Leave a Legacy By leaving a gift in your will to GEF you can help ensure that the vital work we do in Kenya and north-east Scotland continues to make a lasting difference for generations to come. If you already have a will, you can easily update it by working with your solicitor. Whether you...
Support a child in north-east Scotland In north-east Scotland, families with disabled children are faced with incredibly difficult decisions, forced to choose between covering basic bills and essentials or providing the specialist equipment and therapies their loved ones urgently need for a quality of life we all deserve. Gathimba Edwards Foundation (GEF) supports disabled children...
Lunch and Learn In addition to our Group Presentations, we also deliver inspiring and informative Lunch & Learn sessions at your place of work. These focus more specifically on the work we do to support children and their families in Kenya and north-east Scotland, the challenges they face, success stories and how you can...
From his family being homeless in 2015 to graduating with a degree in Economics and Finance in 2024, Gibson’s story is one of self belief, resilience and selflessness. In the face of adversity, his mum Lucy has single handedly raised 6 wonderful children who each have great attitudes, humility and potential. GEF volunteers were honoured...
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...
Eight year old Melvine dreams of becoming a teacher one day but she is at risk of never completing school. Since losing her dad life has become very tough. Melvine, her mum and two sisters living an arid area of Kenya where access to food and water are limited. On top of this she is...
Whitney and her two younger brothers lost both their parents in 2018 and are now cared for by their aunt, who also has two secondary school aged children. The six of them stay in an extremely small single room house struggle to afford regular meals. Whitney’s aunt does all she can for the survival of...
Wendy is regularly out of school and has limited access to food and water due to living in an arid area of Kenya. Life then became even tougher when she lost her dad, whose job had brought in vital income for the family. Wendy’s mum suffers from ill health which requires medication, and this not...
Samuel lost his mum at a young age and now lives with his grandmother. Due to poor health and her elderly years, his grandmother is unable to work, which means they often go to sleep hungry and struggle to afford other basic needs. Samuel is in Primary 1 and really enjoys school when he is...
Brian lost his dad during the Covid-19 pandemic and since then life has been very difficult. He is currently at a crucial stage in his education, preparing to complete Junior Secondary, but is regularly being sent home due to a lack of fees and other school requirements. Due to health challenges, the work opportunities available...
Six year old Yona often goes a full day without a meal and his family are regularly locked out of their home by the landlord due to them struggling to make rental payments. Yona is in Primary 1 of public school but only spends around half of the time in school due to being sent...
After contracting meningitis as a baby, Abigael has lived with cerebral palsy, being non-verbal and unable to walk. For many years her parents had to carry her everywhere due to being unable to afford a wheelchair. However, thanks to one-off donations from GEF supporters, last year we were able to provide a wheelchair, beds and...
Despite his young age, Kevin has had a traumatic life. Following the death of his dad, Kevin’s uncles treated him, his siblings and mum badly, resulting in them being forced out of the family home. They moved in with their grandmother who sadly passed away soon after. All of this, in addition to their mum...
Abigael and her two siblings lost their mum suddenly in 2023 and are now cared for by their grandmother. Despite being regularly sent home from school due to a lack of fees, Abigael is determined to do well at school and doesn’t let her situation diminish her dreams. Abigael’s grandmother said: “I decided to support...
Jefferson loves secondary school, but he is close to being sent home if we are not able to find a sponsor to support his school fees. Previously, the family endured some very difficult times as a result of domestic violence. However, we are delighted to say that they are now living in a safe new...
Joy lost her dad during the Covid-19 pandemic and since then life has been very difficult. Due to health challenges, the work opportunities available to Joy’s mum, Lucy, are limited and when work is available, long days pay the equivalent of £2. This makes it extremely difficult for her to afford Joy and her 2...
Philomena lost her mum in a tragic road accident and ever since then has been regularly sent home from school due to a lack of fees and often goes to sleep hungry. Since losing their mum, Philomena and her four siblings have lived with their grandmother and depend on her small income from irregular jobs...
In July 2023, our group of 39 local and international volunteers along with 8 members of the GEF team build three new fully furnished, solar powered homes for three families in five and a half days; a record fast time for a group of GEF volunteers. Having previously experienced domestic abuse and homelessness, these three...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Like most children his age, Gerald loves nothing more than going to school to see his friends and playing football when he gets the opportunity. However due to his parents struggling to find work Gerald and his siblings aren't always guaranteed entry into the classroom if their fees aren't paid. Gerald's parents rely on casual...
Until recently the family lived in such poor conditions that the children struggled to sleep and often asked neighbours to use they homes to rest. Joan and her five siblings live with both parents, their mother was relying on sporadic work in the area, which is not guaranteed daily. She spends most of her earnings...
Due to the inconsistency attending school, Elvis previously had to repeat nursery to catch up with the syllabus as the teachers felt he had not developed enough to start primary education. He is currently in grade two at primary school and enjoys class. His family previously lived on the side of a road for 11...
Mel started working with us part time in January 2024. She is responsible for grant applications and coordinating our north-east Scotland activity which supports local disabled children and their families. We were very lucky to receive support through GEF for my disabled son Matthew, and the difference it made to our lives was incredible. We...
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...
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...
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....
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...
Psychosocial Support 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. Through Counselling and Seminars the support strives to address the psychological needs of children and their families - this includes their emotional,...
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...
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...
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...
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...