Young people and staff at Avocet House have recently raised nearly £400 for the charity Building Lives International UK. The money went to the Gorilla School in Uganda, a particularly poor, rural area.  Our donation has bought them:

• 61 pairs of shoes
• Monthly salary for the headteacher, teachers and school cook
• 2 rolls of fabric to be used for school uniforms (this is turn has given someone from the community a chance to work and earn some money).

The shoes are particularly important for the children as many don’t own any. Walking around in bare feet all day in dirt can result in them getting little insects called ‘jiggers’ burrowing into their feet, which then lay eggs, this is not only painful but can lead to infection and gangrene.

The young people at Avocet House have been so inspired by hearing how their donation was spent they have chosen to support the charity again, they will be donating all proceeds raised at the Avocet House annual fete, due to be held on 31 August 2024.  They will also be choosing some special gifts for the children that the charity will take to them in January.  One gift will definitely be a football as it upset our young people to find out the children at the Gorilla School only have a screwed up plastic bag to kick around.