prosource.it

Why do I prefer to call us ‘GEF’ instead of ‘Gathimba Edwards Foundation’? Gathimba Edwards Foundation (GEF) is so much more than just Gideon Gathimba and myself. It has been more than 2 people since day one but, at the 10 year mark, when I take a moment to step back and reflect on where we are as a team, I am so proud and grateful to work alongside some incredible people who each bring their own unique skills, experience and passion to the cause. Gideon and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for always going the extra mile to improve the lives of the children we strive to support in Kenya and north-east Scotland. Keep being you David Sagida, Kayleigh Paterson-Donald, James Gathekia, Kevin Mathenge, Isaiah Lokiles, Caroline McAllister, Alex Kariankei, Mel Dyer, Serah Kimeu, Janet Jepkemboi & Bilha Karuri 🧡 And thank you to prosource.it & MDT International for your support that makes it possible for us to have such a wonderful team. #Teamwork #Charity #Kenya #Aberdeen

2 0 2 3 🔸 Our impact report in numbers 🔸 After a very busy year for the team both in the UK and in Kenya, we took some time last month to reflect on the impact the foundation created. 🇰🇪 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 We grew our wonderful team by three. At the heart of GEF, the team work relentlessly to make meaningful changes to families, who are struggling to put their children in school, and in many cases, food on the table. 🍲 None of this could be achieved without the donations from every single person who has entrusted us with their hard earned money. Whether you have followed us for the past 9 years or just came across our work in the last year, we are incredibly grateful for your support. 🧡 There’s our awesome monthly sponsors, corporate partners, grant bodies, event goers and volunteers. Every person and company who has contributed in the past year should be proud of the part you played! 🙏🏻 #reflections #thankyou #2023recap Myles Edwards Gideon Gathimba Kevin Mathenge David Sagida Janet Jepkemboi Serah Kimeu Kayleigh Paterson-Donald Caroline McAllister Bilha Karuri Drew Leitch prosource.it MDT International

It is 4 years today since my dad Mel Edwards died. Had it not been for him (and my mum) Gathimba Edwards Foundation (GEF) wouldn't exist & so I thought I'd share 4 of the things he & my mum Kareen Edwards did to make it possible. 1. They must have spent over £30k for me to attend & graduate from university in Edinburgh. I know things were tight financially during this period but they sacrificed so much to let me pursue my dreams. It was at university where I met Dan MULHARE who invited me out to Kenya for the first time in 2011. For me to move back home after 4 years of uni & say "I am off to Kenya for half of each year to run with Dan & the Kenyans", instead of finding a full-time job, you could have forgiven my parents if they'd asked 'when are you getting A REAL JOB' - which ironically was something I was asked several times during the early years of GEF, despite prosource.it paying my salary to run the charity. Instead, my parents were full of encouragement & I'll be forever grateful for that. 2. My dad's big thing in life was to help others at every opportunity; from something as small as holding a door open for someone to helping someone in difficulty or looking to achieve a goal. From a young age I saw my parents lead by example in their respective careers and as a result I also got a huge buzz from the thought of helping someone. That buzz was bigger than ever when Gideon Gathimba & I visited Pavilion Village children's home in 2013, & without it, GEF would never have been born. 3. My dad loved going the extra mile (literally) for different people and causes. He didn't mind which charity it was, where someone was from, their age or what their challenge was - his main thing was doing all he could to inspire & support good people. This was most evident in the challenges & commitments he took on for the likes of Clan Cancer Support, Friends of ANCHOR, Charlie House HQ, Woodlands School, Myeloma UK, Friends of Hazlehead and GEF; a 70 min run on his 70th birthday, 100x100m runs on his 75th birthday, running his 100,000th career mile & flying to New York to support charity runners. All of these inspire me to this day and played a huge part in our 300 mile #CycleForMJ in 2015. 4. Before I could afford my own car, my dad found himself either giving up his car or ferrying me around to work commitments. Without this support it would have been difficult for me to kickstart GEF with presentations across Aberdeenshire. I actually preferred when my dad drove me places, not out of laziness but because 1. it was ace spending time with him & 2. on a couple of occasions I got in or out of his Mazda 6 to be greeted with the words "how can you afford that car working for a charity". This reminded me never to make judgements/read a book by its cover, as you never know what someone's situation is. Those people wouldn't have thought of the sacrifices my parents making. Thank you Dad (and mum) for all you did & for all that you continue to inspire.