Neil Jaffrey Initiative

Sadly on 7th September 2014 the Gathimba Edwards Foundation lost one of our most loyal supporters in Neil Jaffrey (pictured below right) when he was tragically killed whilst cycling in Aberdeen. Neil, more commonly known as 'Eddie', really was one of a kind. He had a unique ability to take an interest in everyone he met and help them wherever possible.

Constantly inspired and driven on by Neil's memory, we wanted to keep his memory alive in as many ways as possible. The Neil Jaffrey Initiative was born in 2015 and has since enabled us to fund raise over £45,000 to improve the quality of life for children with disabilities living in north-east Scotland.

Whilst GEF was initially set up to support and create opportunities for children and families in Kenya, it was important for us to make impact in north-east Scotland too. We do this through the purchase of specialist equipment and service support for children and their families.

Families in need of support are either introduced to us through schools, support workers or other charities or they get in touch themselves through our application process. If you know of a child who would benefit from support through the Neil Jaffrey Initiative please send a request via the form below and a member of the team will get back to you to discuss the request in more detail.

MJ

MJ sadly passed away aged 11 in October 2023, but throughout his life he smiled in the face of pain and adversity. He was strong, sweet, positive and determined and lit up every room he was in with his beautiful smile. MJ was born in 2011 with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. This meant that he was […]

Tyler

Tyler is an inspirational young boy in Aberdeenshire who suffers from spina bifida. So far we have supported Tyler with a specialised bath seat and up seat/walker thanks to sponsorship from the Westhill and District Roundtable group. In addition to this we have been able to purchase the below custom built bicycle for him to […]

Evie

Evie suffered from cerebral palsy, severe dystonia and resistant epilepsy which brought huge challenges to her and her family. We have had the pleasure of getting to know them since first meeting in 2018. The love, patience, happiness and reluctance to ask anyone for help humbled and inspired us to do something to make their […]

Thomas

Thomas, who is 3 years old and is on the Autism spectrum, faces daily challenges. He has communication issues and struggles with regulating his emotions, which means he can become frustrated and aggressive when attempting to voice his needs or how he is feeling, even if he feels happy. Sometimes these behaviours manifest physically and […]

Elsa and Ella

These wonderful Twin sisters Elsa and Ella both have cerebral palsy. They both face different challenges relating to their diagnosis, but they both require a wheelchair to get around. When we met them, their Mum, Nicole, was often trying to manoeuvre two heavy wheelchairs on her own when walking the girls to nursery, while big […]

Stoyan

Stoyan is autistic and has global development delay. He thrives on sensory feedback. His Mum applied to our Neil Jaffrey initiative for a specialist swing for their garden so Stoyan could experience the delight of play and inclusion as he has outgrown most of the things he enjoyed at the park. The swing brings Stoyan […]

Oscar

10-year-old Oscar lives with severe autism and learning difficulties. He stays in Aberdeenshire with his mum, Valerie and younger brother, Kyle. Oscar is non-verbal and has the mindset of a toddler, which unfortunately means he has no awareness of danger and requires constant supervision. Oscar uses a mobility pushchair to get around safely but he […]

Anna

5 year old Anna has a condition which affects her mobility, and uses a wheelchair to get around. She also has a blood condition which means it can be dangerous if she gets cuts and scrapes. Anna and her Mum Lyn were living in a flat without flooring, with exposed rough areas making it dangerous […]

A legacy of love

Neil Jaffrey's family gave us the incredible honour of donations from his funeral going to the children we are supporting in Kenya and thanks to the generosity of everyone who came to say goodbye to Neil, over £1,800 was raised. This enabled us to buy some of the materials for our volunteers to build a house for the Gathigia family in Iruri, Kenya in October 2015.

A road leading up to the Pavilion Village children's home in Karatina, Kenya has been named in memory of Neil. This was thanks to the children and staff at the home being so touched by the Jaffrey family's support.

You can donate specifically to the Neil Jaffrey Initiative below. Please reference 'Scotland' with your donation. Thank you.

Neil Jaffrey Initiative

Meet some of the children we have been able to help

MJ