Maria Relief Fund: A New Hope for Distressed Children and Families

NB TO ALL VISITORS - WHILE THIS WEBSITE IS BEING REVISED, PLEASE FIND OUR "PORTRAITS OF CHILDREN" AND "CHRISTMAS 2014 GREETINGS" UNDER "EVENTS" AND "PORTRAITS OF REFUGEES" AND "THE ENGLISH CLASS" UNDER 'PROJECTS' - OR USE SEARCH BUTTON.

When we founded the Maria Relief Fund in 2005, with 30 years' experience of helping distressed children, our guiding principle was "to love a stranger." Our goal is to bring relief to families and children suffering poverty and distress, whether due to political oppression, natural disaster or any other cause.

We are strongly committed to equality and do not discriminate according to ethnicity, gender or religion. We promote equal opportunities for people suffering discrimination and inequality, particularly by facilitating access to education: We want to empower youngsters and women to improve their own lives.

Maria Relief Fund has established a child-sponsorship scheme in Ukraine, whose everyday management is entrusted to a team of local volunteers. Their natural understanding of their own country's society and culture are invaluable, and they enjoy personal contact with the children and families involved.

Being a small organisation, our capabilities are in some ways restricted. But our limited size allows us to maintain personal relationships with both supporters and beneficiaries. Equally importantly, we are run entirely by volunteers, which means that almost every penny we raise can go directly to those in need. This makes us an invaluable alternative to the increasingly corporate larger charities.

One Week's Sponsored Cycling - see under Projects