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Artist News
Elton John and Ed Sheeran front anti-orphanage charity campaign
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 1 November 2017
Elton John and Ed Sheeran are among several musicians backing a new campaign from UK-based charity Hope And Homes For Children, aiming to help 120,000 children out of African orphanages and into families.
The ‘End The Silence’ campaign calls on people to share music-based childhood memories via videos on YouTube, with John, Sheeran, Mark Ronson, Emeli Sande, Paloma Faith and Paul Weller among the first to do so. The campaign aims to raise £1.5 million in donations by 27 Dec, which will be doubled by the UK government’s UKAid Match scheme.
“When a baby in an orphanage cries and nobody comes to comfort them, they learn not to cry”, says charity CEO Mark Waddington. “By internalising their pain, they suffer lifelong mental and physical damage. Deprived of love, life, and hope, these children grow up in silence. They never hear laughter or music. These children will never experience the love and protection only a family can offer”.
He continues: “The idea of a childhood of silence and neglect in an orphanage – without love, family and music – is unacceptable. By joining the world’s top musicians in sharing your most precious childhood musical memory, you can help us to end the silence”.
Further videos are set to be released by Damon Albarn, Bastille’s Dan Smith, The Clash’s Paul Simonon, Rudimental’s Amir Amor, Hozier and Anne-Marie. For more information on the campaign, go to endthesilence.com.
