Philippa Vernon-powell

Philippa Vernon-Powell visited Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 2002 on a year's sabbatical from the corporate world where she had spent the previous ten years. She visited Vallarta specifically to work as a volunteer with street children for one year. At the time the street kid Centre was extremely basic and hardly had any equipment due to lack of funds and little support for the open school system. Philippa made a personal commitment to fund the schooling of 4 boys for a year. When the time came for her to leave Vallarta and return to England, one of the boys said "so now you are telling me I don't have a future". This powerful statement meant Philippa returned to the UK with a determination to support these children. Her single-minded determination to raise the necessary funds through friends, family and any/all who would listen, resulted in her returning to Mexico to refurbish the Centre. In 2004 New Life Mexico was registered with the Charities Commission in England to formalise the fundraising. Since then, New Life Mexico has been raising funds for the street children, and collecting physical donations for the children. Philippa is a great example of how one determined individual can achieve so much. The fact that she has given up what was her previous life to help these children is very inspirational. In England, Philippa spends much of her travelling around the country talking in schools about New Life Mexico´s work.