Janette Porter reappointed as Chair of Trustees

We are delighted to share some wonderful news with you. Janette Porter has been reappointed as Chair of Trustees of Sreepur Village for a further three years.

Janette first became involved with Sreepur Village in 1990, through her mother Ruby Porter MBE, a former trustee and long-standing supporter. She has served as a trustee for over a decade and took on the role of Chair in 2023. Her unanimous reappointment is a testament to the dedication, energy and leadership she has brought to the charity over the past three years.

Since becoming Chair in 2023, Janette's aim has been to formalise the governance process in line with Charity Commission guidelines and to ensure that relevant policies are in place, including working with Pat Kerr MBE, our founder, to strengthen Sreepur Village's safeguarding framework. She has worked closely with staff to provide regular support, represented the charity at various external events to help promote and raise funds, and always works collaboratively with trustees, staff and partners - building a more resilient, well-governed organisation better placed to deliver long-term impact for our mothers and their children.

The work of Sreepur Village sits at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - from ending poverty and hunger, to quality education, gender equality and climate action. Bangladesh is among the countries most exposed to the impacts of climate change, and it is the most vulnerable families who bear the greatest burden. Sreepur exists to provide a foundation of stability when everything else is uncertain.

Janette said:

"I am delighted to have been elected as Chair of Trustees of Sreepur Village Bangladesh for a second term by the board of trustees. Each term is three years and as I embark on my second term I walk proudly in the footsteps of those women who have chaired before me - Trisha Silvester MBE, the first chair, then Pat Kerr MBE. Both remarkable women with a vision they believed in - that poverty should never separate a mother from her children, and that we continue to provide a home for mothers and their children in rural Bangladesh. Not to mention my mother Ruby Porter MBE, who brought textiles and embroidery to Sreepur in 1990 - to date this provides an income and skill training to the mothers, enabling them to be independent long after they leave the safety of Sreepur.

Trisha, Pat and Ruby - all passionate about empowering women and keeping families together in one of the most deprived and overpopulated countries in the world. I am proud to walk in Trisha's, Pat's and Ruby's footsteps. They set the foundation that I am building on.

My second term will focus on the future and how Sreepur can continue to provide a safe home, food, education and skill training and simply respect to the mothers as they embark on carving an independent future for themselves and being incredible role models to their children, who in turn can provide for their children.

As the world navigates political uncertainty and economic turbulence, it is communities like ours in rural Bangladesh that feel the impact most acutely. Climate change continues to threaten the futures of families already living with so little. Now more than ever, the stability and safety that Sreepur provides is not just valuable - it is vital. As we battle through trying times and uncertainties, one thing remains: Sreepur provides the foundation of safety for families in our care."

Thank you, as always, for standing alongside our mothers and their children. Your support makes everything we do possible.