GAGAzette Winter 2025
Happy New Year from all at GAGA UK!
I have recently returned from my maternity leave and am very excited to be jumping back into work at GAGA UK As ever there is a lot going on at GAGA UK and our projects remain busier than ever Summer is in full swing in the Southern Hemisphere and students are back to school and studies following the festive summer break. In Tanzania, there are some key infrastructure projects in the works in 2025, some being finished off from last year and some just beginning. In South Africa, our scholars remain focused on their courses, and we ’ re starting to recruit some new candidates for our Sangobeg Scholarship Programme Read on for more news from our beneficiaries in the field, all made possible by our wonderful community of supporters.
With many thanks and warmest wishes for an exciting year ahead,
Olivia Van Rensburg GAGA UK Director
Sangobeg Scholars
The Sangobeg Scholars continue to work hard during the spring and summer months, and 2025 is off to a wonderful start. I caught up with one of our scholars, Zinhle, who is halfway through a three-year teaching degree at UNISA (University of South Africa). This is a hybrid distance-learning and inperson degree, so in addition to studying and learning on her own, she must also complete practical modules and gain hands-on work experience.
She’s taking some really interesting modules this year including Child Development, History of Education in Foundation, Life Skills: Foundation Phase, Mathematics for Foundation, and Sociology of Education to name a few
Of her courses over the past few months, she says: “Last year I did 10 modules and this year I’m doing 10 again. I was able to pass all of my modules last year and I’m really happy with my marks. Studying on your own can be really difficult but I managed to get 6 distinctions and I hope to do the same again this year. I will start studying again at the end of February or beginning of March depending on when our first assignments are released.
This year I will do my practical at Toybox Primary School again like last year and again it will be five weeks of work experience. I’m still really enjoying the course and I’m happy to be studying because I know it will change my life and I will be able to meet all my future life goals All thanks to GAGA UK and the Sangobeg programme. I promise to make you guys proud.”
We are already so proud of Zinhle and her achievements and have no doubt that she will fulfil all of her dreams!
Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need
At KYGN, the current P7 class (the last grade at KYGN before secondary school) recently received their Secondary School examination results with 45 out of 49 pupils achieving an aggregate A and the remaining just a whisper behind with an aggregate B This gives these pupils an amazing foundation on which to build their continuing education.
This year, we have been delighted to enable the building of a new classroom block, thanks to donations from trust and foundations here in the UK and we are currently in the process of embarking on a new project, providing new cooking fuel with a BioGas production capability. The Tanzanian Government have a wide-ranging environmental plan stretching to 2030 and one of the steps is a Clean Cooking Strategy, compelling organisations that feed over 100 people a day, to move away from firewood and charcoal onto cleaner energy. Cow dung is collected and fed into a brick kiln from above the ground It travels through a sealed filter pipe into the main underground furnace. The ‘energised’ dung is then fed into the kitchen and other areas as required.
Looking to 2025 and beyond, we are investigating the possibility of installing a computer room at the school which would be the first of its kind here This would be a major benefit for the children in learning to become computer literate and put them at an advantage for secondary school, providing a profoundly positive impact on their educational journey Watch this space!
House of Love and Hope
Last year our community united to raise £2,500 towards the installation of a borehole at the House of Love and Hope (HOLAH) orphanage in Waterfall, South Africa. In 2023 and 2024, the HOLAH Centre was struggling with the desperate need for running water on their property to combat the water shortages in the area. Since early October 2023, they had constant water disruptions and would go at least 5 days without any water at all.
GAGA UK committed to supporting the installation of a borehole on the premesis. A borehole is a deep, narrow hole made in the ground which is used to locate and extract water. We are delighted to report that as of mid September 2024, the installation of the borehole is complete! This solves HOLAH’s water issues and ensures that they have safe water year round even when the local area suffers from water shortages We have also had reports that the water pressure is much better now with the borehole than it used to be! We’re deeply grateful to you, our GAGA UK supporters, for making this change possible for the vulnerable children living at HOLAH and their carers.
Legacies for GAGA UK
Many of our generous donors are those we will never be able to thank for their generosity, but they continue to make a difference to other people’s lives, even after they have passed away, because they have remembered our cause in their will
There are many ways you can make a bequest and leaving a gift to GAGA UK could reduce the rate of Inheritance Tax (IHT), meaning a saving for your loved ones as well
We are extremely grateful to receive any memorial or legacy gift and promise that we will use it to provide a better future for families and communities in need in Africa To learn more, email olivia@gaga-uk org
Fundraise
as you shop online!
There are plenty of ways to fundraise for GAGA UK at no extra cost to you, which don’t involve challenge events or social events. Using online platforms like Give As You Live and EasyFundraising transforms everyday shopping into a powerful act of giving. With no extra cost to you, a portion of each purchase goes directly to charity, turning routine purchases into life-changing contributions This effortless method of giving helps provide charities with a reliable stream of income, allowing them to plan and sustain critical projects Every time you shop, you ’ re supporting vital causes and empowering communities in need, simply by choosing to shop with purpose Give As You Live & Easyfundraising make it easier than ever to make a meaningful difference with your everyday choices.
Contact olivia@gaga-uk org for more information, or visit : https://www gaga-uk org/raise-s-as-you-shop-online
Thank you for your support!