WHO WE ARE

The Anita Goulden Trust is a UK based charity.  A fund was set up in 1987 when some British friends heard of the extraordinary work being done by Anita Goulden and of the appalling challenges that faced her as an Englishwoman operating alone in Peru. Her story became more widely known after author and journalist Nicholas Shakespeare visited her and wrote a newspaper article, later followed by a film shown on Granada television.  Donations flowed in from all over the UK. The Trust was set up to receive and administer them and in 1991 it was turned into a charity.

The Trust continues to raise donations from people from all walks of life who have been inspired by the tremendous courage and humanity of Anita Goulden. The committee of the Trust works closely with the local Peruvian committee in the Home to maintain the highest standards of care for the residents and to ensure complete transparency in the use of funds.

We keep expenses to a minimum: no-one is paid to administer the Trust and all of your donations go directly to the Anita Goulden Home in Peru. Expenses in the U.K are only for essentials such as financial charges and mailing costs.

Virtually unknown in the United Kingdom, Anita Goulden was a remarkable woman who selflessly devoted her life to the care of children in northern Peru afflicted by poverty, sickness and abandonment.

Born in Manchester in 1919 Anita came to Peru, aged 38 and widowed, to visit her brother who was living and working there. It was while walking in the town of Piura in the north of the country, that she found her first abandoned child. He was suffering from tuberculosis and meningitis and was lying in blood.

She later wrote, “In all my wildest dreams, I had never thought of human beings in such shocking conditions. The appalling poverty; the indifference of those around.”

From 1958 until her death in 2002, for much of that time with no reliable financial support and only the most meagre resources, she fed, clothed and housed hundreds of abandoned, abused, orphaned and disabled children. She sought to provide them with loving care and attention otherwise denied them.

David V Thomas OBE – Chairman of the Trust and former banker who spent over 20 years living and working in the USA, Europe and Latin America and now lives in London. He a been a director of companies in the financial sector, is a past Chairman of Canning House, and still maintains contacts with South America.

Marcelo Scenna – Marcelo Scenna, CFA, is a banker with 30 years experience in Europe and Latin America. He is also Trustee of Pension funds and Director of a Financial Institution in the UK.

Hugo Goodson – Hugo has been a teacher for fifteen years working in schools in Northamptonshire and London. He has had a lot of experience organising events within schools, and charitable and religious organisations. He spends much of the time travelling the world and has visited many of the charitable projects he supports.