Leaving a gift in your Will is a very special and personal decision. It is an incredibly meaningful way to support our work as your donation will create a legacy of change for vulnerable children, not just today but for generations to come.
Legacies can play a hugely significant role for a charity by providing unrestricted income that allows us to grow and plan ahead with confidence, but also giving us the flexibility to react quickly in times of crisis.
In March this year as the COVID-19 pandemic spread globally and the world was going into lockdown, we knew that the most vulnerable in society would be hit the hardest, including the thousands of marginalised children we support. Our partners were sharing stories of children at risk of hunger, domestic violence and sexual abuse and children who may not ever return to school.
Thanks to a very special and heartfelt donation left to us by a supporter who remembered us in their Will, we were able to act quickly to support our partners as they adapted to meet the changing needs of the children we support. This legacy played a significant role in the creation of our COVID-19 Response Fund, ensuring we could continue to support vulnerable children through the pandemic and beyond.
This generous gift went on to help so many vulnerable children and their families. Children like Stephane.
Stephane is 13 lives in Kisumu, Kenya. When COVID-19 forced the city to go into lockdown Stephane’s school closed. Although many lessons moved to be broadcast over the radio, Stephane had no way to listen in. Stuck at home Stephane was missing out his education. Then one day our local partner KUAP visited the home to deliver vital food supplies. When they realised that Stephane was unable to listen to the lessons, they provided him with a radio. Since then Stephane been able to keep up with lessons, taking notes and performing well on questions.
The far-reaching impact of this legacy was felt throughout all the countries we work in. In the DRC it supported our partner Children’s Voice, who called up girls who have gone through their tailoring course to sew over 600 masks! The girls are paid for their work, helping to make up for income lost over a tough few months.
Young women in DRC making reusable face masks
‘Since Coronavirus arrived in our province and in Goma, we’ve been coordinating together several times to fight against this disease and above all to protect the children and young women who we support and have supported in the past.
This project has come just at the right time. We knew about vulnerable families and children who were unable to get themselves a mask. These people were victims of the police, and the more people without a mask put themselves and other at direct risk from the disease.’ Jeannine, tailoring instructor at Children’s Voice
Over the past few months this donation left by one person has gone on to change the lives of thousands of others in Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana as well as the DRC and Kenya. We are so grateful that this supporter decided to support our work in such a poignant and meaningful way.
The stories of Stephane and Jeannine show just how powerful a legacy can be. If you would like to find out more about leaving a gift in your will and the difference it could make you can download our information pack here or contact Alice Barley on or 01483 230 250.
