I have always felt a certain draw to Tanzania having been brought up there as a young boy. The people despite having very little are warm and friendly, the landscape is magical and yet poverty and disease is widespread.
There is a desperate need to alleviate the plight of orphans whose parents have died of AIDS and related diseases, and as a result some don’t have a home or the chance of an education.
Trying to bridge the gap between the rich and poor has infinite solutions but a home, care and love by trained, capable and committed people, and an education can help give a child a start in life.
I myself went to boarding school in Tanzania and I loved it so much I didn’t want to leave and deliberately tried to mess up my scholarship exams in the immature hope that failing would enable me to stay at Larchfield. I didn’t mess them up badly enough and duly went to the next boarding school.
The point is, the name I chose is Larchfield because, if there are children in Tanzania for whom being at home isn’t an option, they should at least have – as I did – a Larchfield.
Why Larchfield is simple. It will be a home from home where orphans can be cared for, valued and loved –nourished and educated – and ultimately have a chance in life.
If you begin life at the back of the queue and somebody picks you up and puts you near the front, I would say that makes a lifelong difference.
James Berry
Founder of Larchfield
