Giving something back to the world is important to me and below are some of my favourite charities. I have been privileged to meet many wonderful people doing many wonderful things to assist others, or save wildlife, or save heritage sites. Unfortunately I can not promote them all as there just is not space, but I would encourage you to support the causes that mean a lot to you and consider if you can help the charities below.

Project Mala seeks out working children in remote villages of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India and gives them quality education in four R’s reading, writing, arithmetic and respect. Respect for others and the environment as well as self-respect in personal hygiene good manners.

In the three year primary school course, we cover grades 1-5 of the national education standard. In the three year middle school course, we cover grades 6-8. In the two years of secondary school we cover grades 9-10 and in intermediate college we cover grades 11-12.

We are affiliated by the National Institute of Open Schooling who provide certification at grade five level. Uttar Pradesh Board of Senior Secondary Education gives us certification up to grade twelve, so children passing out can progress into further education. In addition we also provide some training in life sciences cooking, gardening, sewing etc. in order for them to make the most of their lives within the primitive environment of their rural village.

Child Rescue Nepal frees children from slavery. There are over 10 million children in the world today who are trapped in slavery or similar practices.

In Nepal, we estimate that there are almost 100,000 child slaves working in hazardous situations. These children are extremely vulnerable and often suffer from physical, emotional and sexual abuse. We rescue children, keep them safe and reunite them with their families.

Child Rescue Nepal has rescued 750 children but our work is far from over.

We want to end child slavery in Nepal and we won’t stop until every child is free. 020 7183 0353 info@childrescuenepal.org

Future Hope is a charity with a strong family ethos which started from humble beginnings 30 years ago when Tim Grandage was the Bank Manager of an HSBC branch in Kolkata and befriended a group of street children who looked after his car. Through talking with them Tim became aware of the numerous problems and needs of these children who eked out an existence at Howrah Station, and realised he could not turn a blind eye to their plight.

Tim started to take street-children into his home and soon had thirty-five children sleeping safely on the floor in his flat, eating three regular meals a day. Within a couple of years he had left HSBC and enlisted the bank’s support for his new found charity.

Initially, Tim had huge challenges to get the children to settle. They had experienced unimaginable trauma and were rejected by their own family and society. He was disappointed on many occasions when they ran away, back to the streets. Two things became clear, these children needed a routine and positive role models. Tim introduced sport to get rid of excessive energy and to make the children feel part of a team, accepted and proud. He also created homes with dedicated house-parents who gave up their own family lives to look after the daily needs and upbringing of the children.

In 1998 Future Hope School was founded in response to the growing demand for places in good local schools. Future Hope recognised that education was the passport to a good life, but illiteracy and starting school late made it difficult to place children in a class that matched their age. In response Future Hope developed a system whereby children can follow an academic curriculum or a more practically orientated route, both resulting in fully Government recognised qualifications.

Over 30 years Future Hope has touched more than 3,000 young lives and prides itself on its alumni who have become self-reliant, hardworking and trustworthy members of society, with steady work and happy families. Their success also breaks the cycle of poverty for future generations and enables them to help the larger community.

Along our journey many generous supporters have volunteered their time and skills to assist in establishing Future Hope: doctors willing to treat the sick children, teachers to educate them and donors to provide crucial financial support. We thank them all!

Future Hope India: 1/8 Rowland Road, Kolkata 700020, West Bengal. India

Future Hope UK: 107 Abbotsbury Road, London W14 8EP; General enquiries: info@futurehope.net

Graham and I had the great pleasure of visiting the little primary school in The Sundarbans of West Bengal which was started by Tiger Awareness and Saving Tiger Society of India. It was a four-day very special experience for us and the charities are doing such a wonderful job educating little ones but also explaining the importance of their great wildlife heritage – namely the tigers in their own Sundarbans, and elsewhere in whole of India. The Tiger is in much need of our conservation support.

Please support our projects to help save the tiger before it becomes too late.

Call us on 0116 276 1221 or email us at conservation@tigerawareness.co.uk

Elephant Family is a registered charity in England (no. 1091671) and the United States 501(c)(3).

1A Redchurch Street, London E2 7DJ | T: +44 (0)20 7251 5099

130 West 79th Street, 16A, New York, NY 10024 | T: +1 914 563 6240

Michael Vickers’ Tiger in the Forest website is just part of his commitment to Tiger Conservation – tigers are magnificent animals and their conservation is vital and I am passionately in agreement. I commend his lovely wildlife website and most particularly for its photography of Indian Wildlife, he too returns to India very frequently: https://www.tigersintheforest.co.uk