It started with a simple concept and a small Facebook group back in February 2016. From truly humble beginnings and a plan simply to provide phone credit – a vital lifeline – to a handful for refugees, the Phone Credit for Refugees group has grown rapidly over the past three years. And this weekend, we’ve just provided our 50,000th top up!
To say we are grateful is an understatement. Because everything we have achieved – every top up that’s offered a displaced person connection, security, safety and comfort – has only been possible because of you, our supporters and donors.
Every penny you have donated; every minute of your time you have given sharing and liking our posts; every ounce of energy you have put into fundraising has all gone towards helping us reach this milestone. From everyone at PC4R, thank you.
We could go on, but really we think our founder, Jape, says it all…
“After just over three years of coming together as strangers on the internet to form a community that is dedicated to changing just one small thing in the world at a time, I am absolutely thrilled to announce that we have just sent our 50,000th top up!
That's 50,000 times that someone in trouble, somewhere in the world, has found help that would not otherwise have existed. Together you have reconnected people's worlds, changed their fate and sometimes even saved their lives. If you ever feel too small to make a difference, try anyway. You may just be surprised about what can happen. Thank you from the bottom of my heart all for the incredible difference you have made.”
- James Pearce, Founder
Of course, it doesn’t stop here. We will keep providing phone credit, because we know that the consequences of not providing it are too great for us to call it quits. It can sometimes feel like a monumental task, but we will stick at it, because we know that you, our donors, will stick with us.
Moving forwards, we need your support more than ever – the number of requests show no sign of abating as the refugee crisis stretches on. But we will keep going exactly as we started – topping up one phone at a time.
We hope you’ll stand with us as we move beyond 50,000!
With gratitude,
The Phone Credit for Refugees team