Pounds save lives around the world
By Tony Watts - Editor - 29/05/2007
All of us, in some small way, would like to leave a legacy behind us – something which we have done in our lives which will have a positive impact in the years ahead. One way, of course, is to bequest money to good causes in our wills. But just how much can that bequest achieve?
WER is a UK registered charity, set up in 1995 and based in London, and which supports and funds 63 projects in 25 countries around the globe. A non-denominational Christian charity, its mission is to give young people in developing countries “a living chance “by addressing the root causes of poverty through its projects and programme work.
In 2005/06 the charity was able to source and distribute donated goods for humanitarian relief and development purposes to the value of over £28 million. And over 93 pence in every £1 donated to WER is spent on direct charitable causes.
As their spokesperson told me: “Even small amounts make a difference to people’s lives. £10 could provide nursery education for five young children for an entire year, in the school we helped build in Basketo in rural Ethiopia. And £20 could feed a baby at our HIV/AIDS clinic in Rwanda for a whole month.
So even modest bequests really do go a long way. £50 could provide food and clothing for a whole year for a Sri Lankan child orphaned in the tsunami. £100 could pay school fees for three Thai children from an impoverished hill tribe for an entire year.
Larger bequests can transform lives: £250 could help provide and fit an artificial limb for a child at their Transitions disability centre in Guatemala, while £500 could ensure that 20 orphans in at the Casa Ray orphanage in Dobreni, Romania receive regular and nutritious meals for a month.
And if you are able to leave a larger legacy again, here’s what it could do:
• £1000 could provide training for a primary school teacher in a highland community in Ethiopia.
• £3000 could help ensure that vulnerable and abused children in the Philippines receive essential counselling.
• £5000 could equip schools in disadvantaged South African townships with essential educational equipment.
• £10,000 could help provide a safe water supply to more than 30,000 displaced people in northern Uganda.
• £20,000 could enable WER to ship life-saving food and medical supplies when an emergency occurs, as we did for the tsunami and Pakistan earthquake
• £30,000 would build a primary school giving more children the chance of an education and a way out of poverty.
WER is keen to establish a positive relationship with its donors, and is always happy to discuss projects and answer queries about how money is being spent.
Likewise for those considering leaving gifts to WER in their will. “We would want to keep you informed of our work,” say WER, “so you can be confident your generosity will bring practical help and life-giving hope to disadvantaged and vulnerable children across the world. We would use your gift where the needs of children and their families are the greatest or you could specify which country or project you would like your legacy to be spent on.”
You can contact WER on 0870 429 2129 or log onto the website linked below.