IRFF UK Looks Forward to Exploring New Possibilities

Photo courtesy of IRFF UK

“All of our Unification missionaries during the 1970s saw we needed a humanitarian program, which is how the International Relief Friendship Foundation came about through True Parents,” recalls Mr. Edward Hartley, who has served as CEO of the IRFF UK chapter for nearly a decade.

“We were told by True Parents to go out and serve, as there is a lot of restoration from the past,” says Mr. Hartley. “It’s a pleasure for me to be part of this, and we’re looking to grow with more volunteers from the U.S.”

IRFF UK was established in 1980 to create opportunities for sustainable development, community welfare, and social progress in the areas of education, health, and economic sustainability. Mr. Hartley, who joined the nonprofit in 2000 as its bookkeeper, then became a trustee, points out that while IRFF has a worldwide presence, each chapter helps its national community differently. 

In the U.S. and elsewhere, the nonprofit centers on relief work after natural disasters. In February, Unificationists banded together to aid tornado victims throughout Kentucky. But in the UK, the focus has long been cultivating prosperity in impoverished African communities.

“IRFF UK is a little different to the spiritual side of our movement,” says Mr. Hartley. “It’s really the third blessing in action — empowering people to stand on their own two feet and take direction.”

The Destiny Junior School in Uganda, which is sponsored by IRFF, touches Mr. Hartley personally as a parent and grandparent. “Looking at how the kids are doing, it feels like they are your own kids,” he says. “It’s very much a heart connection to reach out and empathize with other people’s situations.”

IRFF UK also operates a Mobile Medical Team which serves Ugandan villagers, and the Shine project in South Africa that teaches English to children. The WAIT Uganda program, which educates youth about abstinence, and a program providing female health and support are other key projects. Mr. Hartley says donations, and the Tricycle Charity Shop at the heart of the nonprofit’s fundraising campaign, have enabled IRFF UK to directly support 10 projects in five African countries, as well as Sri Lanka. The charity also channels funds to other places like Senegal and Sierra Leone.

The UK chapter is now looking to expand with new positions and more volunteers from the U.S. Even though the nonprofit seeks practical solutions to poverty, suffering and disease, Mr. Hartely says it’s a huge undertaking for his close-knit team of seven. “We’re an intergenerational group, and we all have specific roles and feel passionately about why we’re doing this,” he says. “But we have the desire to do a lot more. That’s the heart of our team.”

Mr. Hartley says generating more donations through the IRFF UK website is another important area of focus. “Our projects in Gambia and Ghana will be needing more income very soon,” he says. “All of our other projects are either partially funded or using general funds from the charity shop. This is why we are searching for volunteers to strengthen our service to others.”

IRFF UK seeks to fill various roles — a volunteer coordinator, fundraisers, a social media and marketing assistant, researchers for markets and methods, a customer relations manager, and, eventually, a trainee country coordinator. 

“We need people who can work with our team and bounce ideas off each other,” says Mr. Hartley. “The charity is about helping the public, but it’s also about continuity and management as we reach out to the diaspora of our African nations and explore what’s possible in doing this incredible service work.”

You can donate to IRFF UK here, and submit all work inquiries to irffukhq@gmail.com.