20 years ago in April 1986, Workaid was set up by a small ecumenical group of Christians in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Meeting at the time of the Ethiopian famine, the group wanted to do something practical to help alleviate the terrible starvation and suffering that was being reported on the TV news. There were many charities already set up to offer emergency aid but the group felt there was a need for more long-term assistance that would enable people to rebuild their lives after a famine or - better still - to have a sustainable means of earning a living which would stop them falling into abject poverty in the first place.

And so Workaid was launched to collect unwanted tools in the UK, repair them and send them to vocational training projects - giving individuals the skills and equipment they need to learn a trade and support themselves and their families.

From that original group of a dozen volunteers working in a shed, Workaid has grown into a sizeable registered charity with 170 volunteers repairing tools in a 5,000 sq-ft workshop (generously provided by GE Healthcare) and a further 100 volunteers all over the UK who use their own shed or garage to collect and store donated items.

Since 1986, Workaid has supplied 7,680 sewing machines, 910 knitting machines, 4,348 tool kits and 841 miscellaneous items to 1,353 projects in 49 countries, improving the lives of an estimated 40,500 people living in some of the world's poorest communities.

We would like to encourage our supporters to come up with original ways to raise funds this year, to make sure we can continue our vital work for another 20 years. And if you have a birthday or special event to celebrate in 2006, why not share our anniversary by asking friends and family to make a gift to Workaid on your behalf? For details, click here.

For further information on how you can contribute to Workaid's 20th anniversary, contact Bill Duperouzel on (01494) 765506 or email admin@workaid.org