TOUR OF A LIFETIME

This is the most philanthropic time of year. We tend to be a bit introspective about our lives as we see sportsmen and comedians ‘doing their bit’ for charity. We’re soon back at work though, maybe having made a donation, safe in the knowledge that the fractured world is being healed by our efforts. 

For some people though, philanthropy is a way of life. A children’s charity called Touraid has been set up by Andy Berry and Nick Avery to give children from third world countries the chance to establish educational and social links to children and schools in England. A bold mission statement that really comes to life when you realise that sport is the catalyst for all of this. 

Kids from Rwanda, Swaziland, Cambodia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, India, Zambia, Romania, Kenya and South Africa have undertaken the tour of a lifetime as they played an international rugby tournament at the same time as the World Cup in 2007. The fact that two teams of children from Rwanda and Cambodia played each other on English soil is as far-fetched as it is brilliant and Touraid continues to change lives. The organisation is supported by the likes of Fergal Keane, the BBC special correspondent who was instrumental in enabling the Rwandans to gain visas for the UK:

“These are kids from both the Tutsi and Hutu tribes. They are the children of the perpetrators and victims of genocide, and here they are coming to England - together - to play rugby. Doesn’t it make you weep?”

Like any charity, Touraid relies on the goodwill and determination of others to keep going. Please have a look at www.touraid.org and be inspired...