News Desk
DUBAI: Gulf for Good, a UAE non-profit organisation which supports sustainable charity projects for children and promotes wellbeing through life changing experiences, is honoured to host the annual charity gala ball A Night of Light and Hope*. In support of Larchfield Children’s Home in Tanzania, the charity dinner is set to take place at The Ritz Carlton in JBR on Saturday, 1 June.
*License number: PRHCE-002603563
Sparking a brighter future: Guests are invited to come together under an enchanting canopy of shimmering lights, igniting the beacons of hope and illuminating pathways to a brighter future for the children of Larchfield. A Night of Light and Hope promises to be a heartwarming celebration of unity, resilience, and the power of giving back.
Chairwoman of Gulf for Good, Katherine Kearsey shares: “Together, we will illuminate the darkness and sow seeds of hope that will flourish for generations to come. This gala ball is dedicated to Larchfield Children’s Home, an NGO in Tanzania. The home serves as a safe and secure refuge for young children in Mkuranga (south of Dar-es-Salaam) whose families have been dislocated and destroyed by HIV. This devastating situation leaves them without basic amenities such as shelter, nourishment, loving care, and education.”
She continues: “With our guests’ generous support, we aim to support Larchfield in building and operating a caring environment for these orphans. It’s a heartbreaking statistic that thousands of children live without access to basic levels of food, water, security, and care. This night keeps them in mind and invests in their future.”
It’s been a promising journey to setting up Larchfield so far, with kindness and generosity paving every step of the way. Once the site had been secured in 2012, a design workshop was set up in Dubai where a group of talented volunteers assisted in formulating the children’s home layout.
Now that the project’s first phase is complete, 35 orphans are able to reside and thrive at Larchfield Children’s Home. Phase 2 has its sights set on financing a community hall, where the local community can gather and teach the children handicrafts like bead necklace-making and basket-weaving. These skills don’t just foster a stronger sense of community, but also help them raise money.
Larchfield is licensed to provide kindergarten/ pre school education, and kids beyond kindergarten are educationally supported at the local primary school followed by St. Mathews of Kimbiji secondary school. Larchfield is working on a strategy to provide top quality primary and secondary education at Larchfield itself and are considering a partnership with St. Mathews and others.
When all phases are complete, the vision is to home up to 300 orphans.
On the 22 acres of land, Larchfield is aiming to become sustainable. A large proportion of the acreage is used for market gardening and farming. Here, the children are taught valuable skills like growing, irrigating, crop harvesting, and caring for farm animals. This helps Larchfield independently grow their food, with any surplus being sold to local villagers. Cattle, chicken, goats and soon fish, provide milk, eggs and protein for a nourishing diet.
23 years of helping children: Over the past two decades, Gulf for Good has helped over 35,000 children around the world through 61 projects, raising close to USD 4 million since it was established in 2001 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum.
