Victoria’s parents, Francis Climbié and Berthe Amoissi, sent their daughter from the Ivory Coast to stay with her aunt, a common practice in West Africa. They believed that they were giving her the opportunity of a better education. Instead, Victoria suffered months of neglect and beatings before dying of hypothermia.

The Victoria Climbié Charitable Trust was founded in September 2003, in memory of Victoria. It was founded to build a lasting memorial and to ensure something positive comes out of the tragic circumstances surrounding her death by building a school in the Ivory coast in her memory.

The primary school will be built in Abobo, an area of the Ivory Coast near to where Victoria was born. It is hoped the school will give local children the educational opportunities that the family believe Victoria could not have had if she stayed in the Ivory Coast. Currently, the nearest state school to Abobo is half a day’s drive away and many children in the area do not receive any education as a result.