Looking back on another phenomenal year of bringing big smiles to little faces with families and communities across northern Ghana. Huge thanks to all of you, our incredible supporters, who make this life-changing work possible. Here's to another great year in 2018!
January
175 young adults continue or begin their further education with the support of a bursary or student loan, giving them the opportunity to secure a livelihood and acquire skills like teaching and nursing, that will feed back to their communities
February
Our corporate partners, Chameleon Communications, inspire Healthcare Consultancy Group and Sysmex America to donate a new haematology analyser to the AfriKids Medical Centre. This equipment will mean we can diagnose and treat more cases of malaria and other conditions as quickly as possible
March
15 years since AfriKids was founded, we launch a new three-year strategy: Clearer Focus, Wider Reach, which surpasses our original vision and will bring our life-changing education, healthcare and child protection programmes to more people than we ever imagined
April
Our three-year project with the Commonwealth Foundation comes to an end - it has successfully helped 11 more communities end the practice of killing “spirit children”
We conclude a three-year project with the Big Lottery Fund. 45 schools across 7 communities now welcome and adequately support children with disabilities; attitudes to disability in these areas have been transformed and nearly 14,000 children have been health screened, identifying nearly half of them have minor health issues that could have hindered their learning and can now be treated instead
One of AfriKids' original local heroes, Joe, is picked from 2,400 nominations across Ghana as a finalist in the MTN Heroes of Change Awards for his outstanding work eradicating the spirit child phenomenon
May
Some of our youngest Change-Makers complete the Superhero Run for AfriKids, raising an incredible £2,800!
Ex-AfriKids Director Sally and friend, Jess, bravely take on the Great North Swim for AfriKids, completing the mile-long swim in just over 30 minutes and raising over £1,000!
June
IT summer school starts at the AfriKids ICT Academy for Junior High School students
More than 1500 children across 60 schools complete their primary schooling and 75% of them pass our English and Maths tests – more than a 30% increase in the three years that we have been working with these schools
July
AfriKids is shortlisted again as the
Charity Times Awards International Charity of the Year!
August
Work begins to construct a new space for a specialist clinic in Feo for children with cerebral palsy. Many of the 70 children and their families who will benefit had previously been walking an eight-hour round trip to attend the clinic we set up in Sirigu
September
With support from our friends at Pears Foundation, work begins to repair and expand facilities at Operation Smiles, which cares for extremely vulnerable mothers and babies
AfriKids UK Trustee, Jason, takes on Ride Across Britain for AfriKids. The gruelling 969-mile cycle from Lands’ End to John O’Groats takes 9 days and raises nearly £5,000 – phenomenal!
“Is this magic or what?! First day of school and we have such high numbers? This AfriKids intervention is really good!” - Madam Noella, Primary School Head Teacher
More than 2,000 children celebrate their first day of school thanks to support from AfriKids
October
World Cerebral Palsy Day is celebrated with the opening of the new Feo Centre CP clinic, radio discussions, village processions and most importantly, with some of the children we support with this work taking their first steps!
The School of Night Rabbits hold their graduation ceremony, celebrating 100 children leaving behind life and working on the streets to go into school, after completing 9 months of catch-up classes
10 AfriKids Change-Makers complete the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London, raising over £6,000!
Some of the rural women’s groups we support with microfinance loans and business training produce a two tonne order of shea butter for an international order. More than 500 women will benefit from the proceeds, meaning they can better support their families
November
Our Promising Starts campaign with The Big Give raises an incredible £23,646 to fund Operation Smiles and help vulnerable mothers and babies secure a brighter future
Our UK Fundraising and Communications Officer, Isla, wins the Rising Star Award at Charity People's Future Fundraisers Awards
December
Big Smiles to close the year as Christmas is celebrated with parties and feasts for residents and local children at the homes we support for children without a safe home and for patients and staff working through Christmas at the AfriKids Medical Centre
