Displaying items by tag: Christian charity

Christian charity Benefact Trust has awarded a grant of £67,000 to XLP, a London charity that uses music and the arts to bring harmony into the lives of young people growing up in communities with a lack of opportunity. It will use the grant to supply youth workers with recording studio equipment to use in the hearts of communities. They aim to create safe spaces for young people who struggle daily with issues like family breakdown and gang violence. Jonathan, one of the youth workers on the project, said, ‘Music is an incredible way to experience freedom when opportunities around you feel chained up and you can't see a way out.’ XLP works with over 2,500 young people across nine inner-city London boroughs, empowering young voices to seek positive futures. It was set up in 1996, in response to a stabbing in a school playground.

Wheels for the World restore and distribute refurbished wheelchairs to disabled people in developing countries, giving them independence and demonstrating the love of God. They send old wheelchairs to a workshop in one of their partner prisons for refurbishment. Prisoners find satisfaction in this work which helps restore their self-worth and dignity. Wheelchairs come back from the prison fully restored and are loaded into containers for shipping abroad. While in prison Chris was trained to repair wheelchairs and gained useful skills to help him find a career when released. One of the wheelchairs Chris refurbished to ‘good as new’ was shipped to Miriam in Uganda. She had paralysis in her legs and no physiotherapy or rehabilitation services available to her. She spent most of her time in bed and isolated. Now she can help her mother sell produce on their market stall, and can independently go out and make friends.