Providing educational support for children
The Abigail Fitzgerald Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation providing food supplies to children in need at the start of their school day, and items and equipment to aid learning and recreation. School children in the Caribbean attending breakfast clubs have been the first beneficiaries and are reported to have been attending school earlier and more frequently as a result of the supplies being provided.
About the foundation
The idea for the foundation came about following a family trip to our mother’s country of birth, Jamaica. She is the Abigail in the Abigail Fitzgerald Foundation. Whilst on holiday in Jamaica, we visited the school our mother attended as a child and we were shown around by the principal who told us of a breakfast club they had started to encourage more children to attend school more regularly. For some children in the area, this was the main meal that they would have for the day, so it was a key factor in them attending and learning.
We wanted to offer a contribution in some way once we returned home and asked if a barrel of provisions and supplies would assist and if so, what could we include that would be of benefit. In general conversations, we found that friends and colleagues were willing to contribute too and we ended up sending tinned and dried produce with a lasting shelf life, alongside stationery and recreational supplies. We didn’t think much about the impact until later when we received a follow-up e-mail from the Principal of the school.
“Thank you very much for everything. The breakfast program is doing very well. We have started from last term and hope that we can go to the end of next term. The students are coming out earlier and coming to school more regularly. Thanks a million and we hope that God continue to bless you in your endeavours.”
We were humbled to know that our contribution had meant an increase in the children’s attendance at school. Making the difference between them accessing education and learning… or not.
So, we decided to formalise the process to be able to extend the frequency and reach. We are in the process of also providing contributions to schools in St Lucia, where our father was born, he is the Fitzgerald in the Abigail Fitzgerald Foundation.
Our parents held a strong belief in education being one of the pillars of creating a successful life [whatever success means to each of us]; coupled with that was their intention and willingness to feed everybody who crossed the threshold of our home. As a result, we feel that the tenets of the Abigail Fitzgerald Foundation, to ensure that school children do not start the day on an empty stomach, too hungry to learn, reflects and honours their values and is a legacy befitting them.
Our timeline
|
The
beginning
|
It
started with a family holiday to Jamaica and our first tour of a
rural school there by the principal and an ex-pupil… but not
just any school and not just any ex-pupil. The school was in
Cauldwell, Hanover and the ex-pupil was our mother.
The principal told us about a breakfast initiative that they were starting that would encourage children to attend school and to learn more effectively whilst at school. |
| The next steps… |
With
contributions from friends and family and after several shopping
trips, we filled a barrel with tinned protein, tinned and dried
food, stationery, games and sports equipment and shipped it off to
the school.
|
| Two school terms later… |
The
children were still benefitting from the items which had been sent
and were attending the school earlier and more frequently, which
equated to them learning more.
|
| April 2019 | We decided on repeating the process on a more frequent basis, extending it to include schools in St Lucia and registering as an official charitable incorporated organisation. |
| June 2019 |
With
all of our aims agreed, paperwork in place and our bank account
established, we submitted our application to the Charity
Commission of England and Wales to become a registered charity.
|
| August 2019 |
We
started making contact with government departments in St Lucia and
visited the high commission in London – they
are a wonderful and helpful team of staff if you ever need to
attend
– to identify schools in Vieux Fort that we could contribute to.
The school that our father attended closed some time ago, so we decided the best legacy would be to contribute to schools in the region that he was born and raised in. |
| October 2019 |
With
the Abigail Fitzgerald Foundation now officially a registered
charity, both monetary donations and supplies are being collected
to be sent for the benefit of the school children by the end of
the month.
|
| January 2020 | Following end of year shipping delays, the first official shipment arrived at Pell River School in Jamaica. Children are able to start the new term with stationery supplies, reading books, recreational equipment and breakfast foods – contributing to the school feeding programme initiative. |
| March 2020 | We feel inspired by photos of the childen tending the vegetable garden in the school grounds that they have named Peace Garden. Self-sufficiency is the vision. As safety is prioritised across the world following the Covid-19 outbreak, schools close from mid-March with the children continuing to complete school work from home. |
| May 2020 | Whilst considering how best to assist and provide some value to the main beneficiaries of our charity – school children – we found out that online classes are a main source of learning during the lockdown period. Children access the classes via mobile phones at home. The phones are pretty much a lifeline in their communities rather than a luxury item. As we are not arranging shipments at this time because of school closures, we have contributed mobile phone credits so that the children can access online lessons and not miss out on their valuable education. |
© 2020 All Rights Reserved | Abigail Fitzgerald Foundation | Registered Charity Number 1185270