25 Years of HOPE

25 years ago this year, Maureen Forrest started an organisation that would go on to change the lives of over 3 million people.

The remarkable journey of Maureen Forrest, and HOPE, began after she witnessed the horrific suffering of the victims during the civil war in Mozambique. There and then, Maureen decided to make a life-long commitment to the poor. Maureen first volunteered in war torn Somalia, where she risked her life to volunteer in a centre for 2,000 children. During the early 90s Maureen travelled to Rwanda and volunteered in a centre flooded with refugees from the genocide.

In 1993 Maureen experienced a life-changing meeting with Mother Teresa, which inspired her journeys to India. She was horrified by the scale of poverty in Calcutta and decided to volunteer with an Irish organisation based in the city. While there she helped set up schools in the slums and learned that the key to the success of slum children’s education was to involve the mothers in the education process, allowing them to be the real change makers.

And so, in 1999, Maureen decided to open a single child care centre to protect 13 young girls, with a budget of £22,000. Today, The Hope Foundation operates 57 projects including 10 such child care centres, 4 creches and a hospital.