What we do

Many older people in the UK today are vulnerable and isolated from their communities. They also experience a range of problems which include lack of support, having no voice in important decisions that affect them, and living in real poverty.

Age discrimination in society is rife. Recent estimates place the number of people over 65, who are often or always lonely at over one million, which can lead to ill health and depression. Thanks to you, Sport Relief cash helps to ensure that older people can continue to contribute towards their communities, feel less alone and have their voices heard.

Millions of people across the world are forced to flee their homes because of violence and persecution, and some look for refuge here in the UK. Women who have experienced rape, sexual violence or torture are particularly vulnerable when they arrive in the UK.

Traumatised by their experiences, many women struggle to tell their story. Thanks to the money we get from fantastic Sport Relief fundraisers and generous donors, we’re helping women in crisis to come to terms with their past traumas and to build a safer future.

Mental health problems affect one in four people at some point in their lives. All too often people living with mental health problems find themselves excluded from jobs, family support, proper health care and community life. This frequently leads to unemployment, poverty, family breakdown and deteriorating health. The stigma attached to using mental health services can prevent many people seeking support and they often feel alone in coping with their situation.

Thanks to your Sport Relief cash, we can ensure that people with mental health problems are at the heart of the decisions that affect their lives. We help them to recover and do what we can to reduce the stigma and discrimination they face.

Every day across Africa, thousands of people desperate to escape poverty in rural areas move to the city hoping to find a job. Life is often even tougher when they get there. Without the means to pay city rents, most are forced to live in already overcrowded slums, which lack even the most basic of services.

Through Sport Relief, your cash is working to help those in urban slums improve their living environment. It can pay for changes like access to clean water, toilets and basic health care. It means better living conditions and the ability for families to build their own house instead of living in a tin shack.

Throughout the world, millions of children are forced to live on the streets because of abuse, poverty, discrimination or after having been orphaned. Over 200 million children have to work in incredibly dangerous conditions, just to scrape by.

Vulnerable, and often facing violence and exploitation, these children have little or no access to an education – their only real chance to transform their futures.

Money you raise for Sport Relief helps to rescue and protect children from violence and abuse while also supporting them to get access to a good education and vocational training. Thanks to you, we can give countless kids a future.

In Africa, one child in every seven does not live to see their fifth birthday. Many of these deaths are from preventable diseases such as malaria. Many are simply due to poverty and inequality preventing the most vulnerable from accessing basic healthcare.

Sport Relief money is helping to tackle both of these issues in some of Africa’s poorest regions by investing in a community-based approach to improved healthcare. Thanks to you, we’re also working hard on raising awareness of these problems and strengthening health systems.

Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than any other region of the world and, tragically, over 16 million children have been orphaned by the epidemic. We believe that those directly affected by HIV are the ones best placed to know what services they need and what changes are required to transform their lives.

The cash you raise through Sport Relief makes a fantastic difference to the quality of life of people living with HIV. From providing home-based care and the tools they need to make a living for themselves, to giving them a voice in how services and agencies should respond to the epidemic, your money goes a very long way.

On the surface, ‘free trade’ certainly sounds like a good thing. The truth, however, is that international trade rules and practices are unfairly biased in favour of the richest nations and companies, so many poor countries simply cannot compete. This leaves local farmers and labourers barely able to support their families.

We believe that trade should be a way for poor people to lift themselves out of poverty – not something that keeps them trapped in it. This is why we’re using Sport Relief cash to contribute to and promote fair and sustainable ways for farmers and labourers to earn a living.