Richard Moore to speak at Prize Giving
Richard Moore, our guest speaker, has had a remarkable life...
Children in Crossfire exists to make a significant and lasting contribution towards the eradication of poverty. The charity was founded in 1996 by Richard Moore. With your support Children in Crossfire gives children the chance to choose a better future.
The story of Children in Crossfire has its roots in what began as a tragedy and ended in the triumph of the human spirit to overcome violence and its negative associations.
In 1972, aged 10, Richard Moore, the founder of Children in Crossfire, was blinded by a rubber bullet fired at point blank range into his face. Amazingly, from childhood to the present day, he has never allowed bitterness to stunt his development. "I learned to see life in a different way," is how he describes his remarkable acceptance of what, for most, would be a debilitating trauma.
In the 38 years of blindness, he has become a husband, father, accomplished musician, folk group leader and successful businessman. Over a decade ago he felt the need to harness all that he had learned and put it at the service of humanity, particularly children around the world who, like himself, have been caught in the crossfire of violence, as well as poverty and hunger. Thirteen years after its foundation, Children in Crossfire is set to become a national organisation with an expanding outreach to Tanzania, Ethiopia and the Gambia. It is a remarkable testimony of the indomitable spirit of a man who turned personal tragedy into triumph and now wishes to bring healing and reconciliation to the world.
Richard Moore was the subject of a BBC television documentary, 'Blind Vision' (2007) in which he meets the actual soldier who blinded him in 1972. Both men have now embarked on a journey of friendship.