"An estimated 150 million children worldwide are engaged in child labour"
Every child has the right to be a child. That includes the right to safety, security, food, shelter and an education. Education for these children can be the key to changing their lives and escaping generational poverty, however unlike the western world, it is only a privilege for the fortunate few, not a reality for the majority. For children living in villages without schools working life can begin as young as nine, and often females are married off to older men from the age of twelve as parents simply cannot afford to support them. If we can build schools in these communities and encourage parents to realise the benefits of education, then many of these children can escape forced labour and marriage and havedifferent lives, lives that the parents want for their families.
Founding story
Richie Harkham started international charity work in 2012 when he went to Kenya to build a dining hall extension at a boarding house for young girls in a Masaai community. His experience there opened his eyes to the value of education in the developing world and the real struggles of obtaining it.
In 2014 Richie travelled to Myanmar and became involved in charity work constructing schools in impoverished villages, including Dangleigh.
After a near fatal accident that Richie was involved in, he realised just how important to him his charity work was, and decided to found his own charity, Hark Angels. Richie had been the recipient of a knee transplant from a young boy who had died in a car crash. In his death this boy gave life to seven other desperate people and Richie vowed to honour his memory, writing to the boy’s father and promising to build a school in his sons honour. In this way Richie hopes this young boy’s spirit may live on through the children going to the school and becoming change makers.
What we do
Mission
Hark Angels mission is to build 100 schools in impoverished rural communities which will encourage children to stay in school and break their parents cycle of poverty. This will allow them to attain their basic human right of a primary school education and become change makers.
Documentaries
The aim of these documentaries is to put the viewer in these children’s shoes and experience their lives first hand. It can be hard for viewers from the first world to actually appreciate just how hard these children’s lives are without actually seeing it, hopefully these documentaries inspire viewers to become involved with supportingcharity work in developing countries and making a real difference in these children’s lives.
A day in the Life of Lucy, Kenya 2013
A day in the life of Lucy chronicles a young Masaai girls everyday struggle, and her ultimate story of hope. Lucy was the most inspiring person I have ever met and I felt compelled to tell her story to the world. The making of this documentary was one of my biggest challenges, working without electricity and in some cases light, with only a digital camera and one battery. Despite production difficulties however, Lucy’s story shines through giving some much needed perspective on how other people in the world live, the hardships they face and the grace and dignity they display in dealing with these.
Finding Tai, Myanmar 2016
Thaipaioo is a twelve year old boy with the weight of his familie’s survival on his shoulders. A deaf father, a sister killed in a house fire that also blinded a younger sibling, and a mother that struggles to make ends meet through running a laundry from the house, Thai is forced to work twelve hour days in a slum bar during the school holidays to help them survive.Thai’s greatest love in life is school and he is a gifted student, his future success with his studies being the only realistic means his family have of possibly changing their lives however the familie’s poverty and circumstances mean there is a real possibility that Thai may need to drop out of school to work fulltime. Watching Thai’s struggle deeply affected me.
How We Do it
DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR
100% direct funding- dollar for dollar goes to the cause, there are no marketing or administration expenses. All travel, food and accommodation expenses whilst doing projects are privately paid for by the individuals.
ANALYSE AND PLAN
We then work closely with the local community to understand what they need and the best way to achieve these goals). We then conduct in depth analysis and planning , liaising closely with the community.
IDENTIFY POSSIBLE COMMUNITIES
We identify possible communities that need schools and who are dedicated to their children's education
OBTAIN GOVERNMENT APPROVALS
We attain government approvals to ensure ongoing government funded teachers will be provided to staff the schools.
EMPOWER LOCAL PROFESSIONALS
The building is done by local construction professionals and engineers, overseen by our team.
ONGOING SUPPORT
Once the school is completed we will regularly monitor and stay in contact with the community offering support as required.
COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP
Hark Angel requires the community to make a contribution (through either money, labour or materials) to the building of the school. The community then owns the school and is responsible for ongoing maintenance and upkeep.
Funding
Hark Angel is an Australian registered not for profit organisation. As it is privately funded by Richie Harkham and a few corporate partners, no public money is required. If you are interested in becoming a corporate partner please contact us.
What We Up To
