Fundraising Narrated by Myria, Y11 Their Future Today By Lynn Stanier During my first meeting as a parent at HCH in 2005 I told Eliana that I’d been to Sri Lanka as a volunteer after the tsunami and was busy raising money for children living in the most desperate conditions in a severely understaffed and underfunded state run institution. She immediately and most generously offered HCH as a venue for an event and in September 2006 we held our first Ball, a Mediaeval Banquet, which marked the beginning of something quite incredible. Our charity ‘Their Future Today’ was born. A series of annual Balls have followed, a Venetian Masked Ball, Latin American Salsa Ball, and last year a Bollywood Ball all of which have raised thousands of pounds and literally transformed the lives of over 1000 orphans and abandoned and impoverished children in Southern Sri Lanka. Each Christmas Hampton Court House children donate presents for the babies and toddlers at Ruhunu. Excitement of the colourful Christmas wrapping paper is as well received as the gifts themselves, the experience is both touching and heart-breaking. We have ‘set free’ a brother and sister abandoned through poverty by their homeless mother and built them a home. I now know what the word ‘joyful’ really means. We support them by giving them the tools they need to help support themselves. The dilapidated orphanage I visited in 2005 has been restored by funds raised and continues to be maintained. We have employed ten additional housemothers and supplied regular provisions including food, baby milk, medication, clothing, bedding and cleaning materials. Laxmie (in the middle) who is an orphan herself, had no education as a child. ‘Their Future Today’ trained and employed her to be a housemother and baby-sitter. There is no doubt that the key to better futures is education and this year we have enabled 900 impoverished children to attend school by providing school books and equipment. For more info, visit theirfuturetoday.com The magic of Hampton Court House extends beyond oceans and together we are bringing hope and smiles to the world’s most needy children.