Linda Norgrove charity: Out of tragedy and against all the odds, a Christmas message of hope

THE parents of aid worker Linda Norgrove have said they have made good progress with the charity set up in their daughter’s memory, despite early setbacks.

Ms Norgrove, 36, from Uig on Lewis, was killed during a mission to rescue her from hostage-takers in October last year.

Her parents, John and Lorna Norgrove, set up a foundation in her name, which has raised more than £336,000, including donations of £100,000 from the Scottish Government and £101,000 from the Norgrove family.

In a letter accompanying the charity’s first newsletter, Mr and Mrs Norgrove said initially they had found Afghanistan to be “a difficult place to work” but have since made good progress.

Launched just over a year ago, the Linda Norgrove Foundation has gone on to fund projects helping to improve the lives of disabled children and encourage women’s literacy in remote areas. It has also provided financial support to a “safe house” for vulnerable women and children and awarded a grant to a new tourism business in the Wakhan Corridor, north-east Afghanistan.

In their letter, the Norgroves said: “We have found Afghanistan to be a difficult place to work because of the pace of change, the complicated politics and the security situation. At first we didn’t seem to be getting anywhere but, as time has passed, we’ve found our feet and have now made good progress identifying projects that fit with our requirements of making a real difference whilst avoiding aid dependency as much as possible.”

The couple added: “We are keen on small-scale projects that donors can identify with and that we can more easily monitor to ensure that the money has been spent as planned.”

The Norgroves thanked their supporters and fundraisers in the letter and newsletter.

“We’ve learnt a lot. Last summer was incredibly busy with fundraising events. So many have contributed in such a variety of ways, from sponsored haircuts to art auctions, tractor runs to cycle rides. The Valtos 10k last month resulted in entries from people doing a run/walk on their home turf on every continent on the globe including Antarctica,” they wrote.

“We’ve received such a variety of voluntary help from all quarters that our total UK administration costs and expenses to date are below £1,700.

“Whether or not you will support the Foundation in the future, a sincere thank you from both of us to you all for the support, financial and otherwise, that we have received over the past year.”

Ms Norgrove was working as a regional director of the American-based Development Alternatives Inc, in charge of a five-year aid project in unstable areas of eastern Afghanistan.

She worked with more than 200 Afghan professionals building roads, bridges and markets, installing small-scale hydro-electric systems, improving agriculture and encouraging local businesses to produce textiles, honey, talc and marble.

Ms Norgrove had taught herself to speak Dari, an Afghan version of Persian, to help her to talk to the locals.

It was while working on this project that she was seized during an ambush in the Dewagal valley in Kunar province on 26 September, 2010.

An inquest into her death heard that during the rescue attempt, the visibility was so poor that US troops had been unaware of her presence as they fired at insurgents and the grenade that killed her was thrown.

In delivering its verdict, the inquest praised the “bravery and courage shown by the US special forces in even attempting that rescue”.

Following her death, Ms Norgrove was named winner of the prestigious Robert Burns Humanitarian Award for her work in Afghanistan, and in May this year, was given a posthumous Green Star Award from the UN and Green Cross International.