Cecily's Fund is a UK-based charity that enables impoverished

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

to go to school in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

, with a particular focus on those orphaned or made vulnerable by

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. The charity is registered at the Charity Commission for England and Wales as The Cecily Eastwood Zambian Aids Orphans Appeal. The charity also operates in America as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called "American Friends of Cecily’s Fund."

Founding

Cecily's Fund was established in September 1998 in memory of Cecily Eastwood, who died in a road accident whilst working with AIDS orphans in Zambia. The charity's logo is based on the signature from Cecily's letters to her family. The charity was created by her parents as a necessity, in order to fill the gap in education funding for children in Zambia who could not afford to attend school.

Programmes and influence

As of November 2009, working in partnership with local non-governmental organisations, Bwafano, and CHEP (Copperbelt Health Education Project) the charity enabled over 9,500 children to go to primary and secondary schools by paying their tuition fees and purchasing supplies like uniforms and books. In June 2010 it was recorded that 11,000 people are being funded or have graduated as a result of Cecily's Fund, with the charity having an annual turnover of £400,000. It also funds a Peer Health Education Programme, run by CHEP, that educates young children about how to prevent the spread of HIV, and funds Hodi to run a Teacher Training Programme that sends school graduates to local teacher training institutions. As of March 2010, the charity annually funds 36 people to train as teachers, and 50 to work as peer health educators.

Awards

The charity has twice won Online Charity Accounts awards for online transparency from the

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is a professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports chartered accountants and students around the world. As of July 2022, it has over 198,000 members ...

and the

Charities Aid Foundation The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is a registered UK charity that operates in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada. It works with companies, private philanthropists, regular donors, fellow foundations, governments, cha ...

. In 2009 it won first prize in the category "charities with income between £100,000 and £499,999" for its 2007/08 annual report and accounts, and in 2008 it won second prize in the same category for its 2006/07 annual report and accounts.2008 Charities' Online Accounts Award Winners Announced
Retrieved 2010-06-08.

References

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External links

Official WebsiteCopperbelt Health Education ProjectAsif Ali Gohar ProfileHodi website
Organizations established in 1998 Child education organizations Charities based in Oxfordshire Foreign charities operating in Zambia Educational charities based in the United Kingdom

Founding

Programmes and influence

Awards

See also

References

External links