We’d like to tell you more about the charitable work we do at the Gandys Foundation and where a portion of your money goes to help those in need every time you make a purchase with us. With our Kids Campuses now running across three continents, we thought it was time to bring you up to date on our life changing projects. We are also giving you the opportunity to get involved and become one of our valued Gandys Pioneers!  
 

 

 

 

WHAT IS THE GANDYS FOUNDATION?

In a nutshell, it’s the heart and soul of our business; a charitable organisation providing education, medication and nutrition to those across the globe who need it most. Set up in 2014 by Gandys brothers Rob and Paul Forkan, it was inspired by the loss of their parents in Sri Lanka in the 2004 tsunami. 
As kids, Rob and Paul saw first-hand the poverty that many children in other countries endure, when in 2001, their parents took them out of school and around the world to explore, learn and volunteer. The inequalities they witnessed left a huge impression on the brothers. In 2014, ten years after the tsunami and in memory of their parents, they opened the first Gandys Kids Campus in Sri Lanka. 

 

 

HOW MANY CAMPUSES DOES THE GANDYS FOUNDATION RUN?

Since 2014, the Foundation has gone from strength to strength, currently operating five Kids Campuses in different areas of the globe. The campuses are carefully selected by the Gandys Foundation based on the specific needs of the local communities they serve. 

  ‘We love seeing the children learn and grow together in a free and safe environment that the Campus has created for them. No single day is ever the same with the kids at the Campus! Although they are here for many different reasons and from different/difficult backgrounds, at the campus they enjoy a sense of equality and freedom to express themselves without fear or shame’   

- Mama Tina, Sri Lanka Gandys campus leader

 

 

 

THE CAMPUSES

 

SRI LANKA CAMPUS: OPENED 2014

Sri Lanka is a special place for Rob and Paul. They are eternally grateful to the Sri Lankan community, who despite facing their own devastation, helped the brothers return to the UK in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. 

WHY GANDYS CHOSE THIS PROJECT:

Many children in Sri Lanka live in poverty and do not have access to free education until the age of six. As a result, they often lack educational discipline and are less likely to complete their GCE exams successfully. This leaves them at a disadvantage against their more financially secure peers and Gandys wanted to help redress the balance to give these kids an equal chance and choice of success.

HOW DOES THE GANDYS FOUNDATION HELP? 

• We supply food, education and medical care to children aged three to eighteen. 

• The education we provide for the kids enables their parents to work and gives the children a head-start at school. 

• We have provided a playground for the 300 kids attending the campus and  extra tuition classes which has given the children a noticeable competitive edge in their school performance.

 

MALAWI CAMPUS: OPENED 2017

The second of our Kids Campuses is a pre-school based at Funsani in Malawi. It provides education and a feeding programme to over seventy children within the area. 
 

WHY GANDYS CHOSE THIS PROJECT: 

The statistics speak for themselves: In Malawi, only 40% of primary aged children attend school; the pupil teacher ratio is 62/1, and only 25% get a place in secondary school.  Malawi also has the 4th highest percentage of people living in extreme poverty in the world. Providing education is one of the key ways a country can be helped out of poverty. The Chiefs at Funsani village had been desperate for a pre-school in their village for many years but unable to find the funding and Gandys were only too happy to step in and provide this much needed and valued facility.


The Gandys pre-school was set up in partnership with African Vision Malawi whose flagship project is Sam’s village, an incredible project set up by Heather Palmer who gives the entire community the opportunity to have a better life through sustainable care, education, nutrition and apprenticeships. 

HOW DOES THE GANDYS FOUNDATION HELP?

• We offer education and a safe haven for our students in Funsani, providing nutrition, education, uniform, learning and play equipment for almost 100 children aged between two and five. 

• We support the children’s families during what are known as the ‘hungry months’ making sure no child at the Gandys campus goes hungry. 

 

NEPAL CAMPUS: OPENED 2019

Our third Kids Campus is based in Godawari, Nepal in an area that was badly affected by the Gorkha earthquake in 2015.

 

WHY GANDYS CHOSE THIS PROJECT: 

As well as the physical devastation left behind by the earthquake, this project struck a chord with Gandys after we learnt that children as young as nine were being taken away from their families and trafficked across the borders unable to get back home after being left without papers. Child trafficking is a huge problem in the more remote parts of Nepal where families are forced between choosing to put food on the table and not sell their child. Gandys are proud  to support the work of Chora Chori Nepal in their rescue operations and the subsequent provision of accommodation, therapy and repatriation with families. The focus is on supporting the families on the ground to eliminate the circumstances which force them to unwittingly sell their children to traffickers.

HOW DOES THE GANDYS FOUNDATION HELP?

• We provided funds to retrofit a secondary school building which collapsed during the earthquake and now fund an incredible programme rehabilitating children who have been trafficked for various purposes including slave labour to help unite them with their families. 

• We offer the children a safe place to stay, education, therapy and valuable practical skills to help them build successful futures and repair the damage caused by their sometimes horrific experiences.

  You are already helping more than you know just by being a part of our community and living our ‘Don’t just exist’ mantra. If you would like to make a donation to offer even more support to the kids at our campuses then click here.  

 

 

BRAZIL CAMPUS: OPENED 2020

We opened our fourth Kids Campus in Rio, Brazil to give children in South America the support to have a safer, brighter future.

WHY GANDYS CHOSE THIS PROJECT:

We wanted to help break the cycle of children becoming involved in the world of drugs and gangs. Gandys were inspired by Scott Miles of Project Favela, who moved from the USA to work in a highly dangerous favela to help kids. Scott’s endless enthusiasm, passion and commitment towards offering the children tools to build a better future was something we wanted the Gandys Foundation to be part of. 
 

HOW DOES THE GANDYS FOUNDATION HELP? 

• We provide a nutritious breakfast and lunch for all children attending the campus.

• The children are provided with essential free education and fun projects to help them develop their own entrepreneurial skills and build confidence. 

• We ensure that hundreds of families in the favelas have been provided with clean water, food packages and other essentials. 

 

 

 

MONGOLIA CAMPUS: OPENED 2021

Our fifth campus in Mongolia is aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty through education, helping children build a better future for themselves and their families. 

WHY GANDYS CHOSE THIS PROJECT: 

Imagine watching your child scavenge for rubbish for money to help bring in food for your family. These are the conditions that some of the families in Mongolia face, with 70% of people in the largest district living below the poverty line. After making contact with Julie Veloo of Veloo Foundation to help set up a campus for the children to visit, Gandys got involved. 

 

HOW DOES THE GANDYS FOUNDATION HELP? 

• We have built a community library and computer lab, allowing the children access to an education and brighter prospects.
• The library provides a space for all the community to access books and the various courses on offer

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

If you would like to fundraise for the Gandys Foundation and help us on our mission to build campuses all over the world, get in touch at ‘hello@gandyslondon.com’- we’d love to hear from you. Gandys offers a jacket for every Pioneer who raises over £400.

 

You are already helping more than you know just by being a part of our community and living our ‘Don’t just exist’ mantra. If you would like to make a donation to offer even more support to the kids at our campuses then click here.