Today – the 10th October 2019 – marks our 19th birthday! Our fantastic founders, Phil and Wendy Wall, have reflected on all that has happened and wanted to share this message of thanks:

“It may be the result of being two adults in their fifties, but we often find ourselves reminiscing and being deeply moved about the extraordinary journey of WeSeeHope. We are overwhelmed by all that has happened, never dreaming that we would end up here.

“What began as a very personal and intimate story about very average parents who were inspired to try and adopt a vulnerable little one, Zodwa, into their young family has become a mini movement of change. A very much emotional, gut feel response to her needs has evolved into a strategic partnership that has equipped thousands of children and communities in Southern and Eastern Africa with the skills to create sustainable futures. A response to a one-off 20 minute meeting with her has become a lifetime vocation focussed on doing all we can to help other vulnerable children alongside our amazing team and in-country partners.

‘WeSeeHope started thanks to the generous gifts of a few people giving sacrificially and creatively, and together we have now raised over £21m with many thousands of individuals and businesses. Hence we are profoundly moved by people’s kindness and acutely aware that next to nothing that has been achieved could have been so without all of you. We would like to invite you to stay with us on this journey because together we really can help these remarkable young people change their worlds.’

The way that Phil and Wendy founded WeSeeHope is truly remarkable. Inspired by meeting Zodwa – which you can find our more about here – they invested their personal savings and created an extraordinary fundraising challenge; they gave people £10 and encouraged them to turn it into £100, using only their talents, passions and networks to do so. Their 10¹⁰ Challenge went on to raise £2m – pretty incredible if you ask us!

If you’re interested in taking on your own 10¹⁰ Challenge or getting involved in another way, we’d love to hear from you.

Phil and Zodwa, pictured in 1997