Awordfromourteam
The first half of 2024 has flown by, and with it many exciting developments with GAGA UK and our partners and projects we support Our new financial year began on 1 May 2024 and it’s off to a great start so far
We’re delighted to report that our income for the 2023/24 financial year was over £110,000. We are extremely grateful for the long-standing continued funding from our fantastic community of supporters, and in particular the receipt of a generous legacy gift In addition regular giving campaigns and a new focus on trust and foundation funding have positively impacted this year, offsetting the dip in income in 2022/23 We continue to seek opportunities to stabilize our income streams so that we can continue to support our projects in a sustainable and meaningful way.
We also experienced some governance changes throughout this past financial year In October we said goodbye to our long-standing Chair of 18 years, Tony Weller, who retired from his professional life and also stood down from his position as GAGA UK Chair to explore new interests and passions. We wish him all the very best and keep him up to date with developments Thank you Tony for your many years of hard work and dedication to the GAGA UK mission and projects!
In the spring, the Board of Trustees appointed Shirley Whiting as our new Chair. Shirley joins us with many years of governance experience, having most recently Chaired the Board of the Kenilworth Multi Academy Trust We’re very excited to have Shirley steering the GAGA UK ship as we put some ambitious plans into place over the next few years
We’re excited for some new guidance and we ’ re also proud of the ever-evolving developments of the wonderful projects we support in Southern Africa. Read on to see what we ’ ve been up to, and what’s in store!
Thank you once again for your continued support and interest in our work
With warm wishes
Olivia Van Rensburg Director, GAGA UK
Ouryearataglance
Our funding decisions remain based on first-hand information and targeted to the areas most in need The support from our loyal community of donors enables us to make a real difference when it is needed most, from birth to end of life
Baby Wellness
The Baby Wellness Clinic at 1000 Hills Community Helpers has seen 2,268 babies in the last 12 months.
Primary Education
Thanks to GAGA UK and our corporate partner Adiuvo, a primary class at Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need school was funded last year With the help of our UK Trust and Foundation funding partners, two major infrastructure projects have been implemented at the school in the last 12 months
Higher Education
Through the Sangobeg Scholarships Programme, we ’ re so pleased that we were able to provide support to 13 students to begin or continue their studies in 20232024
Healthcare
The Othandweni Respite Unit at Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust served a total of 166 patients in 2023 GAGA UK funding helps to keep this unit running.
Income and Distribution
We are proud to report that income for the year was over £110,000 Despite the ongoing challenges due to the cost-of-living crisis, we were able to disburse nearly £62,300 to our partner projects in 2023/24 This was made up of nearly £46,600 in disbursements to Africa and £15,700 sent through KYGN UK to the primary school in Tanzania for various projects
1000HillsCommunityHelpers KwaZulu-Natal,SouthAfrica
1000 Hills Community Helpers received ongoing funding throughout 2023/24. GAGA UK continues to support this project with quarterly grants to the Baby Wellness Clinic which provides care to rural and disadvantaged mothers and their babies through a weekly clinic as well as education and raising awareness. This year GAGA UK’s funding allowed 2,268 babies to be seen and treated at the Baby Wellness Clinic. This was an incredible 86% increase on the number of babies seen and treated in the previous financial year
The Centre continues to run their Baby Wellness Clinics each Tuesday morning, where they weigh and examine babies, discuss feeding and health with mothers, and assess the wellness of the baby and mother. They also provide infant essentials such as diaper cream, nappies, and formula
A major activity of the Baby Clinic also continues to be educational talks and workshops for young mothers, with various guest speakers including from the South African Department of Health. The Clinic team believe that education is the most powerful tool for change and they make it a top priority. This year they hosted regular workshops and talks for young mothers and grannies taking care of infants They provided education on bottle feeding including correct sterilization of baby bottles, providing adequate nutrition for infants, safety in the home, and baby milestones. Brochures and pamphlets are also distributed in the local language IsiZulu, giving the ladies the tools needed to practice these healthcare tips at home, and to share with their family members and friends
Well done Baby Clinic team, and all the staff at 1000 Hills Community Helpers!
HillcrestAidsCentreTrust KwaZulu-Natal,SouthAfrica
We’re delighted to have continued our partnership with the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT) GAGA UK provides funding to the Othandweni Respite and Palliative Care Unit to keep this vital service running This is a 24-bed respite unit offering free healthcare services and palliative care, serving the semi-rural and disadvantaged communities of the Valley of 1000 Hills region of KwaZulu-Natal, one of the epicentres of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic with HIV-infection rates of up to 40% almost double the national average of 20 4%
The Othandweni Respite & Palliative Care Unit has continued to be an essential service and pillar in the community surrounding Hillcrest, South Africa. This area of KwaZulu-Natal has dealt with a lot in recent years, from flooding to widespread rioting. Most recently they are facing severe water shortages. As other services continue to close or downsize due to financial constraints, HACT staff continue to courageously and consistently serve the communities of eThekwini as a whole, as well as increasingly outside of these areas
We also received generous grants this year from the Kate Farrer Foundation and the Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust to support the Respite Unit and the GOGO Support Programme HACT’s Gogo (Granny) Support Groups programme provides psychosocial support as well as practical and sustainable skills development, training and economic empowerment opportunities to over 2000 gogos through a network of over 60 support groups across 12 rural communities Mainly as a consequence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, many of these Gogos are caring for their orphaned and vulnerable grandchildren and are in dire need of emotional as well as financial support. HACT focusses on working alongside these Gogos to find practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges they experience on a daily basis all the while, acknowledging the honour and privilege it is to serve these remarkable women who are the backbone of their families and communities.
We’re so proud of HACT’s work to provide unconditional love and hope to those impacted by HIV and AIDS and working towards empowered, healthy and AIDS-free communities We support their vision and mission and are pleased to continue to partner with them
KilimanjaroYoungGirlsinNeed Mabogini,Tanzania
We’re proud to have been able to continue our support for Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need School (KYGN) in a number of different ways. Our support of KYGN has expanded in new ways over the past 12 months, reaffirming our commitment to this remarkable rural school and its incredible team of educators
Our corporate partner Adiuvo continues to support a class of students through their primary schooling That group of children is now in class 4B and they continue to thrive and perform very well on the national standardized testing, as well as in their own school marks.
This year saw more funding partnerships between GAGA UK and UK-based trusts and foundations to carry out vital infrastructure projects at KYGN The Clean Water Plumbing project was funded by the Coles-Medlock Foundation in the later half of 2023, and the work was completed this year This project sought to complete vital work on the plumbing system at KYGN in order to make the toilets fully sanitary including installation of reserve tanks and improved plumbing to the toilet block. We knew that safe drinking water and proper sanitary plumbing would be fundamental for the girls at KYGN to access education and thrive With the unsanitary conditions, girls were falling ill and missing school Prior to receiving the grant, the school had a long and difficult history of accessing the necessary clean water on site, both for bathing and washing students clothes and also for drinking and cooking They managed to obtain a drilled well on the school grounds, but the water from the well was not safe for drinking or cooking, meaning that the school had to purchase drinking water for the children In some cases when the school did not have the necessary funds to purchase drinking water, they’ve been forced to use the water from the well for cooking and drinking This led to the children in the school and safe house getting stomach pains and diarrhoea, as the well water was not sanitary
The work has now been completed and the monitoring and evaluation work is underway to assess the success of the project The children are happily enjoying the benefits of having access to clean water all over the school campus
The New Classroom block project was identified to address the need for smaller classrooms, and funded by The Jephcott Charitable Trust and the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Settlement. The goal of the new classroom block at KYGN was to alleviate the classroom sizes, allowing teachers to give more individual attention to students and thus improving students’ grades, exam scores and general wellbeing at school, giving them a better quality education and opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty The work of this project is still underway
The school continues to accommodate 930 children between the ages of 3-13 years old, including 58 vulnerable children living on-site in the safe house. The younger children have an Early Childhood Development curriculum The older students' curriculum consists of social studies, vocation skills, mathematics, civic and moral studies, Kiswahili, science and English
SangobegScholarshipProgramme
KwaZulu-Natal,SouthAfrica
The Sangobeg Scholarship programme continued to be a valuable part of our portfolio 13 individuals received some form of funding from the programme in 2023/24, ranging from alumni support, subsistence support, through fully funding degree, diploma, and vocational training. This programme is funded by our corporate partner, Sangobeg Investments Ltd who continue to be a steadfast supporter of GAGA UK and the student programme, maintaining a keen interest in the progress of the students
Here is a brief snapshot of what three of our wonderful scholars have been up to this year:
Hlengiwe
Hlengiwe is one of our brilliant scholarship students studying Civil Engineering Law at a college in Pietermaritzburg, in KwaZulu-Natal She started studying in 2020, and will finish her 5-year course in 2025. Hlengiwe is making excellent marks and loves her course, particularly the modules of drawing, measurements and design. In her spare time, she has a part-time retail job on the weekends which keeps her busy and active as well as bringing in extra pocket money
Zinhle
Zinhle is one year into a three-year teaching degree at UNISA and is doing exceptionally well. She talks passionately about her courses and is making excellent marks She recently completed her practical portion of her degree at a primary school in Pietermaritzburg, where she was being mentored by the K1 teacher and leading the classes by herself. She loved this experience! She is a wonderful person and motivated student.
Mandla
The Sangobeg Scholarships programme provided funding for this young man to finish his high school studies (which are called “matric” in South Africa) He worked extremely hard to pass all of his final exams in December and this year we ’ re very proud to have offered him a bespoke funding package to pursue further education as a Sangobeg Scholar He will be doing a two year course in IT Engineering which will give him excellent career prospects on completion of the course Our Project Coordinator in KwaZulu-Natal has been working closely with Mandla to ensure a smooth start to this academic year and to make sure he has everything he needs to optimize his success in his studies.
Well done Sangobeg Scholars! We’re so proud of you all, and we remain incredibly grateful to Sangobeg Investments Ltd for the ongoing partnership
