GAGAzette Summer 2025
Greetings from South Africa, where we are in the midst of a cold and rainy winter. We’re hoping that our supporters and friends in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying a wonderful summer so far!
We are thrilled and excited to announce that our sister charity in South Africa, GAGA ZA, has received certification documents and is now in the process of setting up a bank account and beginning to fundraise! This has been in the works for a long time Over the next couple of years, we’ll be shifting operations to our African-based counterparts while continuing our important fundraising programmes in the UK Watch this space, and to learn more about getting more involved with GAGA ZA, pop them a message at gagaza2023@gmail.com.
For now, I’m delighted to present the Summer 2025 edition of the GAGAzette. Read on about the exciting developments happening recently with our partners and projects in South Africa and Tanzania Wishing you a wonderful and sunny summer, wherever you are
With warmest wishes
Olivia Van Rensburg GAGA UK Director
Sangobeg Scholars
A letter from Zinhle, our Sangobeg Scholar studying a 3-year
teaching degree:
I’m writing with a little update regarding my studies So far my studies are going very well. I am doing 10 modules per year and each module has various assignments. This year I have an exam for each module, which I didn’t have last year I’m finding the course to be a bit more difficult this year but of course I’m trying my best On the 8th of April I started my practicals at a local primary school. Practicals are part of the course where I actually get to do hands-on teaching experience in the classroom I was also able to gather all the information I needed for my TPF assignment which is a training module. The school I was in gave a lot of support with everything for this assignment such as equipment I needed and the lesson plans
I enjoyed my practicals and was so happy to be with the learners although difficult sometimes but I know I have to get used to it this is what I will be dealing with my whole career All in all I don't regret choosing teaching as a career because I really enjoy it Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity
Thank you once again to our sponsor, Sangobeg Investments Ltd, for making this opportunity possible for our wonderful, motivated and deserving scholars.
Photos: Zinhle with a student on Sports Day (left) Zinhle doing her practicals in a grade R classroom (right)
Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need
The students of KYGN are now on their mid-term holidays and will be returning to school at the beginning of July this year. The students in the upper classes wrote their exams at the end of May. The last day of term saw huge celebrations as usual with a sports and games morning, as well as special activities in the classrooms. Students spent the morning playing games like tug of war and capture the flag Staff brought in special Tanzanian dishes to mark the special occasion and everyone took part in a lunchtime feast
There’s a lot going on at the school in general, including maintenance projects to carry out during the break while the students are away. One of the major infrastructure projects we are carrying out this year, The Biogas Project, is now in its second phase of funding in partnership with The Jephcott Charitable Trust
In our last update we explained a bit about the Biogas Project and the need for a new sustainable alternative fuel source As a reminder, last year the Tanzanian government announced 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. As one of these institutions, KYGN Director Anna sought to use the vastly more sustainable Biogas system, having seen the systems being successfully used in neighbouring Kenya and even trialling a version of the system at her own home. Cow dung is collected and fed into a brick kiln from above the ground It travels through l d filt i i to the main underground furnace. The ‘energised’ dung is and other areas as required.
The first phase was completed at the start of this year with all materials purchased and imported from neighbouring Kenya Phase two is now under way with the purchase of specialized Biogas pots and cows which the school can use for the project, and also for milk sales, generating more sustainable income for the school
Today (17 June) a baby cow was born to one of the new cows at the school!
Summer Campaign for 1000 Hills Community Helpers
This summer, we ’ re raising funds for the vital Baby Wellness Clinic at 1000 Hills Community Helpers, located in the Valley of 1000 Hills, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
For many years, GAGA UK has supported the vital The Baby Wellness Clinic at 1000 Hills Community Helpers. The clinic runs every week on a Tuesday morning. It is extremely busy and continues to grow year on year The Baby Wellness Clinic is an extraordinary and vital aspect of the health of young mothers in the local impoverished rural community. This is a safe space where mothers can come weekly to access healthcare for their newborns free of charge The clinic truly provides a lifeline to those new mothers who have found it difficult to access the healthcare system and have fallen through the cracks.
GAGA has historically funded the clinic with quarterly grants. Over the last couple of years, we have found that many donors’ priorities have shifted away from South Africa and it is becoming increasingly more difficult to fundraise for community projects like this one, vital though they are for the vulnerable and marginalised local mothers and their babies This quarter we are appealing to our wonderful community of supporters to help us raise £4,835 to fund this programme. Our fundraising target has the potential to directly support at least 600 babies get the best start in life, and contribute to their mothers gaining access to vitally important postpartum and maternity services in this impoverished rural area where there is severely limited access to these crucial services
To make a donation please visit gaga-uk.org where you will be directed on our landing page to the campaign
Thank you in advance for your support!
Leaving a Legacy
In the past couple of years, GAGA UK has been the recipient of two wonderful legacy gifts which has made an enormously positive boost to our unrestricted funding pot. Like many other small charities, a percentage of this unrestricted funding allows us to cover our operating costs, as well as allowing us to react quickly to emergencies and respond to new opportunities for funding.
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.
