There are all sorts of reasons why people make currency transfers, and here at World First, we know that every transfer has a story.
For every currency transfer, there’s an excited family leaving the UK for a new start abroad, a retired couple buying their dream property in the sun, an emotional parent packing the child off to university overseas or a man buying his partner a stunning diamond engagement ring.
We have all sorts of people working with us, all with wonderful, different, heart-warming reasons for moving their money overseas. Whatever the transfer, there’s always a story. Start your story today, and read some of our customers’ stories below.
Adrian Veale and a few colleagues were in Burundi in East Africa working on a voluntary basis with young entrepreneurs, teaching them business skills.
“We visited an orphanage. After meeting the children and looking around, we were told the children were about to be thrown back out on to the streets because the orphanage had no money and was one year behind with paying its water bills, and four months behind with rent.
“We left almost in tears, knowing we couldn’t walk away from 76 children in desperate need. We managed between us to find enough money to pay two months’ rent and went back the next day to hand the money over. We vowed to set up a charity back in the UK to continue supporting these desperate children who’ve lost their families mainly as a result of the civil war that ended in 2005, and AIDS.
“Back in the UK, we formed ‘Friends of the Orphanage of Hearts, Burundi’ a charity registered with the Charities Commission. Transferring money to Burundi isn’t exactly easy, and that’s where World First have helped us. All the Orphanage’s bills are now up to date and we’ve been able to pay towards the children’s education as well. We are grateful to World First for making the transfer of money so easy, as without us being able to raise funds and transfer it to the Orphanage, I don’t know what situation the children would now find themselves in. The money that we transfer is making the difference between life and death for these children.”
About 14 years ago, when Emlyn Griffith and his wife Jane were still working, they decided to buy a holiday home in Spain.
“We booked up with several estate agents and spent 10 days in September looking at about 40 properties. We saw this house on the second day and knew immediately that was the one….but we carried on and saw all the others before deciding on buying this….we knew immediately it was special.
“It is in the foothills of the Sierra Espuna mountains, a “Parque Natural” outside a small town called Totana in Murcia.”
They use World First to transfer money to pay mortgage payments and for pool renovations.
While in Western Kenya, Kate Jergas met some desperate and poverty-struck people in two remote villages.
“I came home thanking God I wasn’t born into that situation. Their plight never left me so I began to do something about it. I set up a UK charity called Free 2 Be to raise funds to give them a ‘hand-up, NOT a hand-out’.
“Generally I transfer money only as I travel to the area ensuring no mis-management of funds: we use it on practical projects. We have built a primary school, a technical training college, 7 houses for widows, installed 3 solar electricity systems and 2 solar water pumps, dug 3 wells, given business training and micro-finance loans to 65 people …..the list goes on.
“On 16th July I transferred £5,000.00 to Kenya to my coordinator, he founded the primary school in 2011 because so many children (50% of them orphans) were in the getting up to mischief in the streets (not having the money for school fees). We have 42 of the current 106 children in the school sponsored. The money was sent this time to give the children 2 meals a day for the next 6 months, to pay the teachers and to help my coordinator rebuild his mud house which is collapsing.”
Peter and Linda Chambers used World First when they moved to Saudi Arabia.
“Our transfers with World First started back in 2011. We wanted to give both our children a good start in their working life by helping them through university and not start out with a huge debt to service, after they left. We also wanted to achieve our goal of purchasing a property in France that we could spend as much time as possible in after we retired.
“In 2008, we decided to accept jobs in the Middle East in Saudi Arabia to achieve our goals, which was not always easy, but finally we were able to retire in August 2013 to a beautiful house in the south of France and both children having achieved wonderful degrees and then embarked on great jobs with no weights of debt around their necks. It was hard work but we did it!
“Using World First has been a revelation! Always getting the best exchange rates, money transferred internationally within a few hours and always on hand to discuss any queries. We use them on a regular basis and could not do without them.”