Make your Christmas Gift here!
Dear friends,
At this time of year our thoughts turn to family and home. At Christmas, my own children have warm homes, where friends and family gather and share the love they have been blessed to receive all their lives. I imagine the same is true for you. Our children are among the more fortunate ones.
Thousands of children worldwide will spend the season of cheer cold, homeless, and without love.
At Ecologia, with your help, we give as many children as we can the security of a home and a family. Our overseas partners in Uganda, Russia, and Kenya, love the children in their care.
In Uganda, Rose Mugenyi founded Sky Is The Limit Children’s Centre in 1996, to help orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS. She tells me about one child, who now calls himself Happy Ronald:
Ronald came from a lonely and neglected home. Abandoned by his father when he was 4, I found Ronald, aged 8, selling polythene bags in the market to earn money for his family. We give children a home full of love. We educate, feed and shelter them. We give them hope. Ronald’s great love is nature. Now in the holidays, he helps on the farm we run to help feed all of the children, and gains valuable skills for his future.
In Russia, over 650,000 children live in orphanages. At age 18, they are sent out into the world with no support, no access to higher education.
Kitezh Children’s Community is an award-winning foster family village, which provides the family support, individual attention, and education that all children need.
My name is Maxim. I was nine years old when I came to Kitezh Children’s Community. My adoptive parents have taught me so much. At first I felt mistrust and was reluctant to listen to them, but then they became my family. Now, if I am asked about my home – I clearly say that it is Kitezh, and, when asked who my parents are, I will say that they are Masha and Misha, absolutely not thinking about the fact that they are my adoptive mom and dad.
I am sincerely grateful to Kitezh for 9 years of wonderful life, filled with bright events!
Can you help to give more children like Maxim and Ronald the family they need this Christmas with a donation of £25?
Your donation of £25, or as much as you can give this festive season, could transform a child’s life, not just at Christmas, but also for the future.
Thank you from our children for all of your support and kindness.
With warm wishes for a very Happy Festive Season,
Liza Hollingshead, Chief Executive
Give a child a family this Christmas
Join our dedicated team of volunteers and experience the joy of giving back, while making a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and the community
Your contribution has the power to make a difference in the lives of those in need, enabling us to continue our vital work and create positive change
“Building a world where every young person thrives.”
Ecologia Youth Trust supports children and young people to shape their futures sustainably. Keep up to date with our activities and projects by following us on social media!
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*Names have been changed according to our child protection policy.
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Susie has 30+ experience as a creative copywriter, editor, and proofreader, starting out as a 20-year-old copywriter in the Mad Men world of early 1990s advertising in South Africa. Ever since, she’s had a love affair with creative conceptualisation, thinking outside of the box, writing to a deadline, and being thrown in the deep end!
She took an MSc in Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University as a mature student, in 2015, and continues to keep herself busy working as a copy-editor, proofreader and copywriter in book publishing, corporate communications, and publishing project management.
Apart from her love of working with independent authors, Susie has a fondness for working in the third sector and likes to use her corporate communications and marketing experience to support projects close to her heart. She has lived and worked in the Findhorn area for 25 years, and has been involved in a number of third sector projects and organisations, and family businesses.
Working at Ecologia Youth Trust helps Susie to live in integrity with her values of supporting the next generation to be the best that they can be, and she sees it as a way to give back to Mama Africa, the beloved continent on which she was born.
Ellen joined the Ecologia team in June 2018 as Marketing and Communications Manager. Ellen has lived in Scotland for 6 years and has worked for non-profit and charitable organisations across varied fields. She currently shares her passion for helping young people through Ecologia Youth Trust and she works as a dancer and dance teacher in her spare time.
Robyn is the Associate Director of International Projects, having previously worked within the team as a Project Development and Marketing Officer from April 2019 until May 2021. As Associate Director, Robyn is co-leading the International side of Ecologia with Founder and Director, Liza Hollingshead, bringing a new energy into Ecologia as they look towards the future of the charity.
Liza is the founder of Ecologia and Director of International Projects. She was born and educated in South Africa and worked there as a high school teacher. She moved to live in the Findhorn Community in 1974. She started Ecologia in 1995 after being introduced to Dmitry Morozov, the founder of Kitezh Children’s Community in Russia, and was inspired to support the community in its mission to rescue orphaned children from institutions and give them homes, families and education in a supportive environment.
This led to projects supporting disadvantaged youth and children in South East Asia and in East Africa. TRead more about Liza’s story here.
