GAGAzette Spring 2025

Goodwill and Growth for Africa UK

GAGAzette Spring 2025

I’m delighted to present to you the Spring 2025 edition of the GAGAzette. As ever, there is so much going on at GAGA UK and our projects in Southern Africa. The summer is drawing to a close here in the Southern Hemisphere but it feels as though developments with our projects are gaining momentum and blossoming! We’ve got new partners and fundraising goals as well as new initiatives happening at each of our partner projects. Read on to find out how your support continues to help us make a profoundly positive impact to those in need in South Africa and Tanzania.

Thank you once again for your interest in our work!

With warmest wishes

Olivia Van Rensburg Director, GAGA UK

Registered Charity Number 1092028

www.gaga-uk.org

Sangobeg Scholarships Programme In our last few updates, we reported that we have committed ourselves to seeking out new candidates for the Sangobeg Scholarship Programme using new avenues and partnerships. Over the last year we have worked closely with the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust Peer Education team to identify promising and motivated students from rural high schools deep in the Valley of 1000 Hills, which is one of the most poverty-stricken communities of Africa. The children graduating from these high schools who qualify for the Sangobeg Scholarship Programme would otherwise not have access to further education or tertiary training. The GAGA UK Trustees formed a subcommittee who have met regularly over the course of the last year to review new applications of the new candidates and assess their qualifying documentation.

I’m pleased to report that two new Sangobeg Scholars have been awarded funding through our new partnership with the HACT Peer Education Team. I’m proud to introduce our brand new Sangobeg Scholars, Thandile and Palisa.

Palisa (pictured below) is studying an Accounting degree at the University of the Western Cape, in Cape Town. This is a first for the Sangobeg Scholarship Programme, because she is from KwaZuluNatal, and has taken up a programme in a different province.

Thandile (pictured right) is the second of our newest Sangobeg Scholarship students, and she is studying for a diploma in Agriculture in Crop Production. Some modules she's taking this year include Agricultural Mechanisation, Aspects of Crop Enterprises, Agricultural Statistics, and Computer Skills. She hopes to become a farmer and help employ others who are passionate about working with the land of her native South Africa.

We are supporting both young ladies with accommodation, travel and subsistence. Both began their courses in February 2025 and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the continued support of our incredible sponsor, Sangobeg Investments Ltd. Thank you so much once again to Sangobeg for believing in the potential of these bright young scholars and giving them the opportunity to create brighter futures for themselves.

Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need The children are approaching midterm at the end of March and will break during the beginning of April.

We’re approaching winter in the Southern Hemisphere, which historically has been the most rainy and challenging season in Tanzania. 2024 saw devastating floods and the school had to be shut for several weeks. We are working with the KYGN management to source funds for a Flood Defence System, which would fortify the walls and surroundings of the school so that they would not be threatened by the extreme weather of winter rains.

We are proud to partner with SmartEducator, an AI tool that saves teachers 8+ hours a week by automating marking while ensuring consistency and fairness. Founders Rowland and Kerry have personally pledged two years of funding for KYGN and will also help raise awareness through marketing and fundraising. Their commitment will make a lasting impact on the education of young girls in Tanzania. Thank you, SmartEducator!

In other news, the Biogas system is well under way and starting to slowly be used at the school. 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.

The first phase of this project has been funded by our corporate partner, ElectroRoute, with all materials being purchased in Kenya and setup mostly complete. We are now moving on to the funding of stage two of the project, 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.

Pictured: Class P5B at Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need school, being taught by Sir AlyHaji

The last bit of extremely exciting news for the school is that David Harkin, CEO of corporate partner 8billionideas and his colleagues are embarking on an incredible challenge event over the next year to benefit KYGN. David, Callum, Tom and James will run eight marathons in 2025 to raise funds to build a brand new Future Skills Centre of Excellence at KYGN. This will be the first of its kind at the school: a media centre with 15 computers, two printers, a generator, LCD projection system, security system and air-conditioning unit to protect the room from harsh Tanzanian summers. David, Callum, Tom and James are hoping to raise £25,000 through this initiative and we could not be prouder and more excited for them. Well done and thank you, team 8billionideas!

1000 Hills Community Helpers GAGA UK has funded the vitally important Baby Wellness Clinic at 1000 Hills Community Helpers for many years, supporting rural mothers who have fallen through the cracks of South Africa’s underfunded public healthcare system and their newborn babies. In the last quarter of 2024, the clinic supported 452 babies through their weekly clinic which runs on a Tuesday. Babies are assessed, weighed, and checked over and the clinic team speaks to mothers about their own wellbeing and feeding. The clinic provides baby wellness care packs including nappies, creams and lotions, soaps, wipes, pacifiers, bottles, blankets and formula on a weekly basis. The clinic provides the items and service completely free of charge which is truly remarkable for these rural mothers in need.

We’ve been very proud to support this programme for many years, and continue to seek partnerships for funding for this vital service into 2025.

Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust GAGA UK has provided funding for HACT’s on-site Othandweni Respite Unit. At HACT’s In-Patient Unit, the team embrace a holistic approach to healing—nurturing the mind, body, and spirit. This past Valentine’s Day, patients tapped into their creative side by crafting heartfelt, handmade cards for the residents of a local old age home and their loved ones at home. For many, this was more than just an art project — it became a meaningful expression of love, gratitude, and connection during difficult times.

Engaging in creative activities like art therapy offers significant emotional and psychological benefits, giving patients a renewed sense of purpose, joy, and self-expression. These small yet powerful gestures remind us that true healing extends beyond medical care — it’s also about fostering compassion, connection, and emotional well-being.

We’re very proud of our past partnership with HACT, and also remain committed to providing funding to this incredible programme.

HOLAH (House of Love and Hope) We continue to collect funds in the UK for our project partner, Likhon iThemba, who run HOLAH (House of Love and Hope) which is an orphanage for special needs children in Waterfall, South Africa. Some exciting news from HOLAH this quarter: The centre has sponsored a Speech Therapist for the year of 2025. This is incredibly exciting and important as this is one of the main needs of the children at HOLAH, meaning they don’t have to be taken off-site for speech therapy The centre are now working with AAC communication devices. An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device, is a tablet or laptop that helps someone with a speech or language impairment to communicate.

One of the children at HOLAH has recently been tested for Cortical Visual testing / Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI). HOLAH would like to have 8 more of their children tested and have set a goal in 2025 to raise funds for this.

What else?

There are many more ways you can support GAGA UK and our work in Southern Africa.

Follow us on social media, comment and share our posts.

Take part in a sponsored event or challenge to raise money for GAGA UK! Contact olivia@gaga-uk.org for fundraising ideas and events in your area.

Could your company be interested in corporate partnership with GAGA UK? Get in touch with olivia@gaga-uk.org to find out how a partnership could benefit your business and employees.

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.