We set up Legacy of War Foundation because we wanted to do things differently.
Our localised, sustainable, beneficiary-led projects in Ukraine, Rwanda and Lebanon return power, funding and assets to the hands of the communities we work with.
We seek to challenge the traditional neo-colonial concepts in the aid sector, and implement a collaborative model guided by our beneficiaries (we prefer ‘partners’). Since 2017, we’ve raised over £1.4m to support communities impacted by conflict.
Together, our trustees, team, patrons, and partners have arrived at ten guiding principles that shape our work. Find out more.
“We believe in direct and positive action to create lasting and meaningful change”
Our mission is simple – to help individuals and communities rebuild their own lives after the trauma of war. We believe in providing the tools, training, education and other support – whether it be physical, psychological or economic – that enables those we work with to shape their own futures.
Founded in 2017 by photographer Giles Duley, a triple amputee, Legacy of War Foundation also advocates for NO MORE WAR and strives to create awareness about war’s long-term effects on civilians through photography and art.
OUR WORK
We know the people best equipped to create change, and our greatest asset as an organisation, are our beneficiaries themselves - or, as we call them, partners. So we build projects from the group up with direct input from our partners, and aim for all our programs to be self-sustaining within five years.
It was Land for Women partner, and Rwandan genocide survivor, Olive who inspired our flagship program’s ethos. When asked what we could do to help her community, she replied, “give us the land to grow”. So that’s what we’ve done.
Land for Women combines sustainable cooperative farming with a groundbreaking land transfer model, and reflects our priorities of sustainability, affordability and education. Find out more about how it works.
In Lebanon and Europe, we work with vulnerable refugees with complex needs - refugees like Khawla, whose story you can hear here, and our patron Khouloud, whose story of resilience and friendship inspired our first campaign.
In 2022 we launched an extensive Ukraine Crisis Response, working closely with partners on the ground to provide targeted support for vulnerable communities including adults and children with disabilities, and internally displaced people. So far we’ve delivered over £240000 of grants and specialised aid.
Lastly, we educate and campaign around the impact of conflict. Our No More War project, launched in 2021, highlights the costs of twenty years of war following 9/11 with artistic collaborations to drive conversation and create change. We also support artists whose lives have been impacted by war, commissioning and amplifying their work.
As an organisation we stand for equal rights, equal opportunities and aim to set an example within the sector. We avoid the need for expensive offices or inflated wages, and ensure that 90% of the funds we raise go to our projects. Find out more about how we work.
Collaboration. Community. Conversation.
Legacy of War Foundation | We do things differently.
