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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Despite being regularly sent home from school due to a lack of fees, Abigael’s determination to do well at school and in life is not diminished. Sadly she and her two siblings lost their mum suddenly in 2023 and are now cared for by their grandmother. Their gran told us 'I decided to support these...
Aryan currently lives with her 6 siblings and two parents in a small broken structure. Her parents work hard when jobs are available but at most they each earn £1.50 per day. This make it impossible to afford school fees and so the children are regularly sent home from school. They often go to sleep...
Brian and his two siblings lost their dad in 2021 due to Covid. They are cared for by their mum but it has not been easy due to her poor health. When we first met the family, they were faced with a large sum of rent arrears and despite trying to find casual jobs, their...
Esther is in Primary 4 and is determined to become a nurse so that she can help people who are unwell. She and her parents live in a very challenging environment and struggle to survive. They eat and sleep in a small room made from mud and work opportunities are scarce. Now and again her...
Despite his young age, Kevin has had a very tough life. Following the death of his dad, his uncles behaved very badly towards Kevin, his siblings and their mum, resulting in the family having to move out. Their grandmother took them in but then sadly passed away and since then their mum has also faced...
Philomena and her four older siblings have lived with their grandmother since they lost their mum through a tragic road accident. They all depend on their grandmother's little income from casual jobs around the village. However, this work is not a reliable source of income which means at times the family go to sleep hungry...
John is the perfect example of both determination and the power of education. With GEF support he recently completed a BSC in Clinical Medicine at Jomo Kenyatta University and is working as a Doctor in Karatina. His journey was not easy. John’s mum and dad work hard as coffee farmers but struggled to earn enough...
Mel started working with us part time in January 2024. She is responsible for grant applications and coordinating our Neil Jaffrey Initiative which supports disabled children and their families in north-east Scotland. We were very lucky to receive support through NJI for my disabled son Matthew, and the difference it made to our lives was...
Before GEF support, Brilyn lived with her mum and brother in a single rented room without electricity. She shared a bed with her mum and her brother slept on a basic couch and was often sent home from school due to unpaid fees, which meant she missed many crucial classes and her grades suffered. Through...
My name is Bilha, I was born in Uasin Gishu County but later relocated to Nyeri County after the post-election violence in 2007. During this time our life really changed since the lifestyle we had been living before changed and we had to adapt to the new life because we were living in a camp....
Education has been at the heart of GEF since 2014 and was also the theme for our 10th Anniversary Dinner on Saturday 18th May 2024 at Thainstone Centre. Funds raised from the event, which is headline sponsored by Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd, will go towards: Paying the school, college and university fees of children...
I am a Journalist by profession. Film making and still photography runs my life. Born and raised in a small village in Narok county-Kenya and migrated to Iten in the year 2014, there after, | pursued journalism and Mass Communication where I decided to major in Sports journalism. I worked for Kenya Television Service as...
“I was born and raised in the slopes of the North Rift Valley in in a small village called Kapsisywa in Nandi County which is famous for the G.O.A.T runner Eliud Kipchoge hailing from. I grew up and went to school with no struggle on the school fee front as my parents were able to...
"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela We believe that every child deserves access to education and the chance to pursue their dreams. At the heart of our mission is to: Provide children in Kenya with an education by supporting school, college and university fees. Further support...
Psychosocial Support Programme Our Psychosocial Support Programme is designed to help children and their families maintain a good physical and mental health and provide them with important coping mechanisms to deal with difficult situations. Psychosocial support addresses a person’s emotional, social, mental and spiritual needs (psychological needs). Our GEF Social Workers Serah and Janet visit...
Food and Farming Many of the children we support are cared for by single parents who work long hours on local farms only to receive the equivalent of £2 for their day of work. This makes it extremely difficult for them to put food on the table and so we run the below programmes to...
DISCLAIMER: I declare that I am an amateur as defined under SAL/UKA rules and all associated bodies and will abide by those rules. I will be 11 years of age or older on the day of the race. I hereby agree that the organisers or their associates shall not be liable for any loss, injury,...
Tabitha and her family find themselves in a critical situation; short of food, clothing and with Tabitha and her siblings all either out of school or being sent home regularly due to being unable to afford the cost of fees, uniform and books. Life became much harder for the family when Tabitha’s dad passed...
*Thank you so much to Christopher who has kindly agreed to sponsor Irene* Irene is among the best performing primary school students and a school prefect but faces a future without secondary education. Her teachers adore her and describe Irene as a girl who has an outstanding character, is focused, diligent and a role model...
Angel's dreams of becoming a Doctor but until this week she feared that she may not be able to realise it due to regularly being sent home from school due to a lack of fees. However, thanks to sponsorship from the Mackay family she is now going to be in school full-time and will have...
Derek recently moved into a new house built by GEF and now we would love for him to get back into school. He lives with his 2 siblings and their mum, Justina who works very hard to try and ensure the children have food, clothing and are in school but life is a struggle for...
*Big thanks to Anurag who has very kindly offered to sponsor Damaris.* Damaris is described by her teacher as a "hard working and disciplined girl who deserves to be in school full-time". Sadly since Damaris' mum lost her job at a school it has become hard for her to afford her school fees whilst also...
*Asante sana to Sasha and Grace Mae Recruitment for giving James the gift of sponsorship.* Despite scoring impressive marks of 347/500 in his end of primary school exams, James is not able to join secondary school. His mother is currently paying the secondary school fees of his elder sister and can only afford the school...
*Huge thanks to the Stone family whose sponsorship will see Victor back in school receiving the education he deserves.* Victor has the grades capable of taking him to university but as it stands he will not be able to complete secondary due to a lack of fees. He and his siblings are looked after...
*We owe a big thank you to David who is kindly going to be sponsoring Vivian through her education.* Vivian's mum sadly passed away in 2019 as result of kidney failure. She left behind Vivian and her 4 siblings. As there is no adult to look after them it is now up to Vivian’s 2...
*Thank you very much to John who has kindly offered to sponsor David each month.* David’s house was burned to the ground and his family’s cows were stolen. This left him, his parents and siblings homeless until the local community rallied together to build them a small house. We were able to provide the family...
*Thank you so much to Mark and his company seQuoyah who have kindly agreed to sponsor Emmanuel's education.* Emmanuel simply wants to be in school regularly with his friends. Life has been really hard for him and his siblings since their dad suffered a life altering accident and their mum abandoned them. Emmanuel’s dad...
*We are delighted to say that a kind family have signed up to sponsor Angel. She will now get the support she needs and start attending school.* Angel is a fascinating and kind little girl who has been blind since birth. She has heightened abilities for someone so young when it comes to hearing, speaking...
Kenya Experience running camps provide an inspirational location, expert coaching and a supportive group environment for runners of all levels. With an emphasis on doing it ‘the Kenyan way’ the camps include guided runs, practical workshops and an exciting itinerary outside of the actual training. You will meet and learn from top Kenyan runners and...
Thank you to everyone who helped us raise an incredible £49,103 at our second Gathimba Edwards Foundation dinner on Saturday 18th February 2017 at Ardoe House Hotel, Aberdeen. Guests were inspired by our first speaker of the evening Wilson Kipsang. The former world marathon record holder, Olympic medallist, New York, London and Berlin marathon champion,...
We would like to say the biggest thank you to our 2015 Kenya 22 family which raised over £12,500 for the children we are supporting in Kenya. The team of 15 were great fun and it was a huge pleasure to spend 12 days with them visiting children, meeting world famous athletes, going on safari and...
Asante sana (thank you very much) to our 8 guests who were part of this memorable trip and raised an incredible £8,687. This unique opportunity gave our guests the chance to give kids in Kenya a chance while also enjoying the trip of a lifetime that included: taking part in our Mount Kenya Marvellous race...
Our team of 12 guests climbed Mount Kenya in support of our kids and raised an amazing £7,200! During the course of their 2 week spell in Kenya they touched hearts and changed lives forever. They visited families, ran our Mount Kenya Marvellous 5k or 10k races, officially opened new houses we have built, went...
The team raised an incredible £14,121 which enabled us to do the following: 1. A contribution to the operation (and after care) to fix Daniel’s broken arm that he had lived with for 6 years. His arm is now functional and we have been able to provide he and his 6 kids with a house...
Our 2019 group collectively raised an amazing £5,890 which enabled us to support two very special projects. By volunteering in Kenya, they witnessed how their donations helped. We built a new house for a family of 9 who previously lived in very poor conditions. They had no beds or toilet (they used a nearby bush)...
We are incredibly proud of our 51 volunteers who in October 2015 helped us build a new 16 bed dormitory for the children at the Pavilion Village children's home and a 3 bedroom house for Judy and her family in Iruri. This wouldn't have been possible without the support of Stewart Milne Group who flew...
In October 2017 our volunteers built 4 houses for 2 families in 7 days - 1 day ahead of schedule! You can watch how we did it by clicking here. The family pictured had been through some very tough times. The 6 of them lived in a broken wooden shed in Nyeri. James (right) scored...
In July 2018 our group of 29 international volunteers and many from within Kenya built 4 houses in just 6 days, breaking all records we have achieved in previous house building trips. No-one could quiet believe it, but it just goes to show when a group of people come together to make something happen special...
Due to Covid-19 we were unable to run trips to Kenya between 2020 and 2022. However, this did not stop us building 5 houses. Thanks to funds raised by those who had signed up to our 2020 trip, we were able to build Simon and his family their new house in March 2021 in our...
In October 2019 15 volunteers embarked on a trip to Kenya to build houses for 3 families they had never met before. Over the course of the 2-week trip they worked together, faced some challenging weather conditions, learned new skills and formed lasting bonds; to take on a project out of their comfort zone. Why...
In Kenya when you sponsor a child, a little can go a long way. £35 per month fully supports the education of a child. Covering the cost of primary, secondary and tertiary fees, uniform, school bag, shoes, school meals, stationery, books (and menstrual care products for girls) means that the child you sponsor can attend...