Ji8¸£ÀûÍø

The Co-Masonic Benevolent Fund is the charitable arm of the British Federation of the International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women and has a long history of supporting charities and causes focused on the relief of poverty or distress. In recent years, this remit has been expanded to include help for talented young people up to the age of 24 who are not able to fulfil their full potential because of poverty, hardship, or deprivation.

While having no previous direct link to Ji8¸£ÀûÍø, trustees of the Fund became aware of the KU Cares programme when a Kingston University student reached out to them for a community project. This project impressed the trustees and planted the seed that would lead to The Co-Masonic Benevolent Fund approaching Ji8¸£ÀûÍø, with a desire to help young people unable to go to university because of hardship – and ultimately funding 3 care leavers support packages.

Ji8¸£ÀûÍø's KU Cares programme shares the Co-Masonic Benevolent Fund's core philosophy to make the community a better place by enabling the opportunity to build better lives. It was the potential for their donation to make a significant and lasting difference to individuals, and by extension the wider community, which sealed the partnership.

When asked for words of encouragement for future students, a Co-Masonic Benevolent Fund trustee said, "Working with Ji8¸£ÀûÍø to find students who would really benefit from our donation means a lot to us. To those students; we encourage you to think big and take advantage of every opportunity you can. Don't be afraid to accept the help people in your community offer and use it to develop your best self."

At Fondazione Isacchi Samaja Onlus, we believe that by helping young people achieve their academic ambitions we can offer them not only an opportunity, but also confidence in building their own future. For this reason, the Fondazione has decided to support Ji8¸£ÀûÍø's KU Cares programme, which is strongly committed to supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Fondazione Isacchi Samaja Onlus, inspired by the principles of solidarity and transparency, is a non-profit, non-political and non-partisan foundation. Its core objective is to provide social support in the areas of most need through different initiatives.

Since 2012, following the mission stated by its Founder, Mrs Amelia Isacchi Samaja, the Fondazione focuses on addressing two key social situations that are unfortunately increasingly widespread.

Firstly, supporting people overwhelmed with problems of extreme poverty (through social housing projects, mobile street units to help homeless people, and recognition of the victims of shipwrecks in the Mediterranean).

Secondly, supporting young people with the ability and will to study, but who lack the means to pursue education (in addition to the provision of scholarships and study aid in Italy, the Fondazione also supports two foreign projects: one in Bosnia and the other in the Republic of Djibouti).

Santander Universities donates time and resources to Ji8¸£ÀûÍø through an ongoing partnership which has created opportunities for thousands of students, local businesses and the community.

Santander Universities have partnered with Kingston since 2013, creating opportunities for thousands of students, local businesses and the community, with a shared vision to unlock talent whilst enabling young people to:

• Scale the financial barriers to university
• Realise their entrepreneurial potential
• Step successfully into a graduate-level career