A few months ago I got a call from a promoter, asking if I'd like to record a live set in a studio.
It's part of their annual fundraiser for War Child, the charity for children affected by conflict.
They provide things like psychosocial support for children caught up in the Ukraine war, reintegration of child soldiers in the DRC and the Central African Republic, and help to unaccompanied and separated children in Gaza.
One of the things I particularly like about their approach is their focus on the psychological harms to children. War and displacement can damage children’s mental health, causing fear, withdrawal, and difficulty feeling safe. War Child funds groups that use play and movement to help them rebuild respect and friendship, for example in Congolese refugee camps.
I've written about four other things I like about their approach below.
Each year, the promoter offers opportunities to artists who raise the most as part of their War Child Rising campaign, and over the years the campaign has raised £432,000. More info here.
So of course I said yes, we recorded a set a few months ago, and you can watch it online here from 7.30pm January 12th and from two weeks after that. If you'd like a taster before that, listen on YouTube.
I'd like to raise £4K by January 26th.
Is that possible?
Welcome to my War Child shop
Well... imagine you've just walked into my War Child pop up shop.... It will be open until Jan 26th.
Allow me to tell you a bit about what's on the shelves.
Over in the 'Pharmacy' section you can get a personal recommendation of new music you're likely to like.
Even better, it will come from an emerging artist who'll act as your personal music pharmacist. If you've been looking for a more human, less algorithmic way of discovering new music and music artists, here it is.
If you're a music artist and you'd like to enquire about being a Music Pharmacist yourself, contact me via the form or at contact@asheronetwo.com.
In the 'Partners' section you can vouchers for things like help to produce and mix your music, and F45 fitness classes.
If you already sell something else and you'd like to donate time, goods, a voucher, or a sample for the shop - contact@asheronetwo.com.
And in the main section, you'll find things like:
- a treasure hunt,
- the chance to sit in on a rehearsal,
- have a private gig in a location of your choice,
- a chance to be part of crowd vocals on a future song,
- play woodblock or shaker at a future gig,
- get an exclusive poster or t-shirt,
- choose a character or pet to be part of a future story,
- get handwritten lyric sheets, and more.
- support from me with focus and accountability with a creative project.
Please consider spreading the word on your socials. Every post, email, text, and share helps.
After Jan 26th, I'll email everyone who contributes (who gives their contact details) to let you know how we did.
Thank you.
Asher
War Child
Five things I like about War Child’s priorities and approach.
1 - They focus on the psychological harms to children. War and displacement can damage children’s mental health, causing fear, withdrawal, and difficulty feeling safe. War Child funds groups that use play, movement, and positive relationships to support emotional wellbeing and build skills like respect, friendship, and understanding of how to manage stress, for example in Congolese refugee camps.
2 - A lot of their work is focused on getting children associated with armed forces and groups back into education and reintegrating them into their communities, so they have other skills and sources of self-worth.
3 - They don’t just help children in places that get a lot of headlines, but also places that don’t, like Sudan, Afghanistan, Colombia, and the DRC.
4 - They train local partner groups to take forward their work. For example, they trained three local partner organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo when millions of people were displaced due to conflict, flooding, landslides in 2024. They made it possible for nearly 15,000 children to have a good education in a safe place and offered catch-up courses to help children reintegrate into formal education. 60 girls who survived sexual violence received training on employment opportunities and psychological support.
5 - They base their interventions on evidence about what works. They create and test different ways to make sure their work is effective, and their Research and Development team publish academic articles about their findings so that others can benefit from this evidence base.
If you'd like to know more about War Child, check out their site, their 2024 Annual Report. And here's their page at the Charity Commission.
