Cambodia with Tearfund, 2004: Cliff hears how Mollica lost her family. Photo: Richard Hanson/Tearfund.
Sir Cliff Richard has been actively involved with Tearfund since its early days. His first visit with the organisation to a developing country was to Bangladesh in 1973. He was deeply moved by what he saw and so began a 30-year association with Tearfund.
Sir Cliff has channelled his commitment to the work of Tearfund by using his fame to raise awareness and money in the UK. His first fundraising concert for Tearfund was in the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 and raised £800 towards the cost of a Land Rover for use in the Chaco region in Argentina.
Over four decades Sir Cliff has visited Tearfund projects in Uganda, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan, Haiti, Bulgaria, Cambodia and Brazil. His most recent visit was to Brazil where he met children and families living in heavily deprived areas of Recife, and witnessed the work of Tearfund partners to support local farmers.
Speaking at Tearcraft’s recent 30th birthday celebrations, Sir Cliff says, ‘I’m proud to have been associated with Tearfund for nearly half my life. We are all playing a part in transforming lives blighted by poverty and as far as I’m concerned that ‘s a miracle.’