Unloc’s very own David Hart’s has been using his passion for art to fundraise raise money for the incredibly inspiring Rwanda charity Acts of Gratitude over the past 15 months. His mission is to achieve £4,000 for the Kigali-based organisation which trains and supports young genocide survivors in setting up social enterprises.
Acts of Gratitude is dedicated to building and supporting a community of 10,000 social entrepreneurs in Rwanda, and is working with ourselves and the The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust to do just that.
We’re pleased to share that David is incredibly close to reaching his aspired target, but every small sale helps in reaching that goal. Each small art piece sold, for prices as little as a mere £10, can really help make a difference to the lives and futures of young people in Rwanda.
We caught up with David to hear all about the great work he’s been doing and how he became involved:
David we’re incredibly proud of all your passion for this project. How did all this begin?
In January 2020 I made a spontaneous resolve to paint or draw something everyday throughout the year. Here at Unloc we’d established a Social Enterprise Academy in Kigali in Rwanda in partnership with NGO Acts of Gratitude and supported by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. I flew out there for a visit in February to see how things were progressing, the Acts of Gratitude Social Enterprise Academy aims to create 10,000 social enterprise jobs to help Rwanda meet its social development goals in terms of employment, environment and technology.
When I returned from my visit, I decided to use my skills to help – I would sell the daily drawing or painting from 2020 for a small donation of £10 in order to raise £4,000 as a small contribution towards the Kigali Social Enterprise Academy Goals.
That’s so fantastic, what do you hope to achieve through this project?
By the end of the year I had the 365 small drawings and paintings needed to go ahead. The funds will make a small contribution to enable AOG meet the milestones they identified to reach their 10,000 Social Entrepreneurs in Rwanda goal. These include:
- Providing young entrepreneurs with the appropriate small scholarships and travel grant support to help them complete the 12-week programme
- Provide small amounts of funding to help young entrepreneurs develop prototypes for excellent ideas
- To help poor young people obtain the IT equipment needed to access the on-line elements of the programme
- To develop the co-working space in their headquarters in Kigali, and do the same in their new hubs in Nyamata, and Musanze to the North
- Continued development of the Unloc AOG partnership to allow young entrepreneurs from Portsmouth and Rwanda to exchange ideas and explore and establish their own partnerships
I know everyone here at Unloc has been so impressed by what you’re doing, have you received the help you needed?
The Unloc Management and Team have given me all the support I’ve needed to be able to put the drawings and paintings in front of people in a saleable form. There’s been so much enthusiasm and support that it’s really helped me maintain my 365 day creative discipline! The team’s knowledge and technical advice has helped me build the website, ensuring banking and donations are done transparently, that the art’s displayed well, and that there’s exposure to donors has been fantastic.
At Unloc we have a goal of releasing young potential to make a difference locally, nationally and globally, which is what led to our partnership with Acts of Gratitude in the first place! The team’s trust that I had the capacity to develop and deliver the training to the pilot and follow up team in Rwanda has been life enhancing and hugely rewarding.
Where are you at with it now and where does it go from here?
We’re now nearing the end of the sales/donation period and currently within £100 of achieving the £4,000 target! It’s so close so i’m sure we can make it, there are still paintings available to I ask anyone that is able to- please check out the website gallery and make a small donation so that we can really make a difference in the lives of these young people.
Thanks so much for speaking to us today about it all David, what you’re doing is incredible and we can’t wait to see the outcomes of all your hard work!
Thanks to Acts of Gratitude, since 2016 more than 200 social entrepreneurs including pharmacists, coffee farmers and clothes designers have been given a bright business future. Together they are now employing more than 1,000 people.
Every small donation/purchase counts towards making that all important target. Your small purchase can help make a BIG difference!
Click here to see what’s still available!
