May 22, 2023 – After years collaborating with the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation in Africa and Mexico, WPDI has entered a new partnership with their fellow company, the People’s Postcode Lottery of the United Kingdom. The two lotteries operate on the same system, whereby the value of 33% of the tickets sold is allocated to local, national and international humanitarian organizations working towards humanitarian goals.
To announce the partnership, the People’s Postcode Lottery invited our CEO and founder, Forest Whitaker, to Edinburgh to participate in their yearly Charity Gala held on May 15th. The event is a lively opportunity for global NGOs and grassroots activists to gather, exchange and network. It is also an opportunity for them to showcase their achievements before an audience of lottery players, whose participation in the lottery is proof of their interest for humanitarian action.
Forest Whitaker was invited to engage in a Q&A with Clive Myrie, British journalist, newsreader and presenter at the BBC. Mr. Myrie asked Forest to share his experiences and views after ten years of action through WPDI with the public.
Forest Whitaker was asked about his role as Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland,” describing how he had been struck by the suffering and marginalization experienced by former child soldiers in the Acholi regions.
Forest Whitaker notably underlined the trauma that these former child soldiers suffered from years after their release, stressing that trauma was a common denominator in all the communities where WPDI was working. This is one of the core reasons why WPDI has elevated trauma healing and psychosocial support as a thematic priority in its strategy and why we asked the People’s Postcode Lottery to support our work on trauma in South Africa, South Sudan and Uganda.
Thanks to their commitment, WPDI will be able to scale up the trauma and psychosocial programs that we have piloted in the past years, furthering our efforts at peace and resilience both for individuals and communities.
About The People’s Postcode Lottery
https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/
