"I threw myself into my charity work for sick, neglected and abused children - all children around the world really. That is what my life is about ". (Sarah, Duchess of York - from "Finding Sarah")
One of the most admirable and inspiring things about the Duchess of York is her tireless commitment to helping others. In this article I hope to give an overview of her charity work and show how important it is for her.
Perhaps the roots of this passionate need to make a difference can be found in the influence of her maternal grandmother, the Hon. Doreen Wright, affectionately known to little Sarah as "Grummy". She had "a heart of gold and enormous compassion for those who were less fortunate". She advised her granddaughter, "when you feel bad about yourself, go out and give to others".
Another important influence was no doubt that of her mother Susan, who "instilled in us a sense of noblesse oblige". This is the idea that a high social status brings not only privileges but only responsibilities to those who don't have the same advantages. Born into a traditional upper-class family and then married into Royalty, it's clear that the Duchess always felt very strongly the obligations her position entailed. She has often talked of "leading by example " and bringing up her daughters to do the same, and charity work is a big part of that.
To give some idea of the huge number of good causes that have benefited from Sarah's support, here's a list (in alphabetical order) of some of them:
African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, British Heart Foundation, Children In Crisis, Elephant Family, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Key to Freedom, Mothers4Children, Motor Neuron Disease Association, Not for Sale, Not On Our Watch, Novak Djokovic Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Teenage Cancer Trust, White Ribbon Alliance
In 1992, Sarah started her own charity organisation - Children in Crisis. It was inspired by a visit to the heavily polluted Upper Silesia region of Poland, where contamination had caused children to develop cancer. They've needed better resources and medical treatment, but more than that, they needed cleaner air. Through Sarah's efforts, the hospital was moved into the Tetra mountains. One month of clean air equates to two years more life. This was a huge, compassionate achievement, but it was only the beginning...
Since then, Children in Crisis has helped more than a million children over the next 25 years, working in poverty-stricken, conflict-affected areas such as Afghanistan, Liberia and DR Congo. The Duchess is a great believer in education, and her organisation has helped to build over 60 schools and train 20,000 teachers, and through education, it has enabled people to build for the future.
It is impossible to overstate just how much CiC means to the Duchess. As she said in an article for the London Evening Standard, it is her "third child" and it "saved her life" and made her "a better mother".
In 2018, Sarah's charity entered and exciting new era, merging with StreetChild in order to help even more children throughout the world. The Duchess has been an amazing ambassador for the new merged charity, advocating for the cause with the extraordinary passion and enthusiasm that her fans so admire.
Sarah has described her role in her charity work as being "a voice for the voiceless" and "a foghorn for silent whispers", meaning that she uses her public profile to tell the world about those who need our help. Her enthusiasm, energy and hard work are truly inspirational. And at the centre of it all is her enormous compassion, which she first learned from her beloved grandmother.
In "Finding Sarah", the Duchess tells us that her "Grummy" used to love the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. In fact, this beautiful prayer could act as a mission statement for all the incredible philanthropic work that the Duchess of York has done throughout her life and going forward into the future:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring love. Where there is offense, let me bring pardon. Where there is discord, let me bring union. Where there is error, let me bring truth. Where there is doubt, let me bring faith. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is darkness, let me bring your light. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy. O Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that one receives, it is in self-forgetting that one finds, it is in pardoning that one is pardoned, it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.
If you admire the Duchess of York, and feel inspired by her good works, then what better way to show your appreciation than by donating to her charity?
Just go to: https://www.street-child.co.uk/donate