As an agency we’ve chosen to work in the charity, health and education space because they are the sectors that make the world around us a better place. There are of course some parts of the world where food, health and education are a far more critical, urgent and ‘real’ need than a brand or a website – something that I discovered back in 2011 on a life-changing visit to some of the poorest communities in Zambia.

The people I met were amazing, and the trip will stick with me for life. As I left I was given the challenge, ‘Don’t waste this experience’. It’s a challenge that I wrote on a Zambian banknote – it’s a challenge I’m determined to meet. I keep that banknote in my wallet as daily reminder. I've since returned to Africa a number of times and become a director of Hands at Work, a charity that works with the ‘poorest of the poor’ communities in eight Sub-Saharan countries.

At Hands at Work we use a child sponsorship model to enable a community to care for the most vulnerable children and orphans in their own village, providing food, education and basic healthcare.

Hands at Work train, support and befriend care workers so that they can walk alongside these children for the long term. There are no quick fixes, but the regular support and guidance makes a dramatic difference.

The UK supporters of Hands at Work currently feed 495 children everyday in six communities in Zambia, South Africa and Swaziland. We’ve only got regular support for 300 of these this year. It’s a real challenge to meet a genuine need on the ground. Hands UK are also committed to increasing their regular support to 900 children every day in the next two years.

Amazingly it only costs 50p a day (£15 / month) to provide food, enable a child to attend school and to get their basic health needs met. Every new direct debit enables us to feed and support one extra child in our communities.

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