be postponed due to Storm Eunice, but we did manage to cook 140 Big Breakfasts with Rotary in early March!

With the help of a Duke of Edinburgh Award student I also packed up 200kg of surplus clothing from , workwear from Broad Lane Leisure and blankets, knitted hats, mittens and jumpers from our fabulous crafters - we even snuck in a few medical dressing and bandages from our friends at Bidford Pharmacy! This is all enroute to 1000 Hills Community Helpers in Kwa Zulu Natal where the items will provide much needed warmth & comfort to many members of the community.

Meanwhile, our students have been getting their heads down studying, some just starting out and some getting closer to the completion of their courses.  Like so many students, they have suffered disruption in their learning through the last couple of years so we’re especially proud of their tenacity and determination.  Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust continue to provide respite care despite the many challenges they face and KYGN in Tanzania are going from strength to strength with a growing school and continued academic excellence.

If you’ve got a few more minutes to spare, here’s a quick overview from all the projects

KYGN - primary education – Tanzania

Our partners at KYGN UK have returned from a recent monitoring trip full of enthusiasm about what they have seen.  KYGN continues to provide a first-rate education for all the children despite the pandemic and yet more extreme weather. 

The school is now close to 700 pupils and three more classrooms are under construction.  This is a very long way from the start with 50 children in a rented building! This expansion has meant that KYGN now takes in some fee-paying students which helps subsidise the children who are not able to pay.  It is also a testimony to the standard of education which the school provides.  As ever, no child who meets the criteria for a free place at KYGN is turned away and there are now more than 40 children who have a home in the Safe House that was built with the help of GAGA UK donors.  

Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust – respite care – South Africa

The GAGA Board recently approved another 12 months of funding for the Othandweni (place of love) Respite Unit, still the only facility of its kind providing free, high-quality palliative and respite care in the region. 

Not only do HACT provide holistic and compassionate care to all its patients, but they also invest in their staff with their training and development programme and staff well-being initiatives. Thanks to you, our wonderful donors and supporters we have been able to continue to support their valuable work in 2022.

1000 Hills Community Helpers – Primary HealthCare Clinic – South Africa

All things baby! Yes, 1000 Hills Community Helpers are seeing a marked increase in new arrivals at the baby clinic.  Our GAGA UK donors have supported the baby clinic for many years, providing much needed advice, reassurance and early diagnosis for Mom’s and Gogo’s caring for new borns in challenging living environments.  Sadly, we are seeing many more teenaged Mom’s and 1000 Hills is working hard to increase the capacity of their baby room to allow these young women to return to school and continue their education. 

We’re launching a special appeal to provide additional funds for the baby room, we already had a wonderful donation from for a bulk delivery of disposable nappies but the demand still outstrips the supply!  Can you help? Text GAGABABY to 70460 to donate £5. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.

Please don’t forget that you can raise extra funds for GAGA UK AT NO COST TO YOURSELF! Simply sign up to a charity linked online shopping portal, we are registered with Give as You Live, Easyfundraising and Amazon Smile – just search for “Goodwill and Growth for Africa” or pop onto our website https://www.gaga-uk.org/raise-s-as-you-shop-online where you’ll find links to all of the online shopping portals. We received £95.97 in the last 11 months this way, but we know it could be much more – please consider signing up now! Thank you!

Claire