The Being There Foundation

Being There Foundation – UK Charity no 1101194

Our mission is, ‘to be there’ for young people by providing educational scholarships to study in centres of excellence around the world, in order that they may have the opportunity to reach their potential and thereby enjoy a better quality of life and enrich society.

Summer 2010 sees the UK based charity, called The Alexander Talbot Rice Academy Scholarship Charity Ltd, (currently operating in the United States, The Russian Federation, Italy and Wales,) renamed the “Being There Foundation”, following the creation of ‘Kabul RFC’, and the Afghan initiative.

Our work is characterized by:

  • local economic resources
  • sustainable and inspiring initiatives
  • personal and in-depth knowledge
  • expertise at the highest level
  • leading by example

Our initial impulse came as a result of my desire to keep a promise I made to the people of a small village in Afghanistan, who protected me during my journey by horse from Bamiyan to Mazar-e-Sharif in the Spring of 2009. I returned to Kabul in the Summer of 2010, to provide a field hospital and fresh drinking water to a village in the Hindu Kush called Madra. Unable to return to Madra, at that time, I and my best friend Rhys Ap Hywel, decided to extend the scholarship programme, to include some of the exceptionally talented young artists we met in Afghanistan.

In a time of war, extremism is fed by poverty and lack of trust. Beauty in art and sporting achievement are universal languages which engender mutual respect and inspire men and women around the world to have hope for the future.

Keen sportsmen, it was apparent to Rhys and I that a very good way of creating a sense of community and engaging with the large youth population in Afghanistan effectively, would be to create the Rugby Football Club. Since our return to the UK, we have had significant interest from members of the British Lions Rugby Team, who are willing to join us for an international Exhibition Match at the ISAF ground in Kabul in the Spring of 2011. This will be televised and the profits will go to the foundation in order to coach an Afghan team, which we plan to bring to the UK and provide art scholarships for art students to study in Florence and St Petersburg.

Fine art is a vital means of self-expression for a people trying to come to terms with war and great suffering. An understand of materials and technique will provide these students with the means to excel in the traditional Afghan arts of calligraphy, ceramics and wood carving while also creating the dynamics for a cross pollination of ideas and learning.

We believe that it is only by sharing the beauty of our own culture, while showing respect for the cultures of others that we can be united in our common humanity.

If you are interested in applying to join the foundation programme, please get in touch with us.

Companions Newsletter

We issue a periodic Companions newsletter. Each issue contains news of the Foundation and its students' progress, and other news relating to Alexander Talbot Rice's painting projects.

Each newsletter will be a available from this page in pdf format. Just click on the link(s) below to view the newsletter of your choice: