
Our vision
We look forward to a world in which the lives of children are no longer torn apart by war
Our Mission
War Child’s mission is to support and strengthen the protective environment for children who, as a result of conflict, live with a combination of insecurity, poverty and exclusion.
History
War Child was founded in 1993 by British filmmakers Bill Leeson and David Wilson, when they returned from filming the war in former Yugoslavia. Shocked by what they had seen, they raised enough money to return later that year with a convoy and mobile bakery to help provide for the children affected by the conflict.
The War Child family soon grew as War Child Holland was formed in 1994 and War Child Canada started in 1998 - all under the umbrella of War Child International.

Our first album 'Help' was launched in 1995 in order to raise money and awareness for the children affected by the bloody conflicts in the Balkans.
After more than 10 years we handed over our music therapy programme and the flagship Pavarotti Music Centre to a local organisation that will continue to serve children in to the future.
During that time we have expanded our programmes into the four countries we work in today - Iraq, Afghanistan, D.R. Congo and Uganda. We have also released four more critically acclaimed albums; most notably 'Help! - A Day in the Life' in 2005 and 'Heroes' in 2009.
Staff
Although we've worked with some of the biggest names in music history, we're actually quite a small organisation.
We employ 15 full time staff in our Head Office in London, and rely on the invaluable support of a small team of unpaid interns.
Current Head Office staff members:
| Name | Position | email address @warchild.org.uk |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Waddington | CEO | mark |
| Ben Knowles | Music Director | benk |
| Nivi Narang | Campaigns Director | nivi |
| Florian Maehler | Finance Director | florian |
| Wayne Bleier | Programmes Director | wayne |
| Matthew Wilson | Deputy Programmes Director | matthew |
| Katie Taylor | Iraq & Afghanistan Programmes Manager | katie |
| Marieke Hounjet | Iraq & Afghanistan Programmes Assistant | marieke |
| Sophie Hug Williams | DRC & Uganda Programmes Manager | sophie |
| Mafalda Marchioro | DRC & and Uganda Programmes Assistant | mafalda |
| Sara Bowcutt | Fundraising Manager | sara |
| Charlotte Minvielle | Fundraising Officer | charlotte |
| Catherine Gledhill | Music Projects Manager | catherine |
| Wendy Aldridge (currently on maternity leave) | Head of Events | wendy |
| Caroline Nicholson | Schools Manager | caroline |
| Trudy Stone (currently on maternity leave) | Media & Artist Liaison Manager | trudy |
| Nikki Morgan | Media & Artist Liaison Assistant | nikki |
| Ben Blankley | Online Manager | benb |
| Erika Hamer | Office Manager | erika |
| Adewale Ajadi | Finance Manager | adewale |
| Harriet Holder | Programmes Intern | harriet |
| Clare O'Reilly | Advocacy Intern | clare |
| Matt Browne | Communications Intern | matt |
| Jessica Sutton | Fundraising Intern | jessica |

The photogenic staff of War Child. (i.e. everyone except Mark and Sara!)
In the Field

War Child UK runs projects on the ground in four countries:
- Afghanistan
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Iraq
- Uganda
War Child helps protect children by:
- Reintegrating child soldiers with their families
- Getting children off the streets, after war has forced them to leave home
- Separating children from adults in prison
- Rebuilding schools destroyed by war
Finances
Last year our turnover was approximately £1.6m

Q: It looks like you ran quite a big deficit last year. Is War Child in financial difficulty?
A: No we aren't. Like a lot of charities, our income and expenditure does tend to fluctuate year on year and some grants may arrive in one financial year and then are spent in the next one. We also invested money last year in diversifying our income streams (see question below).

Q: Who do you get grants from?
A: We receive a couple of large grants from Comic Relief and DFID. We also receive funding from a number of smaller trusts and funds.

Q: That looks like a large proportion of money to spend on generating income?
A: It was higher than normal last year. We knew we would be affected by the economic downturn just like everyone else. Therefore last year we invested money in strengthening and diversifying our income sources so that we weren't over-reliant on any one funder or income stream.
This investment has paid off as we have managed not to have to make any financial-related cuts to our vital programmes work in the field. We also incurred costs in 2008 for the recording of our album 'Heroes', and this did not go on sale and generate an income until early 2009.
Music
War Child has an established, proud and unique relationship with music. Since our inception, music has been at the heart of what we do and continues to be the primary way we engage with the public and raise money.
Back in 1995 we released Help! - the charity album by which all others have seen judged ever since. Featuring the likes of Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Stone Roses, Massive Attack - it was recorded, mixed and on sale within seven days.
To mark the album's 10th anniversary we released 'Help: A Day in the Life'. Recorded and sold online within 24 hours, it became the fastest recorded and downloaded album in music history.
Earlier this year we released 'Heroes' - a covers album featuring legendary artists who between them have sold more than 1.4 billion albums.
Gigs

As well as our famous albums, we also have a proud heritage of hosting gigs which have supported up and coming artists and also featured some of the biggest bands on the planet - most notably our recent concert with Coldplay, The Killers, Bono and Gary Barlow
Read more about the history of War Child and music here



