THE SONG

PRE-ORDER HERE: https://orcd.co/universalchild

Hi there! We’re the Marsh Family - a musical group of six based in Faversham, Kent (in the UK). For Christmas 2024, we are delighted to be partnering up with Save the Children and supporting their Christmas fundraising drive with our release of a charity single - a cover of Annie Lennox’s beautiful song ‘Universal Child’ that will be released on all platforms on Friday 6 December. We're enormously grateful to her and Universal Music Publishing Group for allowing us permission to create and share our version, modelled on the original.

We have created this JustGiving in the hope that people who follow us and enjoy our music might consider making any contribution they can, to help us reach a target that will really make a difference. And even if you can't because of your circumstances, that you might share the song or request it on radios or add it to playlists to try to boost its reach and its message supporting a better life for children around the world. It has been heartbreaking and numbing to see the suffering of innocents in 2024, and to know it will likely continue. But even with small steps and small amounts, a longer journey towards hope and love - and rescued livelihoods - can begin.

We recorded the song in a studio in Woking in half-term, thanks to the generous support of our Patreons and new friends through a summer Kickstarter, and we've tried to make space for each of our voices and instruments in the mix. Making it was a reminder of how lucky we are to be a family together, under a roof, who can pick each other up. The lyrics talk about seeing the future of the 'Human Race' in same way, and building a special place in the face of tears and pain.

We're excited about sharing the song, the video, and perhaps even some live performances of our version of "Universal Child" in December - so look out for some news and updates on our socials which you can find here.

We're arranging to send a special digital Christmas card and thank you message to anyone who supports us (and wants one), in which case please just stick your email in the form here: https://www.marshfamilysongs.com/contact/ or click on the option to let us have your contact details after you've donated to this page.

THE CAMPAIGN

This year has been a very difficult one for many across the globe, with the war in Ukraine leaving an estimated 2.5 million children displaced and the war in Gaza killing at least 15,000, wounding thousands more and leaving hospitals and educational facilities as rubble.

The changes to the globe have also led to tragedy - one in five children (around half a billion) live in areas experiencing at least twice as many extremely hot days as their grandparents, and eight countries, including Mali, Niger, Senegal, South Sudan and Sudan, are home to children who spend more than half the year in temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius. In Europe and Central Asia alone, an estimated 160 million children are vulnerable to the effects of climate degradation.

So many are left without homes or families. Without food, water or medical aid.

Save the Children believes that every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, they give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. They do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Ella (who's 15 and plays cricket) was really struck by their project in Nepal to form a girls' cricket team and combat child marriage, while Tess (who's 13, who loves animals and wants to be a vet) was touched by their use of therapy dogs like the golden retriever Parker as part of child-friendly spaces and mental health support for children like Victoriya in Ukraine.

We found it really helpful to think about what each potential donation might break down into, as an act of support, so we asked Save the Children for a list that they kindly shared that would fit with the idea of 'Universal' or global childhood, and that might be relevant to our lovely fans and supporters in different parts of the globe:

- £8 could provide treatment for pneumonia, malaria or acute diarrhoea for one child at a primary health care facility in the DRC

- £12 could provide a household with water purification tablets that kill bacteria and ensure a family can access clean drinking water in Sudan

- £15 could buy supermarket vouchers to help a struggling UK family put food on the table

- £24 could provide a child with a learning kit in Ukraine to make sure they don’t miss out on their education

- £26 could provide food for two weeks for a family who’ve been displaced by violence or flooding in Yemen

- £40 could provide a family in Somalia with a goat – a source of nutritious milk and income

- £62 could provide a Child Reintegration Kit in Mozambique for children separated from their families, including food and essential item

We know times are tough at the moment, and everyone's belts are already tightened. So we really appreciate any support you can give to our fundraising, that is helping to give children around the world a brighter future. Thank you!