Thomas Miller concludes global charity partnership Street Child with a £50,000 donation, reaching a total contribution of £170,000 since January 2022

Thomas Miller have made a final £50,000 corporate donation to Street Child, rounding off a brilliant two-year partnership with the charity. The donation is being allocated across three countries of Street Child’s operations:

Afghanistan

The majority of funds are being allocated to Afghanistan, where the core of our partnership has been focused. Street Child will ensure these funds support the projects most in need in the country, especially at a time where recently, there has been dramatic economic suffering, with the significant narrowing of space for women in society.

Our donation will also help to establish two ‘Child-Friendly Spaces’ in an encashment centre at the Torkham Border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. This follows the government of Pakistan issuing directives of illegal immigrants to leave the country by November 1^st 2023, including those whose families have been established for multiple generations, leading to a flood of refugees arriving at the Torkham borders. With extremely poor conditions and many having ensured arduous journeys spanning several days, children in particular are very vulnerable, finding it difficult to cope with the rapidly changing situation. The 2 Child-Friendly Spaces will provide up to 600 children with lifesaving psychosocial, recreational and referral services, and will also offer Street Child an opportunity to increase their visibility (operating alongside actors such as UNHCR and UNICEF) for further fundraising.

Nepal

In November, a devastating earthquake struck in the Karnali Province in the far west of Nepal killing 153 individuals and leaving at least 375 people injured. The earthquake wreaked havoc on the region's infrastructure, causing extensive damage to 43 schools and disrupting vital road networks. Our donation here will help Street Child to support all of the schools that have been damaged, serving up to 1,720 children, ensuring they can continue to receive an education, and also providing water filters to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Somalia

In Somalia, approximately 60% of children are not in school. Humanitarian needs are high, and many drought-affected children have been displaced from their homes, disrupting their learning. Street Child, in partnership with UNICEF, are looking to change this story by piloting a methodology called Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), which has achieved dramatic learning gains in multiple global contexts. Street Child is recognised as one of the leading global practitioners of TaRL, in particular in Africa, and especially in emergency contexts.

Donations here aim to improve the learning outcomes for over 28,000 internally displaced children in non-formal settings, readying them for transition to formal school and laying the foundations for significantly scaled subsequent stages, with Street Child working with UNICEF to develop and implement the programme.

The Times and The Sunday Times Christmas Appeal

We are pleased to share that Street Child have also been chosen as the international charity for 2023 The Times and Sunday Times Christmas appeal. Journalists from both newspapers have been visiting their programmes, witnessing their work first-hand to ensure children are safe, in school, and learning. You can find out more and how to support through their website.

Our Employee Fundraising has been Vital to the Success of our Partnership

In year one, Thomas Miller donated £90,500 to Street Child and was put towards some vital projects, including in Somaliland, Ukraine, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with more information available here.

As a company, we are very proud to say that our employees alone have raised over £50,000 throughout the two-years, meaning the total contribution to Street Child including corporate donations is £170,000. Our workforce were involved across plethora of different initiatives globally, raising money through running and sport challenges, social events, dress down days, and even a photo competition, to name a few. These were supported closely by Street Child, who ensured many of these events were a success, and Thomas Miller would like to thank the charity for the opportunities given throughout the partnership.

Our global corporate charity partnership is a core element of our unique Corporate Social Programme, Be The Difference, and it’s been fantastic to contribute to Street Child’s incredible work helping to ensure children remain safe, in school and learning. We look forward to continuing our charity partner structure in 2024, with information to follow soon on which charity we will working with for the next two-years.