giving street kids a future
LHC FOUNDATION TRUST
This Trust was formed in 2002 in memory of the late Graham Cochrane’s father, Lawrence Henry Cochrane.
Graham was inspired by his father’s life and the values he instilled in his family.
“My father did not share the many material pleasures that children of his age enjoyed. He lived a simple life with simple values. Help those in need, put your family first, be wise in your dealings in life. He left a legacy in this Foundation, and it is reflected in our Value Statement.”
Thanks to the values and Christian principles that his father had instilled in his family, Graham established this Trust to give something back to the community in which he lived.
The I Care Campaign started as an Awareness campaign, with the advertisements on radio and in the press, warning the public that giving money to street children is not a solution and in fact contributes to the problem.
“The worst thing you can do is to give a street child money, but the next worse thing you can do is nothing!”
Help those in need, put your family first, be wise in your dealings in life.
GRAHAM COCHRANE
Rather than giving money directly to street children, the public were encouraged to make a monthly contribution via a debit order to I Care, so that funding could be responsibly directed to those children in need. Each donor received a disc to display on the driver’s side of the front windscreen of their vehicle, to indicate their support to children on the street, through I Care.
Our Outreach teams informed street children about the significance of the vehicle discs. Inter alia motorists with I Care discs are supporting street children through our organisation.
In response to the huge need and with wonderful public and corporate support this organisation started to adopt a holistic approach to the problem.
Initial areas of support included outreach to children on the streets, educational support, financial and food support for existing shelters (housing), and skills development programmes, specifically the Development Sailing Programme, undertaken through the Royal Natal Yacht Club.
Sadly Graham and his crew, including Michael Goolam a development sailor, were lost at sea during the 2005 Beachcomber Mauritius to Durban yacht race aboard the yacht Moquini. I Care continues to move forward and now supports projects in six operational areas, working to fulfill Graham’s dream of alleviating the plight of street children.
