Four years ago the lads of One Direction got involved with Comic Relief, but their contribution was more than just a monetary donation. Not only did they release a version of ‘One Way or Another’, they visited Ghana to witness, firsthand, what Comic Relief provides people in that country. The lads visited sick children at hospitals, saw kids working in junkyards, and met families who were suffering due to a lack of necessary essentials for life.
Their work with the charity has left a lasting impression on fans, and inspired many of them to get involved themselves. There are a number of charities that the boys work with that fans go to get involved with as well, but Comic Relief is a stand out organization.
Every two years, Comic Relief hosts a fundraising event in the UK called Red Nose Day, where celebrities get together to raise money for the charity. Comic Relief assists a multitude of people in different countries under different circumstances, and donations now are seemingly more dire than ever. This year, the charity is focusing on the fight against Malaria and Domestic Violence.
Each week, two women are killed as a result of domestic violence. The staggering statistic highlights the need for women to have opportunities to get out of abusive relationships and to stay safe once they escape. Many find themselves too afraid to leave, especially if children are involved because they worry that their abuser will find them. It almost seems ‘safer’ to stay in a situation where you know violence is expected than to try to escape and face a worse fate. Just £20 would pay for a night’s emergency accommodation for a person or family who fled to safety.
Malaria is one of the most horrible, and destructive diseases of all time. Each year, over 250,000 children under the age of 5 succumb to the disease. While treatment, unfortunately, fails often – there are tools to help prevent contracting the disease. Your donation can help provide some of these tools for families living in danger areas. For instance, £2.50 can buy an insecticide-treated mosquito net which helps children in Africa not contract the disease while sleeping.
There are other ways your donations will help too. You can find that information, and ways to get involved, by visiting the Red Nose Day website.
You can also help Harry, Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn know that their work with Red Nose Day and Comic Relief have impacted you by donating to the fan-made drive, which will send it’s proceeds to Comic Relief in honor of One Direction and their fans.
Fans of One Direction have to be the most charitable that there are and this hasn’t stopped just because the lads on are on a hiatus. This charity drive is sentimental, as it brings us all back to the memories of the boys in Ghana, the videos that they shared that broke their hearts, and ours, and how much they genuinely enjoyed being able to make a difference.
If you want to get involved, please visit the charity drive and donate and share. So far, 37% of the goal has been reached, and it’s only been a day that the drive has been open. It will continue until Red Nose Day, which is March 24th.
We’re humbled, again, to be fans of One Direction. We’re also big fans of the One Direction fans too, it makes us happy to be part of such an incredible group of people who do what they can to make a difference too.