A small charity with a global classroom footprint.

Furniture for Education Worldwide (FEW) is a National Charity launched in London at the House of Commons in November 2008.

FEW supports some of the world's poorest schools by funding the things they actually need — clean water boreholes, classroom builds, playgrounds and IT equipment. Over the years we have worked with partner schools in India, The Gambia, Ghana and Pakistan.

Our projects directly improve daily life for thousands of children. A new borehole means clean water on site rather than a long walk to fetch it. A new classroom means a safe, dry place to learn. A playground or a computer room means a childhood and a future a little closer to the one we'd want for our own kids.

How it started

The charity was established by Terry Burns MBE (Chairman, Lancashire County Council) and Mike Tull (Head Teacher, Marsden Heights Community College) following a visit to schools around Pakistan. Terry and Mike were appalled at the lack of furniture and resources. "Most of the schools consisted of nothing but a concrete room and painted blackboard — no tables or chairs even for the children to use."

FEW began by rescuing surplus UK school furniture from landfill and shipping it overseas — over 100 forty-foot containers in total. Today we focus our energy on funding projects in-country: drilling boreholes, building classrooms, installing playgrounds and equipping IT rooms.

What we need

Every project we deliver is paid for by supporters in the UK. We hold events and welcome donations of any size to fund the next borehole, the next classroom, the next playground.

Your donations and support help change the futures for thousands of children across the world.