War Child was launched in 1993 as a response to the affect of the Balkans conflict on children. Over the last twelve years, War Child has worked with children and communities blighted by war in Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Rwanda, Sudan, Afghanistan, Angola, Afghanistan, Iraq, Phillipines, East Timor, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
In the summer of 1995 the music industry joined forces to draw the world's attention to the horrors of the Balkans War: the massacre at Srebrenica, the sieges of Sarajevo and Mostar. Originally, 'Help' was intended to be a concert, but after inspiration from John Lennon's 'Instant Karma' the project became somewhat more ambitious, and hence 'Help' the album was born.
Securing the services of the biggest British acts of the time, Oasis, Blur, Suede, Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers and more, War Child setforth to record an album on the Monday and to compile it into a physical album ready for sale on the Saturday. The project received the blessing and support of the music and other industries and were commended by the then leader of the opposition Tony Blair for drawing much-needed focus to the conflict. 'Help' generated amazing coverage and raised over a million pounds for War Child. As Lennon hoped, 'Help' was great music and great message in one memorable package.
Now on War Child's next project, 'Help: A Day In The Life', todays best known artists line-up to create another spectacular effort to raise awareness for War Child's immensely important concerns. Contributions include Hard Fi, Bloc Party, The Coral, Damien Rice, Elbow, Anthony & The Johnsons, The Go! Team, Gorillaz, Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, The Magic Numbers, Manic Street Preachers, Maximo Park, Mylo, Radiohead, Razorlight and The Zutons.
