Generosity inspires man to now ‘give something back’
The founder of a charity set up in memory of a generous Harborough woman will be heading to Sierra Leone this month to promote and establish a base for its work. (Photo: Abdulai Dumbuya known as Abs)
When the late Dorothy Springer, of Roman Way, Harborough, anonymously funded Abdulai Dumbuya’s education in the UK she helped transform his life.
Crippled by polio as a five-year-old in the West African country, Abdulai – known as Abs – grew up in a home run by the Leonard Cheshire charity.
An attempt to come to study at a college in Harborough failed through lack of funds but when he finally did escape his war-torn country in 1992 to work in the UK as a community service volunteer, the connection paid dividends.
Margaret Atkins with some of the donated computers in 2007
Margaret Atkins, administrator at the Harborough College, had kept in touch with him and, completely unknown to him, her mother Dorothy decided to anonymously fund Abs to complete A-levels in Kettering, and a degree and a doctorate at Loughborough University.
It was not until Dorothy passed away in 2003 that Abs found out about her kindness, which led him to set up the charity in her name – The Dorothy Springer Trust.
Abs, now 36, said: “I want to be able to give something back and that is why I set up the charity.
“What Dorothy did for me was amazing.”
In 2007 the Mail reported that Abs and Margaret, a trustee of the charity, helped the charity deliver more than 100 computers to disabled people in Leonard Cheshire homes in West Africa.
Abs is now taking an unpaid career break from his job at Transport Research Laboratory in Bracknell to establish the charity in Sierra Leone with a long-term goal of raising money to support five young people with disabilities through formal IT training.
They need up to £25,000 to do this and have already raised £7,000 through fundraising in the UK.
Abs, who visited Margaret and her family in Harborough last week, said: “I’m going over to get the charity running. I want to be able to set up an employment agency once the training is complete.”
To find out more or to donate visit www.dorothy-springer-trust.org.uk
Sorie Sudan Sesay, Information Attaché, Sierra Leone High Commission, UK/NIStay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
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louis sesay
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How far have you people help in the education of the disable in the orovinces and in free town as awhole a lot of then are facing disadvantages in the sterrt and later looked upon as beggers so what measures have you oput in place to help cob such problems.
6th January 2010