Why we need your support
L'Arche builds Communities of people with and without learning disabilities all over the world. We stand for a world where all belong, where everyone can exercise their gifts.
In today's competitive society, people with learning disabilities are too easily forgotten. However, our Communities, built with people with learning disabilities seek to meet not just basic needs, but also the spiritual and emotional needs which we all have; to be loved, to be heard, to belong, to achieve, and to have meaning and hope. What we need for ourselves, we also want for each other.
L'Arche Communities provide a framework of relationships and activities which support the whole person, including their emotional and spiritual needs. This ‘above and beyond' work, not funded by government, ensures people are not isolated and lonely, but secure, happy and able to grow.
L'Arche Communities in the developing world are less fortunate. Many, like those we support in Africa, do not receive any state funding and rely on donations made here in the UK for even the most basic needs.
Work under threat
In the tough economic climate, L'Arche in the UK and overseas will depend on donated income to an unprecedented level. Our income is being cut but the needs of the people we support are growing. We need to raise £550,000 each year to continue our work in the UK and overseas.
Without this money we will no longer be able to establish new Communities in developing countries and give people with learning disabilities a voice on the international stage. Communities in Uganda and Zimbabwe will face severe financial difficulties.
We need this money to invest in the people living and working in our Communities in the UK and overseas; people who are sustained by the program me of activities that are so vital to building community; vital to ensuring our long-term vision and mission.
Valuing people
L'Arche is the only global organization working in the field. We make a lasting difference to the lives of 3,750 people with learning disabilities worldwide. Our communities create spaces where people belong, feel values and are challenged to reach their full potential.
L'Arche also welcomes 3,000 new people each year, to work and live in communities , giving them a unique experience and understanding of community and respect of difference that will inform the rest of their lives.
L'Arche is a collaboration of gifts, expertise and resources and time which brings people together who are not prepared to accept the status quo but are inspired by each other to want more, for people with learning disabilities and for society.
The demand for what L'Arche offers, and can offer, both here in the UK and abroad, is constantly growing and changing. These pages show just a snapshot of the work we want to undertake in order to build a strong and secure future for those who choose to live and share their lives in L'Arche.
We face many challenges ahead but with your help we can provide more effective support to even more people with learning disabilities in the years to come.
If you would like to make a gift go to donate.
