Future-focused projects

  • Group of students and teachers in a classroom holding kitchen utensils and boxes, smiling at the camera.

    Sanitary Products and Toiletteries

    Providing dignity is a key aim for ACEF and so since 2018 we have endeavoured to support the teenage girls at Brainhouse with menstrual cups and reusable pads. In 2026 we are so pleased to have the support of The Mirianog Trust who have donated funds to provide sanitary products for this year's girls including other toiletries for all orphans at the school.

  • Young woman sitting in front of a sewing machine in a cluttered room.

    Empowering the community

    The “Empower Edge” initiative offers small loans to school mothers to help them establish businesses and bring stability to their homes. Although this project is still in its early stages, it is an exciting step towards reducing dependency on charity funding and empowering Brainhouse families to secure their own futures.

  • People working with black charcoal briquettes on metal racks outdoors, with stone walls and buildings in the background.

    Energy-saving fuel

    As the costs of fuel to cook for up to 900 children has risen, an innovative technique to produce fuel bricks from paper, leaves and coal dust is being used, resulting in an environmentally cleaner and more cost-effective fuel. These fuel bricks are burnt in new, more efficient ovens thereby saving significant expenditure on coal, cooking more sustainably and creating a cleaner cooking environment for the kitchen team.

  • A young boy with short hair and a blue sweater holding a yellow plate of rice with red beans in an outdoor setting with stone steps and a person standing in the background.

    Feeding the most vulnerable

    Children can only concentrate in school if they aren’t hungry, So a core part of our support is providing simple, noutritious meals on a regular basis. This year we have benefited from funds from a number of sources including The Strathspey Charity Trust, The Phillida Nicholson Charitable Trust and The Himat Tanna Charitable Trust. Thank you to you all for helping us feed the most vulnerable. .

  • A room with multiple metal bunk beds with mattresses and blankets. The room has a wooden ceiling and wall, with writings and graffiti on the wall. There is a table with a cloth and some items on it.

    A safe place to call home

    Following the floods three years ago the girls dormatories and all their possessions were ruined by putrid water. Generous funds and efforts by Waverley School and Trefiol Guild (amongst others), allowed a new girls’ dormitory to be created and the school has welcomed orphans back on site providing them with a safe place they can once again call home.

  • Interior construction site with wooden beams and plywood ceiling, supported by vertical wooden posts. The walls are made of concrete blocks.

    Rebuilding an IT classroom

    Following the devastating loss of the IT classroom in major floods we have been striving to support the school to rebuild and re-establish equipment in a space so essential to the learning of students. In 2026, following generous support from the Canning Trust, we have started work to create a learning space where students can once again access technology taken for granted elsewhere in the world.