Kids Alive UK is still part of our heritage
While we are proud of our identity as Stand by Me and all that the name means to our kids around the world, Kids Alive UK is still part of our history and heritage and continues to influence our future. We still have the same staff, the same projects and the same mission to care for and offer hope to children in crisis around the world. We remain committed to making lasting improvements in children’s lives, endeavouring to care for them as Jesus would, by restoring their dignity and giving them a sense of self-worth.
Many of our overseas staff and projects still refer to themselves as Kids Alive UK. We also have hundreds of young people across the globe who today are proud that they were Kids Alive UK children, one of whom is Ahmad Ayoubi who grew up in the Near East Boys Home in Lebanon and in 2018 became the Executive Director of Stand by Me. His history, and that of many other children, is inextricably bound with Kids Alive UK, now Stand by Me.
Our history is very important to us, not least because of our amazing supporters who have supported us from the start. Many of our original Kids Alive UK supporters continue to make regular donations and leave legacies to our children. These supporters make Stand by Me what it is today.
The journey continues
As we go forward, we will continue to reflect and take courage from our history as Kids Alive UK. We are determined to be flexible and tailor our care to suit the individual needs of children whatever their situation may be. We tackle each and every obstacle our kids face, enabling them to access a life-changing education. We’re in no rush, we’re in this for the long term, to help them become who they were created to be. For us at Stand by Me, it is not about how many children we care for but how well we care, and just as Jesus embraced those classed as untouchable, fed the hungry, and was an advocate for the vulnerable, we’re following in his footsteps and showing children the love of God.
We’re delighted that we have become big enough to offer transformative child-centred care to thousands of kids but we’re also proud that we remain small enough to care deeply about every single child. The children we rescue come from complex backgrounds and key to our success has always been to treat each child individually and to recognise their need for unconditional love. We are committed to standing by them for the long term to ensure they receive the support, love and attention they need to thrive. It’s been an amazing journey so far and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.