WHAT WE DO

A child being treated at one of the Cambodia Trust rehabilitation centres where local staff
provide prosthetic limbs, braces, wheelchairs, and physiotherapy for landmine victims
(reproduced by permission of The Cambodia Trust)

DORFRED's primary aim is to help to alleviate the many problems affecting poor people in 3rd World countries by providing support for aid projects run by UK-registered charities actively working in the areas of greatest need (see WHO WE HELP).

The Trust's financial resources at the outset were not huge but with proper financial advice our funds have more than kept pace with inflation due to sound investments. The income from these provides the source of the donations we are able to make. However, the Trust's available funds are, and will continue to be, relatively minor and, of course, always subject to the state of the markets. So from the start we have favoured the smaller charities where support can make the most difference, e.g. a few hundred pounds for a small charity could represent the difference between a planned project proceeding or not, whereas the same amount donated to a large international organisation would be a drop in the ocean and possibly swallowed up in administration costs. However, we are flexible and when emergencies arise and aid is urgently required to rescue people in desperate circumstances, e.g. the terrible consequences of the tsunami a few years ago, then a major charity with the infrastructure and resources for taking prompt and significant action could be the most appropriate beneficiary.

The bulk of our support is provided to projects operating in African, Asian, or Latin American countries, but there is no shortage of problems in Eastern European or Near or Middle East countries so applications for aid projects in those countries will also be considered sympathetically (see HOW TO APPLY).

See NEWS for information on current prospects for new applications.