Childaid To Eastern Europe

Charity Number: 281099

Annual Expenditure: £0.6M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £622,389 (expenditure 2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly specified
  • Grant Range: Not publicly specified
  • Geographic Focus: Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine
  • Founded: 1973 (registered as charity 1980)

Contact Details

  • Website: www.childaidee.org.uk
  • Email: info@childaidee.org.uk
  • Phone: 020 8460 6046
  • Address: PO Box 200, Bromley, Kent BR1 1QF
  • Charity Number: 281099

Overview

ChildAid to Eastern Europe was founded in 1973 by Jane Ellis and registered as a charity in 1980. With nearly 50 years of experience, the organization has evolved from supporting oppressed Christians in Soviet Russia to becoming a dedicated grant-making charity focused on vulnerable children. Operating with an annual expenditure of £622,389 (2024), ChildAid provides financial support to local Christian projects across Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. The charity works exclusively through long-term partnerships with local organizations rather than maintaining overseas staff. Their mission is to transform the lives of vulnerable, abandoned, and disabled children through sustained partnerships with trusted local partners who understand regional conditions and can work effectively with local authorities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

ChildAid provides financial support to short and long-term development projects, usually led or inspired by Christians, to relieve poverty and hardship in the lives of children and young people. The organization works through a smaller number of carefully selected partners who demonstrably transform lives.

Application Method: Not publicly specified - prospective partners should contact the charity directly to discuss partnership opportunities.

Priority Areas

ChildAid supports projects that address:

  • Abandonment: Preventing family breakdown and supporting abandoned children
  • Education & Play: Providing educational opportunities and childhood experiences
  • Healthcare: Free medical and therapy treatment, particularly for children with disabilities
  • Vulnerability: Supporting children from extremely poor families, orphans, and those facing abuse or neglect

Services Funded Include:

  • Free rehabilitative treatment and therapy
  • Foster care promotion and support networks
  • Social and educational inclusion programmes
  • Life and vocational skills training
  • Respite centres
  • Counselling services

Geographic Focus

Belarus: Supporting projects like the Isle of Hope Care Centre in Minsk, providing day care for 60+ young people with learning and other disabilities.

Moldova: Funding the Tony Hawks Rehabilitation Centre in Chișinău, Moldova's foremost non-invasive rehabilitation centre for children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy.

Ukraine: Supporting projects including the Little Light-House in Makariv (supporting disabled children) and New Beginning in Mukachevo (foster homes and support for vulnerable Roma youth).

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, ChildAid's focus is clearly on:

  • Projects in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine only (not other regions)
  • Christian-led or Christian-inspired initiatives
  • Projects directly serving children and young people (not general community development)
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Governance and Leadership

ChildAid is governed by a volunteer Council of Management (Board of Trustees) with ultimate responsibility for governance and strategic direction. No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Staff Team:

  • Martin Wilcox, Charity Manager: Joined ChildAid in July 2006 after 22 years in commercial insurance
  • Sona Scriven: Supports all areas of work including finance, administration, volunteer support, and child sponsorship

Patrons:

  • The Very Rev. John Arnold
  • Dr. Gavin Ashenden

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Specific application processes, forms, and deadlines are not publicly available on the charity's website or through online sources. Prospective partners should contact ChildAid directly to discuss partnership opportunities.

Philosophy on Local Partners: ChildAid works with local project leaders, recognizing that “only they can properly understand and work in local conditions, with local authorities being more likely to resent rather than be positively influenced by overtly foreign intervention.”

Decision Timeline

Not publicly specified - interested organizations should enquire directly.

Success Rates

Not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly specified.

Application Success Factors

While formal application criteria are not publicly detailed, the following factors emerge as important from ChildAid's approach:

Key Partnership Characteristics

  1. Christian Foundation: Projects are typically led or inspired by Christians, with a faith-based approach to care
  2. Local Leadership: Strong emphasis on local leaders who understand regional conditions and can navigate local authority relationships
  3. Long-term Commitment: ChildAid develops relationships with “a smaller number of partners who really make a difference in transforming lives”
  4. Direct Service Provision: Partners must directly serve children's physical, emotional, and developmental needs
  5. Focus on Transformation: Projects should demonstrably transform children's lives, creating opportunities for vulnerable children to lead “normal and useful lives” as adults

Target Beneficiaries

Projects should serve:

  • Abandoned, abused, or neglected children
  • Children with learning and physical disabilities
  • Orphans
  • Children from extremely poor families
  • Vulnerable Roma and other marginalized young people

Geographic Requirements

Organizations must operate in Belarus, Moldova, or Ukraine (formerly included Siberia but current focus is these three countries).

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Direct contact essential: No public application forms or guidelines exist - interested organizations must initiate contact directly with ChildAid
  2. Christian ethos required: Projects should be led or inspired by Christians and incorporate Christian values in service delivery
  3. Local leadership valued: Demonstrate strong local leadership and understanding of regional context, avoiding “overtly foreign intervention” approaches
  4. Long-term partnership model: ChildAid seeks sustained relationships rather than one-off project funding - emphasize capacity for enduring partnership
  5. Proven impact matters: With focus on “a smaller number of partners who really make a difference,” demonstrable transformation of children's lives is crucial
  6. Comprehensive service delivery: Projects providing multiple integrated services (rehabilitation, education, vocational training, foster care support) align with ChildAid's model
  7. Geographic specificity: Only projects in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine will be considered - no other Eastern European countries
  8. Financial sustainability considerations: Note that ChildAid's income decreased significantly from £857,133 (2023) to £542,586 (2024), which may affect funding availability

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