IRENE GLEESON FOUNDATION

IRENE GLEESON FOUNDATION is rated 3 out of 5 in the category philanthropy. Read and write reviews about IRENE GLEESON FOUNDATION. In 1991 Irene Gleeson, an Australian grandmother from the northern beaches of Sydney, heard about children being abducted by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda. Irene sold everything she owned including her beachside home, towed her modest caravan to Uganda & used the proceeds of the sale to begin a full day care school in Kitgum, Uganda. A schoolteacher by trade, Irene began teaching 50 children to write their names in the dust under a tree & to sing songs. Irene lived through 15 years of war, attacks, poverty & refugee camp life & spent a third of her life with the people of Northern Uganda. IGF has now grown into 5 schools that educate, feed & provide medical care for over 6,000 children daily. A health program has evolved to keep children & parents healthy, including a 60-bed HIV hospital, health clinics, a maternity hospital currently under construction, & village & community health initiatives. In addition, IGF manages 91.5 Mighty Fire FM, a community radio station. IGF’s Creative Arts Centre & Community Centre provide counselling, adult literacy courses, youth activities, dancing, painting, art & music. IGF also undertakes water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH) programs through the drilling & refurbishment of boreholes in the schools & local communities, the installation of rainwater harvesting tanks, the construction of drainable latrines, hygiene education & promoting the use of sanitary facilities. In 2009 Irene received the honour of Officer of the Order of Australia for “service to international relations, particularly through sustained aid for children affected by war & HIV/AIDS in Northern Uganda” Sadly, Irene passed away 21 July 2013 after a long battle with cancer. She leaves behind an incredible legacy for IGF to continue. The Irene Gleeson Foundation employs over 300 Ugandan staff, led by Executive Director John Paul Kiffasi, who are continuing Irene’s dream of bringing lasting change to the people of Northern Uganda.