Welcome to The Roddy Scott Foundation
The Foundation was founded in memory of Yorkshire journalist Roddy Scott who was shot in the Chechen conflict in 2002. Its aim is to provide money and support to communities which have been socially and economically disadvantaged as a result of civil disturbance, war or natural disaster.
The Foundation became a charity in 2008 and is currently expanding the existing schooling for children in the socially deprived Pankisi gorge area of northern Georgia by providing English teaching, IT classes and nursery school facilities.
Pankisi school children in their classroom
By expanding their education in an unbiased way we give opportunities and hope to children and help their parents to bring them up as balanced adults who will be able to assist in the future development of this region
The charity pays for teachers, all from the local community, to receive specialist language and teaching training and has set up classes in six schools in the region for 180 children (aged between 12 and 14). In addition, the American Acadamy in Tiblisi has offered further education scholarships for the most able in this programme. The running cost to do this is £15000 per annum for the English teaching and £7000 pa for IT classes. All the funds that are raised go directly to paying teachers and a programme manager. The programme is monitored by by two trustees, supported by a locally formed advisory board drawn from an affiliated NGO established in Georgia for this purpose and to raise funds locally.
Roddy with rebel group
Roddy Scott was killed in 2002 reporting on the Chechen fight for independence (1994 – 6, and 1999 to date). He spent many months reporting and filming in northern Georgia where he lived with the local Chechen refugee community before accompanying a group of partisans who set out from their refuge in the Panakisi gorge to help in the relief of Grozny, capital of Chechnya.
