Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you do it?
"One person cannot change the world but we can change the world for one person"
How do I help?
You can:
- Donate
- Come with us
- Pray
Or do all three!
How do I come with you?
If you'd like to join us then please send us a message using the contact form and be sure to upload/attach your CV to the message.
How do I donate?
Donating is simple and the easiest way to do it is by going to our Give.net page and clicking the "Donate Online Now" button.
Don't forget that if you are a UK tax payer, and pay sufficient tax, you can use Gift Aid to add to the value of your donation at no extra cost to you. For an explanation of how Gift Aid works you can go to the Gift Aid page on the HMRC website.
If you are unable donate online or through one the other means provided on the Donate page, then please send a message requesting details using our contact form.
Where is Dengke?
Dengke is hidden away on the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of 3500m. It is roughly 600 miles west of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China.
For more detailed information about the area goto the "Location" page.
Why Dengke?
Dengke was the site of the first hovercraft base by the side of the Yangtze River established by the British Hovercraft Expedition to China en-route to the source.
Whilst camping by the village in 1990, Mel was deeply moved when an old goat-herd gave him one of his only possessions - a sling-shot made of goat and yak hair. Likewise, a young urchin girl named Udren gave up her only toy - a beat-up rubber ball for Rob Watson, one of the hovercraft pilots, to give his daughter in the UK.
This extreme generosity prompted Mel to promise to the village, to the old and the young, that one day he would return to help them. Thus, in setting up a new charity called the Care and Share Foundation, and leading and planning numerous Project Dengke Expeditions from 1992 to the present day, he was fulfilling his promise.
For more a detailed account visit the Background page.
Are you government funded?
No. We are simply a group of like-minded Christians from various mainstream churhces across the UK and the World with a strong desire to share what we have with others less fortunate. We have no hidden or political agenda. What you see is what you get.
We fund our own travel and give our time to help others.
What is the Care and Share Foundation?
The Care and Share Foundation was set up in 1991 by Dr Mel Richardson and colleagues Mr John Milton Whatmore and Captain Robert Watson. They had worked together in the highly successful, humanitarian, world record breaking Hovercraft Expedition to a Tibetan Prefecture and China in 1990.
Turning their eyes to the specific needs of deprived peoples worldwide, ways and means were established to support and encourage selected projects in developing countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi.
The Care and Share Foundation helps enable projects but does not directly run or manage them. The following projects are currently supported:
- Project Dengke
- Project Uganda