Over the last three years, we have seen pandemics, wars, and now the cost-of-living crisis threatening to push many households to their limits. It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity and difficulties that we continue to face, especially when many people were already facing hardships and these additional challenges have meant their essential resources have been reduced. In the face of these increasingly challenging times, the team at AFD Software continue to seek to bring some hope and light to those most affected.
In December, AFD hosted its annual charity event to celebrate staff-nominated donations totalling around £1,600,000 to about 90 charities. Hearing from charity representatives sharing stories of how the donations will be used in transformational ways was a powerful reminder that all the team at AFD contribute to one of the company’s aims to relieve suffering and help those in need.
As is usual, three charity speakers were chosen to present a glimpse of the work of their charity. In a tribute to the example of the late Servant Queen, Elizabeth II, (“Lord of Man” – as the reigning monarch is known on the Isle of Man), the chosen speakers were all young women, showing their dedication to the local, UK and international causes they serve. Their charities are as follows:
Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) are the leading nature conservation charity in the Isle of Man, caring for land, sea and freshwater environments and working to protect the wildlife existing there whilst engaging the community to connect with the nature around them.
AFD’s donation will support their work with young people: from primary school sessions through to under- and post-graduate interns, MWT seek to guide and strengthen the next generation of ecologists, which in turn will make them more responsible citizens while benefitting the wildlife and habitats of the Island.
Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) is an award-winning charity that works in partnership with over 250 local churches to support struggling children, young people, and families across the UK by providing practical support in schools, the community, and homes to bring hope.
AFD is supporting TLG in their ambitious project to launch 110 new church partnerships by the end of 2025 that will focus on early intervention in the form of voluntary one-to-one coaching for children struggling in school, and community clubs that offer free hot meals and fun activities for food-insecure families.
International Justice Mission UK (IJM) are a global organisation working in 15 different countries to protect people in poverty from everyday violence, modern slavery, and human trafficking. The donation from AFD will help scale IJM’s work of bringing light into darkness by enabling investigators to work with local law enforcement, fund lawyers and train local partners to not only see a world where children are protected by the justice system, but where they are not abused in the first place.
All the organisations we have partnered with and the incredible work they do can be seen at www.afd.co.uk/charity.
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