About Us
Reach the Children UK is dedicated to providing opportunities for self-reliance in the rural environment through sustainable community projects, generating income to fund projects our local partners identify as the fundamental / primary needs of rural communities. These include provision of clean and safe water, opportunities for education and skills training, and providing primary first aid training for locations where there are no clinics or medical facilities. Reach the Children UK recognises the unique contribution made by the women of Africa. As a direct focus Reach the Children UK seeks to support empowering of women through education, removing the impediments to achieving skill sets, enabling employment as trained artisans and craftswomen, as well as providing opportunities for higher education, benefiting civil society throughout their life time. The women of Africa are the catalysts that keep communities working together for the benefit of all. Reach the Children UK emphatically supports all initiatives that sustain the empowerment of women, establishing rights and commitments to equal opportunities for all women.
Meet the Team
Ray Botterell
Reach the Children UK Founder
I am passionate about gender equality and respectfully admire the resolution of the African woman who is the catalyst of African communities. The girls are sent out to fetch water as soon as they can walk, pretty soon they carry their younger siblings on their hip, then they are the wife and mother raising the children as well as tending the crops in the fields, cooking the meal and doing all things domestic. When they are too old to bear any more children they are out collecting firewood for the cooking fire. Reach the Children UK changes lives of children for the better.
Kate Gibson
Trustee
I have known Ray Botterell, Chairman of Reach the Children UK, for a number of years and became aware of his commitment to disadvantaged children in East Africa. As I learned more about the work he and a team of committed volunteers carried out, my daughter and I wanted to be a part of it. We both loved the opportunity to reach out and touch the lives of children, particularly those with disabilities and from rural areas, and we have joined expeditions on numerous occasions. As a trustee I continue to look towards finding and supporting ways to improve the lives of those in need in whatever way I can.
Tarig El Sheikh
Trustee
I’m a strong believer in the right of every child to have an education and a safe and nurturing environment to grow up in and unfortunately that’s not always the case.I chose to work with RTC as it specifically targets children in the poorest parts of Africa. By keeping the charity costs low, RTC ensures that almost ALL of the donations made make it to the end beneficiary. My ethos has always been small acts that lead to big impact, which is what RTC is all about.
Hannah Murphy-McLeod
Administrator
Hannah Murphy-McLeod is the Administration Manager for Reach the Children UK and is one of our great supporters. She has been on a volunteer expedition to East Africa and saw first-hand the amazing projects Reach the Children has been involved in. As a mum of six she understands how working together accomplishes more than working alone.
Tony Jordan
Trustee
My life has been an incredible journey from humble beginnings, and with a lot of hard work, to enjoying amazing success as a drama writer and TV producer with some very popular shows the public have liked and embraced. My work takes me to many places around the world, some where life can be very tough for kids with little prospects of having enough of life’s necessities to enjoy any kind of prosperity. I wanted to put something back where it counted most and an opportune moment came along when invited to join the Board of Reach the Children UK working with impoverished African children in the rural environment. With my media expertise I can help get these kids a better deal.
Rachel Mace
Trustee
Reach the Children is directed by local need and request; it works with local people promoting their voices which is something I feel very strongly about. My mother has worked with the charity for a number of years and I went on a couple of expeditions when I was younger seeing the amazing work first hand. It is not enough to go in, provide what you think is needed and disappear again. Reach the Children works on long term projects, to improve not only the children’s lives but also the lives of the surrounding community. That is why I am proud to work as part of the team. As a sociology and social sciences graduate I am looking forward to applying the skills and knowledge gained on this course to the work we do.