Why do we do what we do?

We can all be moved by the plight of the people we see on our television screens almost every day, the reasons for their problems are clearly illustrated on these pages.

But whilst many of us are willing to put the odd few coins in a collection box, or go along to the local charity car boot sale on a Sunday morning - what prompts the rest of us to do something about it, in a hands-on way?

For the founders of Hope and Aid Direct, it was the worry that not all the money they had donated was going where they intended it should - to the people who needed it. Examples can been seen below and on the other pages within this web site. Please take the time to browse and find out more.

The additional humanitarian work carried out by our teams includes assisting in projects such as rebuilding bombed schools, renovating orphanages, setting up co-operatives and supplying medical equipment to the General Hospital in Pristina.

Hope and Aid Direct is working directly with the survivors and assisting in resettlement. We do not use outside agencies to distribute our aid. However, we will often work hand in hand with outside organisations such as the British Army to help distribute the aid.

A toy like this can bring so much comfort to a child that has absolutely nothing, not even enough food to help them grow properly. Many of the children we meet whilst distributing aid, are obviously malnourished.

ALL ARE VOLUNTEERS

Everyone in the charity is a volunteer. No one gets a salary. Even this web site is donated, so you can be assured that every penny raised goes directly to getting aid to those who so desperately need it.

That is exactly why the charity was formed, to ensure no donated money was wasted on renting offices, employing people to do the administration and run fund raisers, which happens with some other charities.

And when we get to our destination, we personally distribute everything into the hands of those who need it, nothing is left in warehouses for others to distribute. That is the only way we can be sure nothing finds its way onto the black market or ends up in the wrong hands.

Hope and Aid Direct take a convoy of aid twice a year and that is asking a lot from an entirely volunteer organisation who have to spend nearly all their spare time fund raising and collecting in donated items to take on the next convoy. These same volunteers often use their annual holiday leave to go on the two week drive and distribution of this essential aid to Kosovo.

Please help if you can. Perhaps you have friends that also knit and you could all get together every so often and knit up half a dozen clowns. You would be making six more children so happy.