Summer GAGAzette 2023

GAGAzette Summer 2023

I hope you ’ re well, and that you ' re having a wonderful summer.

It’s been a busy few months at GAGA UK as we wrapped up the financial year 2022-2023 and got off to a flying start with 2023-2024. We’ve had a number of exciting funding successes and developments which I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you. Our programmes and beneficiaries continue to thrive through the Southern Hemisphere winter. Here you can read details about what they’ve been up to in the last few months since we last spoke.

If you have any questions about the contents of this newsletter, or any of our work at any time, please get in touch with me directly on olivia@gaga-uk.org. I would love to hear from you

With warm wishes

Olivia Van Rensburg Development Manager

Sangobeg Scholarships

Spotlight on Goodness, Teaching Student

For this quarter’s GAGAzette, I interviewed one of our Sangobeg Scholarships students, Goodness, who is in her third year of a Bachelor of Education degree specialising in Foundation Phase Teaching. Goodness is determined to finish her degree so that she can get a well-paid teaching job. Once she receives the qualification she is working towards, she will be an attractive candidate for employers.

Goodness is in her third year of her studies. Part of the curriculum for third year is to take part in practical teaching practice at a school and working with a mentor “I was placed in a primary school for my third year teaching practice and I’m very happy that I passed that module. I learned a lot about mastering the foundation phase of education, especially for grade 1. The teacher in that class of the primary school was my mentor and she helped me so much, teaching me how to carry on with the lessons. Someone from the college came in to assess me and she said that I did very well, so I was happy with that.”

I asked Goodness about her plans for the future. She said, "When I’m finished with my studies I will look for a job in my field In South Africa, especially in education, you can only get a good job if you have a degree, so this degree will help me with that. I’m still waiting for my results from the last term, but I feel hopeful and confident that I did well!”

Goodness is extremely grateful to the project sponsor Sangobeg for this opportunity to establish a career in Foundation Phase Teaching, giving her the tools she needs to create a brighter future for herself. Thank you Sangobeg!

Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need

We are immensely proud to announce our new funding partnership with the Coles-Medlock Foundation in aid of the Clean Water Plumbing Project at KYGN. Thanks to funding from the foundation, the KYGN team in Tanzania will spend the next quarter completing the vital plumbing works on site This will ensure that the 930 children at the school, including 58 vulnerable children living on-site at the safe house, have access to clean and safe water for cooking and drinking, including sanitary conditions in the latrines. We believe that the provision of clean water will ensure that the children miss less school due to illness, and also contribute to their overall health and wellbeing in general. We are looking forward to keeping you updated with the developments of the project. Thank you so much, Coles-Medlock Foundation!

There is another extremely exciting development to tell you about The Trustees of KYGN UK have been overseeing fundraising for the school for more than a decade, and are now looking to “future-proof” the services they provide. We have therefore come to a joint agreement that GAGA UK will be taking over all of the KYGN UK services from January 2024. We will be working with the Trustees of KYGN UK towards a seamless transition towards the end of 2023. Donors will be able to continue to support KYGN’s vital work, receive regular updates, and be assured sound reporting and monitoring systems on expenditure are in place This is very exciting for GAGA UK as it means we’ll be strengthening our relationship with KYGN, and thus reinstating our commitment to the growth and development of this wonderful school.

Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust

At HACT, preparations are underway for GOGOLYMPICS (Gogo Olympics – the annual event where local grandmothers take part in a competitive but fun sporting day) This event is part of HACT's Gogo Support Programme, which provides psychosocial support as well as practical and sustainable skills development, training and economic empowerment opportunities to the many grannies in the community who are caring for their orphaned and vulnerable grandchildren, which is a consequence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in this region This year marks the 10th anniversary of this special event which will be held in August In partnership with the Department of Sports and Recreation, youth in the local communities surrounding Hillcrest were recently trained to help coach the Gogos to get fit and achieve their very best at the GOGOlympics.

HACT is so proud of these game-changing women who are pillars of the community. On the day of the event they’re expecting over 600 Gogos from across the Valley of 1000 Hills and also other areas of eThekwini

1000 Hills Community Helpers

The baby wellness clinic at 1000 Hills Community helpers has enabled the centre to safeguard the many vulnerable babies who are born into the impoverished surrounding community. The clinic continues to educate young mothers on how to take care of their little ones, ensuring that health and nutrition remain a top priority Through the wonderful efforts of the clinic volunteers, the centre has been hosting educational workshops with demonstrations on how to bottle feed, how to correctly hold a baby, how to bath a baby, and even how to burp a baby Because these mothers are so young, they often do not know how to do these things The team is finding that the demonstrations are working well, and they even let the mothers who volunteer come up to show others they have understood the demonstration It forms a sense of security and comfort to be able to share with one another in a safe space The team continues to do a fantastic job, and we ’ re very pleased to continue providing funding for this crucial rural clinic

What else?

You can still donate to our summer campaign!

This summer, we ’ re appealing to our supporters to consider making a regular monthly gift to GAGA UK. Regular planned giving through a standing order allows us to plan ahead allowing for a more sustainable future for GAGA UK and the projects we support. Whatever the amount you donate, you can be completely assured that it will go a long way in making a lasting and positive impact in the rural communities we support in southern Africa. To make a donation, visit https://www gaga-uk org/appeal/gaga-uk-summer-campaign or email olivia@gaga-uk org

Are you interested in leaving a gift in your will?

Whatever the size, when you include a gift to GAGA UK in your will, you are giving our future generations the opportunity to create a brighter future. Leaving a legacy is a way to ensure that your values of equality and opportunity can carry on. To learn more about how to leave a gift in your will, contact olivia@gaga-uk.org.