Get involved with Legacy of War Foundation

Last month, we received an email from 10 year old Lara from Brighton. Lara had heard about Legacy of War Foundation’s recent visit to Goma in the DR Congo, and about the young people we met in an orphanage there. She was worried to hear about food shortages they are experiencing, and the lack of access to leisure and sporting facilities - both longstanding problems which have been exacerbated by COVID-19. So Lara decided to do something about it.

An avid dancer, Lara created #Handstands4Goma and challenged her friends and family to join or sponsor her, raising 10p for every handstand they did on Sundays throughout April. They have raised a phenomenal £1538 so far, which will go towards purchasing chickens, tools and seeds for the orphanage in Goma so that the young people there have food for years to come. We are also hoping to invest in some sports equipment because, just like Lara, we believe that young people everywhere should have the space to play and exercise. You can find out more in Lara’s interview with our CEO & Founder Giles Duley here.

We are seeking to build a community of people worldwide who, like us, want to create real change. We know that many people are interested in volunteering with us, and we are excited to make that happen as COVID restrictions ease in the coming months. In the meantime - inspired by Lara - here are some other ways you can get involved with Legacy of War Foundation at home.

 

Set your own challenge

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We are registered with Facebook Giving, PayPal Giving Fund and GoFundMe. Anyone can set up birthday fundraisers, sponsored events and more through these platforms to help support Legacy of War Foundation. Whether it’s just for you or, like 10 year old Lara who started #Handstands4Goma, you want others to get involved, your creativity is the only limit!

We do our best to ensure that every penny you donate goes to creating real change - not paying platform fees. As a result we avoid platforms which charge charities to be listed. We’d recommend using Facebook Giving (who cover payment fees themselves so 100% of donations go to charities), or GoFundMe and PayPal Giving (who both take a smaller percentage of fees)!

 

Go the distance

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Action Challenge organise amazing outdoor challenges around the world. From super-tough Ultra Challenges to virtual events, you and your friends or colleagues can take part in an unforgettable adventure and fundraise for Legacy of War Foundation at the same time.

Thanks to Oskar, who will be completing the Isle of Wight Challenge next month for Legacy of War Foundation, for introducing us to Action Challenge!

 

Get walking

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At the beginning of March, Vanessa in Hastings began walking 10000 steps a day to raise money to help refugees - and saw some beautiful sights, like the sunset above, in the process! What was originally going to last 30 days has now expanded into an incredible year-long event for anyone to get involved in. You can set your own pace and keep friends and family updated via Strava. 

Join the #March2March team or donate via their Virgin Giving page.

 

Donate clothes

We may not have charity shops, but you can still raise money by donating used clothing with Thrift. Thrift sell donated clothes through online platforms to raise money for charities. You can choose to split any profits with Legacy of War Foundation, or even donate the full amount to us.

It’s worth knowing that Thrift take a fee to cover their costs: for us to receive a donation, items need to sell for more than £5. If you’ve got bits and bobs that are in a good condition but might not hit that price, consider donating them to elsewhere - try The Free Shop Lebanon who will get them directly to refugees!

 

While you shop

If you’re an avid online shopper, there are a number of ways you can give without spending extra cash. We are now registered with EasyFundraising and Give As You Live, so you can support us while shopping with online retailers like Argos, John Lewis and Amazon. The donation comes from the retailer, so you won’t be charged any extra.

To use EasyFundraising, please head here to register. You’ll need to navigate through their website every time you shop, so you might want to bookmark the webpage.

You can select us as your preferred Give As You Live charity here. Then every time you shop, and we’ll get a small donation with every purchase.

There is no such thing as too small a gift, and these donations really do add up for us - especially around Christmas!