Gua Africa, the charity founded by South Sudanese former child soldier and activist Emmanuel Jal, is holding a very special auction on eBay during 10th-19th February 2012.
The auction will include once in a lifetime experiences with TV & music personalities such as Gabby Logan as well as VIP tickets to television shows such as A League of Their Own, Something for the Weekend and The Wright Stuff.
One of the most exciting lots is a round of golf with TV personality Gabby Logan and her Scottish international rugby star Kenny. Below Gabby explains why she is supporting this cause:
“I am very excited about this auction and hope it will raise a lot of money for Gua Africa’s fantastic school building project. I really believe that education is the key to helping the world’s most disadvantaged children have the start in life they deserve.”
Gua Africa is a charity that works with individuals and communities to help them overcome the effects of war and poverty through education. Gua’s founder Emmanuel Jal was born in Southern Sudan and spent the early years of his childhood in the midst of its long running civil war. At the age of 7 after the death of his mother, he was recruited as a child soldier for the South Sudanese Rebel army (SPLA). Amazingly, he survived front line action and eventually managed to escape with 300 other “lost boys”, enduring a 3 month trek on foot without any supplies to reach safety. One of only a handful to survive the journey, Emmanuel was rescued by Emma McCune, a British Aid Worker, who smuggled him to freedom in Kenya and enrolled him in school for the first time.
Gradually Emmanuel began to find healing through his music. Fifteen years later Emmanuel is now a world renowned recording artist and activist. In 2008 he performed at the 90th birthday concert for Nelson Mandela and in 2009 he spoke at the TED Global Conference in Oxford. He is the subject of the documentary film, War Child. Throughout all this, Emmanuel has campaigned tirelessly against the employment of child soldiers and the illegal trade of arms, including speaking at the United Nations General Assembly.
His overriding passion remains his work with Gua Africa which he set up with the ambition to support young people in the refugee camps of Northern Kenya and the young children remaining in South Sudan. This auction is going to raise money for Gua Africa’s Emma Academy Project – a Secondary School to be built in the town of Leer, where the body of Emma McCune is laid to rest. This project is Emmanuel’s way of remembering Emma and honouring her legacy.
The auction (www.gua-africa.org/auction) will begin on Friday 10th February 2012 and will finish at 23:59 on Sunday 19th February 2012. For information prior to and during the auction, the direct link to the eBay bidding page and a taster of the lots we have available visit: www.gua-africa.org/auction. For details about how eBay for Charity works please visit: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebayforcharity/about.html. This auction is being run through eBay for Charity and therefore shoppers can bid in confidence knowing that Gua Africa is a registered charity and 100% of the final sale item will go directly to Gua Africa.
