Founder Ron Newby sitting on steps surrounded by smiling Ugandan children. The photo was taken in 1983

Founder Ron Newby, Uganda 1983

In 2023, we’re celebrating FORTY YEARS of transforming the lives of vulnerable children!

Global Care’s journey started with a handful of orphaned and abandoned children in Uganda in 1983, and a tiny child sponsorship scheme relying on family and friends.

Forty years later, Global Care has transformed the lives of many thousands of vulnerable children in 43 countries on four continents, thanks to supporters all over the UK.

We’ve stepped up in major emergencies and international disasters, but also in personal crises and with long-term individual support.

We’re proud of our achievements – but the journey isn’t over! Our 40th anniversary is a chance to take stock and celebrate, but also to push forward, to raise awareness and to increase our impact worldwide.

Because although the world has changed enormously in the last four decades, the most vulnerable children need our help as much as ever.

With this in mind, we’re dedicating our 40th anniversary to girls. The coronavirus pandemic has undone years of progress in gender equality.

All the evidence shows that increasing the prospects of girls helps the whole community flourish.Citation Yet the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women and girls means the inequality gap is widening again, rather than reducing. We can’t ignore that.

Why was Covid worse for girls and women? Multiple reports from the UNCitatio and World BankCitatio outline key reasons:

  • a sharp increase in gender-based violence
  • increased domestic work and care responsibilities for girls
  • Gender gaps in access to – and use of – digital technologies
  • Disruption to key health services including reproductive, adolescent and maternal health
  • Jobs held by women lost at a faster rate than jobs held by men
  • Greater exposure to contagion and stress, as girls and women are more likely to be care-givers, and women are over-represented in health services.

We want to mark our 40th anniversary year by raising £100,000 to fund initiatives which fill in the gaps for girls.

We’ll be reinforcing existing work with girls – like mentoring for girls at high risk in Guatemala, or skills training for teenage mums in Kampala, Uganda – and we’ll be developing new initiatives.
Filling in the Gaps Anniversary Appeal

 

We also want to remain true to our sponsorship roots and find 100 new sponsors for girls in 2023, as we know that child sponsorship is a powerful tool for advocacy and inclusion.
Sponsoring a girl

We know these goals are challenging ones in the face of the current economic downturn, but we are determined to press on, trusting God to provide, as He has done over the last 40 years.

“Frankly, the massive impact Covid has had on so many children’s lives has broken our hearts,” says CEO John White. “There is now so much to do, at a time when resources may be restricted. But as we face the coming years, looking back helps remind us of God’s goodness and provision.

“We reflect on the last 40 years with a sense of humility. We see God’s hand in the provision of funding, volunteers, staff, Trustees, partners here in the UK and development partners all over the world. Without this large team and God’s guidance, I don’t believe we could have achieved anything of significance.

“So yes, we may sometimes feel the weight of the challenge, but we surge into the years ahead, assured of His provision and continued goodness, and excited by the opportunities we see.”

For forty years we’ve been transforming the lives of vulnerable children. Join with us to see the work continue.

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