In 1999, Richard Sanderson left his Cullercoats home for a 2 week trip to volunteer at a children’s foundation in Bogota, Colombia. Moved by what he saw at Children’s Vision, he took a 1 year break to spend longer at the foundation. In 2000, he made the move permanent and in 2002 married founder Jeanene. In 2008, Richard set up UK charity New Hope for Children to support the work of the foundation which retains strong links with the North East. Over the years many teams from the North East have travelled to Bogota to help and Richard travels back here twice a year to give reports. The foundation provides a free education, nutritional meals, and medical care for 120 children who live at the foundation and a further 80 who live locally. The foundation takes children who face the most desperate circumstances and is helping to break the cycle of extreme poverty, giving these children a new start in life and hope for the future.

Since establishing the foundation in 1993, Jeanene’s vision has been to have 5 homes, a medical centre and a school helping the most vulnerable and needy children in Colombia. In 2016 the 4th Children’s home was added to the medical centre and school bringing the team one step closer to fulfilling the dream.  One of the challenges of a growing family is lack of space: dinners have to be served in 6 sittings and there isn’t an area indoors where all the children can fit at once. A brand new facility is being built with areas to seat 350 people, sports facilities and spaces for sewing, cookery tuition etc.

          A very kind UK donor has committed to a £60,000 matching grant with any money raised by October 2018. We are looking for businesses or individuals to donate towards this. For any businesses who donate a thank you will be printed in the next issue. Alternatively you could sponsor a child to give them something we take for granted– a hope for the future.