Love Mercy Foundation X Ancient + Brave
3 Min read
“I used to run to save my own life. Now I run to save the lives of others,” - Julius Achon, Co-Founder of the Love Mercy Foundation.
The Love Mercy Foundation was born from the shared vision of Olympic runners Julius Achon (from Awake, Uganda) and Eloise Wellings (from Sydney, Australia). Their mission is simple yet profound: to co-design innovative solutions with local communities, building on existing strengths to overcome poverty and improve well-being.
When we discovered Love Mercy through the 1% for the Planet network, we immediately recognized a resonance between their mission and the values that drive Ancient + Brave. We began our partnership with an initial donation of £35,000, inspired by the tangible impact we could have.
As a female-founded company, gender inequality is a key issue for us, and we understand that women are often the backbone of their communities. Love Mercy's work to empower women, helping them thrive and learn, aligns perfectly with our goal to support rural communities by addressing core challenges.
A Self-sustaining Initiative
The Cents 4 Seeds initiative exemplifies their approach.
For just £16, a woman receives 30 kg of seed, farming tools, and educational workshops. This yields a crop of 150 kg, with 30 kg of the seed returned to the program to go on to support another woman. This self-sustaining cycle not only ensures food security but also fosters economic independence, with the remaining crop supporting ongoing profitability. This was the first thing that drew us to the Love Mercy Foundation…and it only gets better from here.
What We’ve Done So Far
Our initial donation enabled 900 women to enrol in the Cents 4 Seeds program. With an average of six children per household, this means nearly 7,000 individuals have been positively impacted. The program provides women with essential farming tools and training workshops, along with financial literacy education to help them earn, save, and invest money wisely.
To further enhance the resilience of these women against climate change, Love Mercy introduced 'Income Generating Activity' (IGA) groups, which help women build financial independence by creating secondary income sources for times when harvests may fall short. We supported the creation of 15 new IGA groups, each consisting of 45 women. Many chose goat-rearing as their business activity, a sustainable and profitable venture. Additionally, we funded a well in a village in need, providing clean water to the community.
Kristina Health Centre
Our impact hasn’t stopped there. The incredible Kristina Health Centre (KHC), established in 2011 in honour of Achon's mother who was tragically killed during the war, has treated over 60,000 patients. It offers much needed maternity care, essential healthcare, disease testing, and inoculation services to protect the surrounding communities.
We were incredibly touched when, in 2023, our donation supported the creation of a NICU corner in the post-partum ward, providing a safe, welcoming space for women and their newborns. We also funded the first three months of outreach services for 2023, which brings healthcare directly to the most remote parts of the district. Twice a week, two staff members head out in a van to provide essential healthcare, maternity appointments, health education, and HIV and malaria testing, reaching an additional 300 patients per month in villages that have never before had access to such care.
Our Pledge
Looking ahead to 2024, we have pledged £70,000 to the Love Mercy Foundation for the development of a surgical theatre at the Kristina Health Centre. Although KHC has treated over 60,000 patients and safely delivered nearly 1,500 babies, it lacks the facilities to treat patients who experience complications. This issue is particularly critical for mothers in labour. The nearest hospital is 72 km away, a journey that can take an hour and half by car—time these women simply do not have. By establishing a surgical theatre at KHC, we will ensure that critical interventions can be made on-site, dramatically reducing risks for mothers and babies, and ultimately saving countless lives.
Thank you
Love Mercy’s mission perfectly aligns with everything we stand for at Ancient + Brave. We’re deeply grateful to our incredible community— you—for your unwavering support, which allows us to grow and contribute to meaningful partnerships like this one. Together, we’re making a real difference by supporting this amazing charity and the lives they impact every day. Thank you for being part of the journey.
If you would like to donate to the Love Mercy Foundation, please click here to see how you can help.
