2024 Tutu Fellow Laureen Fredah has launched a community project aimed at providing free lunch meals for primary school children in rural, economically-deprived Western Uganda. She shared the news of the project in a LinkedIn post.  A community project is a requirement for completion of the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship Programme.

In the post she emphasised on how sad the statistics are that inspired her project: In Uganda, 36.9% of the population is undernourished, with children bearing the brunt of this. She said 25.4% of children under the age of five are stunted.

However, seeing the joy of both children and parents and the difference it has made in their lives at being able to provide some free lunches to the children has been hugely rewarding.  She thanked donors to the project - and said one point of learning she had made in taking on the project was that for anyone considering something similar, to learn to raise funds.  She provided a method to donate on her LinkedIn page.  Other things she'd learned from the project were - being told 'no', is a privilege. Not so many are in position to even ask. And, in a fragile world, we could all be kind to one another.

Laureen is a dual-qualified attorney, licensed to practice in New York and England and Wales. She currently works in UAE at a leading law firm in the Middle East and North Africa. She has worked with under-privileged people from Uganda and UAE, providing guidance on self-representation in court, as well as legal advice.

Laureen is also an advocate for girls education, specifically those facing forced displacement in Africa. She engages individuals and organisations in educational opportunities. 

 Header Image: Photo provided by Laureen Fredah