“The funding that we received through Cross Pollinate Foundation was critical to the expansion of Savannah. It provided the seed funding for a new school in a village called Pavuu (contributing some 20% of the total needed). This was our second school after a successful pilot project in a village called Bagri. Using the funds pledged through Cross Pollinate Foundation we managed to raise, primarily through community fundraising, enough for the whole school (including a nursery block and borehole). This funding was matched by a very generous donation from an individual – which allowed us to build a further school. So, in total, the funding from Cross Pollinate Foundation helped to lever some 10x more funding and led to the construction of two schools, both of which were opened in 2011.”

“We were most fortunate to receive financial support through Cross Pollinate Foundation to assist in funding the building of our new Residential home for young people in Manila. Without this grant we would not have been able to complete the ambitious project which is now a beacon of hope and excellence in its community. It is a first rate purpose built home to 40 young people, an office for the charity and has been used for the community on two occasions when we became a disaster relief centre after terrible storms and typhoons.”

“The CrossPollinate Foundation support has enabled our Partner in Southern Sudan to employ staff with the skills to address the major local healthcare issue for women: namely, the attempt to reduce maternal and infant mortality.  It is early to measure this as yet but early indications are that the ante-natal classes are being well attended and the local taboo surrounding hospital births – which are much safer –  is being overcome.”

James is married to Charlotte and they have five children, aged between 21 and 29. His interests include the countryside and development activities in Africa. He teaches at his church and has thought deeply about, and spoken and written about, issues of ethics, business and investment.  He is a Fellow of the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity, and chairs Youth with a Mission’s international chairman’s advisory group.  He is the author of The White Swan Formula: Rebuilding business and finance for the common good and is the general editor of and a contributing author to Global Business and Human Rights. He is the new Chairman of the Church of England’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group.

“The grant provided by the Cross Pollinate Foundation helped us to refurbish the shower facilities which are used daily.  The shower facilities are more accessible for people with disabilities and those that use wheelchairs. The shower room is much more spacious and we have seen a rise in the number of clients using the shower facilities especially the males, up to 34 people using the male showers per day, (each spending 10-15mins in the shower). The toilets were redesigned and the cubicles made bigger with a sink to wash hands which is what the clients had requested. Time is now being saved on cleaning and maintaining the toilets and shower facilities. It has raised the clients self-esteem and boosted staff morale. On the whole this has improved the quality of life of those that are using all the services.”

“The Cross Pollinate Foundation enabled Rwanda Restored to complete a much needed school playground at the Gihogwe Secondary School-Kigali- & this means that students can enjoy prolonged periods of relaxation through sport and welcome other schools in sport participation events.”

“The grant received from the Cross Pollinate Foundation made a significant difference enabling:

• An increase in the number of patients being treated by the Mad Medical Safari,
• An increase in the number and remoteness of communities and river systems reached by development, relief, and mission partners,
• HoverAid to raise awareness of those communities in Madagascar that are not being reached as a result of poor access.”

“The Cross Pollinate Foundation generously gave us a grant of £7,000 which enabled us to subsidise 14 places on our foundation course in counselling. This enabled us to make our training accessible to students who showed a keen interest in starting on a counselling career but who would have found it very hard to find the funds to do the course at an unsubsidised rate. 12 students graduated in June 2011, ready to take the next step in training as professional counsellors and thereby increasing the number of future counsellors available to the community. 2011 was a particularly challenging year for the charity and the grant from Cross Pollinate gave us renewed hope and encouragement.”

“The Cross Pollinate Foundation enabled us to change lives for the better. We have seen survivors getting their lives back, able to sleep again, returning to church, employment, school, their hobbies, their families; survivors getting justice through the courts; survivors transforming their shame and despair into purpose for life.”