ABOUT US
“It’s simple; each project we are involved with must be, wherever possible, designed and implemented by those we are supporting. The most under-used resource by most charities is the beneficiaries themselves.
Resilience, experience and an understanding of the local situation are some of the attributes of the beneficiaries; whose own hopes and dreams are often disregarded.
As an organization, our first question is always “tell us how you think we can best help you?
It’s through this philosophy that we can gain real participation and support communities as they empower themselves”
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. 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. Read more about the principles that guide our work here.
In the Middle East and Europe, we work with vulnerable refugee families with complex needs - families like Khawla’s in Lebanon. We’re often asked how a problem as big and complex as the refugee crisis can be solved. For us, it isn't that complicated. These families need a safe home, food, electricity and medical care: things many of us take for granted. And most importantly, they need access to education and the opportunity to empower themselves. We’ve been providing these things since 2016, and with your help, we’ll keep going.
We also educate and campaign around the impact of conflict. In 2021, we worked with VENT to launch No More War, highlighting the costs of twenty years of war following 9/11 and widening the conversation on a failed foreign policy based on violence, by bringing together artists around the world. See some of the work from the first phase of No More War here - or even create some yourself. We advocate for survivors of conflict, and also deliver talks and activities in schools, colleges and universities to help young people understand the lasting damage war creates. Find out more, or invite us to your school, here.
Read more about all our projects here.
“For over a decade I have worked as a photographer and writer documenting the long-term impact of conflict globally. From Iraq to Afghanistan, Laos to Colombia, there are few who have seen and documented the legacy of war with such breadth or detail. It is this experience that led me to found a charity to find new ways of supporting survivors of conflict.
While doing this work, I was critically injured by a landmine in Afghanistan. The experience of both a long recovery and living as a triple amputee has given me unique insight into the lives of those I work with. When I was recovering, there were two groups of people – those who offered me charity (funds so I didn’t have to work, to have a house adapted etc.) and those that simply said “How are we going to get you working again?” I always said that if the latter was achieved, I would make sure others had the same support and opportunity. ”
GILES’ STORY
Co-founder & CEO, Giles Duley gave up a life of glamour and celebrity as a fashion photographer to travel the world and document the stories of the forgotten and marginalized. His work, in collaboration with local and international NGOs, took him to Sudan, Angola, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, among other places.
In 2011, while on patrol with the 75th Cavalry Regiment, United States Army in Afghanistan, Giles stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). He was severely injured, losing both legs and an arm.
Once asked if he thought he could change the world with his photographs? “No” Duley replied, “but I do believe I can inspire the people that will.”