“I saw the suffering of people on TV each night and it made a deep impact on me,” says Kay, a retiree from Nelson.
Kay was only a child at the time, but images of refugees from the war in Vietnam and famine in Bangladesh stayed with her.
Kay started her working life in a bank at age 16. As soon as she was able to set a little aside from her pay check each week, she began to donate to causes that she cared about. Over the years, she supported several charities at home and abroad.
Gifts in Wills allow retirees such as Kay to protect their savings now but still make a meaningful impact in the future. Learn more about a gift in your Will to Aotearoa New Zealand for UNHCR.
She continued to stay up to date with the news, and kept spotting the UNHCR logo, often in stories about people who had been displaced by wars or natural disasters.
Out of curiosity, Kay went online to look it up. She was moved by the difficulties faced by refugees, and inspired by the life-changing and life-saving impact of UNHCR.
“I decided to leave a gift to Aotearoa New Zealand for UNHCR in my Will so as to make a difference to those in need in the future,” Kay says.
“Leaving a gift in your Will is simple and I would say to anyone: ‘do it
if you can’.
“I believe New Zealanders are generous and caring, and UNHCR is a worthwhile cause.”
UNHCR has protected refugees for 75 years, providing safety and hope for millions of displaced people around the world.
Today, crises continue to force people from their homes and into an uncertain future. But the kindness of New Zealanders such as Kay means that in the worst of times, there will always be hope and help.
For her part, Kay is happy that her compassion will continue to change and save the lives of refugees – and that the humanitarian values she holds so deeply will live on.
Thanks to New Zealanders like Kay, there will always be help for refugees like Sanna from South Sudan.
© UNHCR/Samuel Otieno
