Seeing Hope
566. Phil Wall
567. Wendy Wall
Phil and Wendy Wall were so saddened by the story of a young girl orphaned by AIDS in Johannesburg that they set up the charity ‘WeSeeHope’.
When their attempt to adopt Zowda failed, they began raising money to invest in local projects. Fundraising an impressive £19.5 million in the last 16 years, they have partnered with over 26 African community-based organisations to support young people made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Promoting children’s rights, preventing child-trafficking and creating pre-school programmes in slum areas, their work benefits 60,000 children in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Their ambition is that by 2020, WeSeeHope will support 150,000 children every year.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
“Moved to act because of the tragic circumstances of one young girl orphaned by AIDS, Phil and Wendy have used their personal passion for helping others to create a charity which has staggering reach and impact in the developing world. By continuing to expand their work which already supports communities in six countries, they are improving the lives of tens of thousands of vulnerable children in sub-saharan Africa. I am delighted to name them both UK Points of Light.”
Phil and Wendy said:
“It is a privilege to join this community of volunteer winners, thank you for including us. I am sure – like all the other winners – we would want to acknowledge all those within the WeSeeHope family who give of themselves to the remarkable and inspiring young people we have the honour of serving.”