stories
Often when we donate money to charity we don't get to see exactly how we've made an impact. We hope you will be able to gain an understanding of how the funds donated and raised with Futures For Kids changes the lives of the children we are trying to help.
Here are a few of their stories:
Abubakarr Kargbo, known as STG (Stop the Gang)
After losing his father when he was young, and with a mother who could no longer afford to care for her six children, STG was forced to move out of his home to a relative in Freetown hoping for a better education and future.
Here he was deprived of schooling, used as a domestic slave and subjected to regular abuse. Forced to escape, the local dump became his home and gang members, thieves, and drug dealers his family.
As a gang leader, he turned up at the EducAid school in Lumley with the intention of stealing computers and any other valuables. However, when confronted by a member of staff, STG began to view EducAid as a door to the education he’d been deprived of as a child. Eventually, STG applied for school,and uses his own story to inspire other street children, showing them that they too can break the cycle of poverty through education.
Bola
Bola Lawal applied for LTSB in 2015, because she couldn’t find anyone willing to give her work experience - even when she offered to work for free:. Shortly after completing our 4-month pre-employment phase, Bola was offered a junior accounting role at Berg Kaprow Lewis (BKL). Her focus manifested itself immediately and she just saw her three hour day commute as more time to revise – and flew through her AAT Level 3 exams in a few months rather than a year.
At LTSB’s annual Women in Finance conference, Bola exchanged contact details with the Head of Retail Distribution at Santander. She was later introduced to the Finance Controller at Santander who became her mentor. As a result, she was offered a role at Santander after completing her apprenticeship at BKL, won the North London ‘Apprentice of the Year’ Award – and was rewarded with a fantastic trip to New York!
With LTSB as her vehicle Bola has achieved her dream of working in finance. She continues to rise in her career, proactively champions gender diversity, and is living proof that you should use your commute wisely!
Pauline (18), Eve (15), and Freda (10)
The girls were left living alone when both of their parents passed away. Pauline, who was only 15 at the time, became the head of their household and took on the responsibility of caring for her younger sisters. With no income or support network, the girls were often going hungry and had dropped out of school.
Whilst attending one of WeSee Hope’s local Kids’ Club, which provides a safe place for vulnerable children to learn, play and socialise, a trained volunteer found Pauline looking alone and afraid - she was worried about not having enough food for her sisters and was in need of help.
The volunteers visited the girls at home regularly, creating a vital support system to ensure they had enough food, clothes and protection. Pauline was given a bicycle to help her to earn an income, some goats to provide milk and kids, and a garden to grow produce. Together, the Kids’ Club and the community came together to care for them and since then the girls have been eating three meals a day and Eve and Freda are back in school.
current charities
All of the charities we support help disadvantaged children and young adults around the globe in many ways. Learn more about each of them and where the donations, time, and effort of Futures for Kids are spent.
