War Child UK was founded in 1993 by two filmmakers, Bill Leeson and David Wilson, who were mortified of how the Bosnian war was affecting children. Leeson and Wilson wanted to serve these innocent children in anyway they could. With the help of Paul McCartney, Oasis, Blur and Radiohead, War Child UK’s first project, the ‘Help’ album was released and successfully raised millions of dollars for their cause. The proceeds went to the Pavarotti Music Centre in Mostar, which is a nonprofit that uses music therapy to treat kids who are impacted by war. This project was just the beginning of War Child UK’s fight for peace and relief. According to their website, it states, “We aim to reach children as early as possible when conflict breaks out, and stay on to support them – long after the TV cameras have gone home. We work with children affected by war in 6 countries and are aiming to reach 260,000 children by 2019. Our vital, life-changing work covers four main areas: protection, education, livelihoods, and campaigning.”
War Child UK’s mission is, “To protect, educate and stand up for the rights of children caught up in war,” and still today, they continue to fight for children all over the world. Recently, Grammy-nominated artist, Brandi Carlile, partnered up with War Child UK and her charity, Looking Out Foundation, in order to raise money for the children who are affected by war all over the world. On May 5th, Carlile will be releasing a new interpretation of her album The Story, which will have artists, like Pearl Jam, Dolly Parton, and Adele (just to casually name drop a few), covering her 14 tracks. All proceeds from this album will go to War Child UK. Her goal is raise 1 million dollars and as much awareness for the children as she can. When it comes to war, children are left in the dark. They do not get a voice. However, if you are an American who lives with a roof over your head and a warm bed to go to at night, then YOU have a voice. You have an opportunity to make change. Do not wait for change to happen. It can only start with the voices of the people who care. Hopefully this album will not only be a symbol of relief for these children, but it will be a wakeup call to our administration in Office, and our country, that we NEED to start putting the future generation of this WORLD before ourselves.
For more information on this amazing cause:
COVER STORIES Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years Of The Story An Album to Benefit War Child UK
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