Continued support for disadvantaged children in Uganda
GIC is pleased to announce its continued support for a charity helping disadvantaged children in Uganda.
In 2023, GIC began sponsoring a young boy – Trevor – with a £265 annual donation, enabling him to attend school by funding his board, food, uniform and mattress.
Last month, GIC bought 350 book bags and worked with the charity Nkuringo Education and Community Support (NECS) to donate them to schoolchildren in a remote village in the high-altitude mountains and volcanoes of Uganda, on the border with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
NECS was set up by Janet Duchesne and her husband, Steve, after trekking in the Rubona area of Uganda in 2014.
Janet and Steve realised that children do not automatically go to school – although education, even a basic education, is their passport to a better life.
GIC learnt of the charity in 2018, when director Luke Murphy and his wife Kate were holidaying in the region.
Today, in addition to personally sponsoring three primary and three secondary school students, Kate is the Primary School Lead and a Trustee for the charity, which is run entirely by volunteers, meaning every single penny raised goes directly to supporting these children and their community.
The bags that GIC provided are sturdy and durable, which is crucial, as the children use them to stow schoolwork and prized belongings, keeping them safe and dry.
In addition to the bags, NECS also delivered clothes and shoes during its latest visit to the village.
“The children were over the moon to receive them,” says Kate. “For the whole of our trip, we could see the GIC-branded bags all over the village on the backs of the children. I was completely amazed at how much joy they brought to everyone.
To give you an idea of the challenges they face, I was watching one of the children I sponsor playing football. I noticed he only had one shoe and one football sock on and shouted over that he’d lost a shoe. With a massive smile on his face, he replied, ‘I haven’t lost one. I only have one, and my friend has the other.”
If you’d like to find out more about NECS, have a look at https://necs.org.uk/ or https://m.facebook.com/groups/1646229919007401/
