Anita and Avnish Goyal of the Hemraj Goyal Foundation talk about why it's important to them to support Barnardo’s through philanthropy.
Why do you give of your personal wealth?
Essentially, we want to make a lasting difference to the less fortunate, disadvantaged and suffering members of society. Having been in a position with little financial wealth, there were so many people that supported and helped us, and now is our chance to give back. We want to be role models for both the next generation and for other philanthropists, particularly with the causes we choose to support.
At what point in your life did your personal philanthropy become important to you? And what do you want to accomplish with it?
10 years ago when Hemraj Goyal Foundation was first set up, our aim was to encourage the next generation to help others. We are passionate about influencing others with our philanthropy and that is why we support organisations and charities that make such a big difference within their areas of work.
When did you first hear about our organisation, and what prompted you to make that first gift?
I was invited to an event by a friend, Vijay Goel. We were inspired by how he brought people together to hear Javed Khan speak, and the passion with which Javed spoke about Barnardo’s. Barnardo’s is such a trusted leader in its sector, with the ability to make scalable differences across so many services and areas of work – dealing with current and relevant issues.
You’ve been giving to Barnardo’s work with children and young people since 2016. Why are you so passionate about it?
Barnardo’s is a well-known and well established charity that is recognised for doing great things for young people in need. They are trustworthy, and that cannot be understated when it comes to large donations. We give because we trust that Barnardo’s will use all their funding to make impactful changes through their work and their outcomes. We have been particularly involved with their Child Sexual Exploitation project and the National FGM Centre (Anita is the Honorary Chair of the FGM Appeal since 2017. As a former teacher (Anita), I trust that Barnardo’s is somewhere I could send a struggling young person to receive the support they need, to me that is the mark of a great charity; invested in tangible support, providing vital services and achieving realistic goals.