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Gem Legacy Raising Emergency Funds for Students
Two school closings in Tanzania and Kenya amid coronavirus has left more than 250 kids at risk of malnutrition without government-sponsored lunches.
Royal Oak, Mich.—Industry nonprofit Gem Legacy has launched an emergency fund to feed more than 250 students in East Africa who are without government-sponsored lunches as their schools have closed in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fund will cover lunches for 256 kids at risk of malnutrition because of severe poverty at home; twenty-five dollars feeds a child lunch every day for one month.
The fund will support kids at the Mwatate Children’s Home in Mwatate, Kenya and Sanawari Primary School in Arusha, Tanzania.
The parents will be notified food is available for them to pick up at the school; school administrators will monitor food distribution to maintain social distancing.
“Gem Legacy is committed to adapting to current needs, and we are glad to take this opportunity in the midst of this world crisis to give back to those who are affected most at the source of gems by the COVID-19 situation,” Gem Legacy Founder Roger Dery said.
“What an opportunity for the jewelry industry to work together, and just a little contribution goes a long way.”
Gem Legacy also recently launched another kid-focused initiative to provide proper sanitization, air filtration and plumbing for new toilets to be used by 1,500 school children at Sanawari.
The kids currently share five toilets and 15 holes in the ground at the school that often have issues with sanitation, overflow/backup and rodents, in addition to not having doors for privacy.
The funds raised by Gem Legacy will build 10 new toilets and provide doors, windows, plumbing, air filtration, septic tank and sinks with heated water.
For more information about either project or to donate, email info@gemlegacy.org or visit GemLegacy.org.
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