Cotton On Group is devastated over fire in Uganda school

13th November, 2018

Update as of Tuesday, 13 November

The Cotton On Group and it’s philanthropic arm, the Cotton On Foundation has been devastated by the fire at St Bernard’s Secondary School in Southern Uganda early Monday morning. Current reports indicate up to 10 students have died and others have been injured.

The Cotton On Foundation’s mission is to empower youth globally through the delivery of quality educational places. The Foundation’s aim is to create 20,000 educational places globally by 2020 and to date more than 9000 students have been provided access.

Locally, for more than a decade we have partnered with the Mannya community to provide long-term opportunities across education, health, sustainability and infrastructure.

“Our global team are shocked and saddened by this tragedy and our hearts are with the people of Mannya,” said Cotton On Group CEO, Peter Johnson.

Police and emergency services are leading the response, with the Cotton On Foundation team maintaining a support role within the community.

“Our Uganda team on the ground are providing immediate care in the form of blankets, clothing, food, counselling and support for the families. We are working closely with medical teams at various hospitals, to ensure those injured have access to medical treatment and the care they need.”

“What started as a simple donation to complete their healthcare centre in Mannya in 2007 became a life-changing partnership with the people of Uganda, and this tragedy has had a profound impact on our teams. The events of the last 24 hours has only strengthened our commitment and desire to continue our work with communities in need.”

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Monday, 12 November

The Cotton On Foundation is the Cotton On Group’s philanthropic arm, dedicated to empowering youth globally. We work directly with communities delivering education projects in various places around the world including Mannya, Uganda who we have supported since 2007.

Tragically an incident took place today in Mannya, Uganda, involving a dormitory fire where lives have been lost and injuries sustained.

As a community that the Cotton On Foundation works closely with, we are devastated by this news. At this stage, the details are still evolving and we remain focused on providing support to those impacted.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our Mannya family.