Callum Licence

Chairman & Trustee

Meet Callum Licence, Trustee and chairman of ToHelp. Callum is one of those rare individuals who seems to be continuously juggling multiple commitments, whilst also making time for commendable charitable work. In between managing a billion dollar project, travelling consistently and spending time with his family; Callum found that it was important to give back. With a lack of transparency offered when donating to some of the larger charities, Callum and his colleagues decided to start a charity of their own, where they could ensure that 100% of donations would go directly to helping those in need.

Expanding on a need for  full visibility, Callum reflects on his desire to be able to Touch and feel what (we) are doing. Big charities can’t give you that‘. Thinking back to the Orphanage project, Callum recalls ‘You see the kids as they arrive and those donations make a massive impact on the outcome of their childhood. Loads of kids were begging and stealing; now they are getting a full education in a protected environment. Commenting on the differences in needs, Callum confesses We see things we take for granted here, have a different impact there. When you go there, everything I have I give away because you see the impact it has‘.

However, the aspiration of seeing the impact of charitable work first hand is not without its challenges. Callum acknowledges that ‘Running something for yourself is massively difficult. We have someone onsite running a whole team of people who are providing ongoing support‘. Evidently, being on-site on the projects that ToHelp support is difficult, particularly when, like Callum, a large part of your professional work demands that you continuously travel. Yet, Callum finds that an important element of running a charity, is spreading awareness of its work. ‘It’s like planting a seed that grows bigger. I tell people to tell people and so the number of people who know about our work doubles up and it propels further awareness and support‘. 

This ability to directly influence the levels of awareness people have with regards to ToHelp, is particularly appealing aspect of the work that Callum does for the charity. Although Callum appreciates the work done by some of the larger already establish charities, he acknowledges the lack of direct influence that is made possible. With ToHelp, I was able to see the charity growing and play a part in facilitating that growth and the impact we have‘.

cal@tohelp.org