A Little Gesture A Great Help

ALG is a UK registered charity focused on improving living conditions of impoverished children in Mozambique.
Read our stories at alittlegesturestories.org

MORE ABOUT A LITTLE GESTURE

OUR STORY
“A Little Gesture A Great Help” is a new and fast growing small UK Charity focused on overseas aid to vulnerable children. A Little Gesture (“ALG”) was set up by Sara Vicente as a Trust in 2011 following a local volunteering experience and the launch in 2004 of her Portuguese NGO Um Pequeno Gesto Uma Grande Ajuda (“UPG”). Both charities are focused on underprivileged children and their families living exclusively in the Province of Gaza, a highly impoverished area in southern Mozambique.

The sister-charities are financially independent but both intervene directly on the ground through local established operations in Xai-Xai, Chongoene and Chokwé. This is a mostly rural area heavily affected by AIDS where children typically belong to one-parent only families, have HIV-infected relatives or are already orphans.

OUR MISSION
Our mission is to promote the improvement of living conditions for underprivileged children and their families in Mozambique.
Our goal is to give them access to academic and skills based education in a safe environment with adequate nutrition, water and housing. We strongly believe our impact is to improve their employability, create income-generating activities and support the local economy.

WHAT WE DO
Both inspired by how much a little gesture could do in Mozambique, ALG and UPG support 948 children with direct Sponsorship of basic food and school enrollment costs in 2013, in mostly rural impoverished villages.

We also finance complementary Projects to promote Poverty Relief (Orphan Feeding and HIV support), improve Infrastructure for living conditions (basic housing, water wells, other small community infrastructure), advance Education (academic and technical such as literacy or carpentry courses) and invest in Sustainability (small income-generating activities such as poultry and farming).

HOW WE WORK
ALG aims to break the cycle of poverty in the Gaza region, through targeted and direct Food, Infrastructure, Education and Sustainability support. We are a fully volunteer organization in the UK with minimal overhead costs raising an estimated £114’688 on our second year of operations.

As a non-religious organization, we believe in deepening our reach and to involve the beneficiary communities in our projects irrespective of race, creed or gender. ALG intervene through seven Local Partners on the ground, established for years and in direct contact with local needs: Sister Aparecida, Sister Helena, Granny Etelvina, Father Artivo, Sister Lidia, Sister Neusa and Father Licinio.

The UK charity collaborates closely with UPG Portugal and its extensive network of over 19’000 UPG Friends. Both charities have strict control of costs using essentially volunteer work, and aim to apply c. 93-95p on the ground per pound donated. Together they raised c. £256’500 in funds in 2012.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR
Since 2011, ALG UK sponsored 2 pre-schools for 130 children, launched Literacy classes, After-Class Study centres, IT and arts& crafts courses as well as 4 University Scholarships. The Charity financed the feeding of 160 children and a new home for 20 interns in an orphan centre, while it built 2 village water wells and 7 Family Huts.

ALG’s intervention benefited over 2’500 beneficiaries since launch. Together with UPG Portugal our help went deeper and wider reaching in excess of 4’500 beneficiaries in 2012.
We will continue our efforts in 2013 as there is so much we want to do!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
ALG offer a direct and personalised relationship with donors and volunteers so you know exactly how and when your contribution was spent. Contact any of the Trustees for more info on info@alittlegesture.org.