Global Law Firm Clifford Chance partners with The Sparkle Foundation

International law firm Clifford Chance has partnered with The Sparkle Foundation (Sparkle), an award-winning UK-registered charity, as one of its global pro bono charities.

Sparkle and Clifford Chance have been collaborating since the charity’s inception in 2015. The beginning of Sparkle’s relationship with the firm started when teams of Clifford Chance staff in the Middle East proposed solutions to some of Sparkle’s biggest problems at that time, which included the need for additional dining and learning space for children in the Sparkle community, as well as offices for the growing team. This undertaking resulted in the most successful proposal being implemented in Malawi, (assessed by experts in the social impact field, in true “Dragons Den” style), resulting in the creation of an outdoor dining space that also doubled up for performances, two new classrooms built to welcome over 100 additional children to the primary school afterschool programme, and two offices constructed for the team on the ground.

 

Over a six-year period, Sparkle has worked to create a sustainable, replicable model and Clifford Chance employees from around the world have supported in providing over 1,500 hours of legal and non-legal support, as well as over 45 hours of training to Sparkle staff members, community members and children. Training areas have ranged from topics including governance, strategy, risk and GDPR, to sports and arts and crafts.

 

In addition to financial donations, Clifford Chance employees have provided office equipment, clothes, toys, electronic equipment, fans and a playground set, to help Sparkle build new classrooms, offices and dining rooms. Furthermore, Martin Waud (the Firm’s Regional Finance Manager, Middle East) and David Towers (Partner, UK) have joined Sparkle’s board of trustees as Finance Trustee and Legal and Governance Trustee respectively.

 

Sarah Brook, Sparkle CEO and Founder, commented: “We are thrilled and honoured that The Sparkle Foundation has been selected as a partner to The Clifford Chance Foundation, alongside charities such as Save The Children and the Autistic Society. It is a dream come true to see the small passion project trying to make a difference to a few lives now gaining support and recognition from one of the world’s leading law firms. We are excited to see how many more lives we can now positively change together.”

 

Gavin Goodwin, Clifford Chance’s Regional Chief Operating Officer, Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “We are delighted to formally partner with The Sparke Foundation through the Clifford Chance Foundation. We have been impressed by the positive, sustainable impact the charity has made in Malawi and have enjoyed working with them over the past six years. We look forward to helping them grow and to seeing The Sparkle Foundation’s self-sustainable model replicated across new sites.”



Stuart: From Legacy to Lived Experience

By Talhia Le Berre • April 27, 2026
For over ten years, The Payback Time Trust has supported The Sparkle Foundation, a relationship first led by Stuart Barcock’s late father, Peter, alongside his stepmother, Kathy, who were early believers in Sparkle’s vision. While Stuart had long been aware of and connected to Sparkle through this relationship, his involvement deepened significantly after becoming a Trustee in early 2023. Since then, his connection to the charity has been more direct and engaged, shaped through ongoing conversations, updates, and a growing understanding of our work. This year, that connection took on a different form. Stuart travelled to Malawi this past March to experience our work in person. Not as an observer from afar, but as someone stepping directly into the environments, communities, and programmes his family family had supported for so long. This is the story of Stuart's journey with purpose. What I Thought I Knew Having supported The Sparkle Foundation for more than a decade, the decision to visit Malawi felt both natural and necessary. From the perspective of The Payback Time Trust, it was important that one of us saw the work first-hand, to understand not only what is being delivered but how it comes together on the ground. Reports and conversations provide insight, but they inevitably leave gaps. Being there, physically present, offers a different level of clarity . There was also a personal dimension to the trip. The trust itself was founded by my [late] father and stepmother, who had been early supporters of The Sparkle Foundation and a strong believers in [founder] Sarah’s vision. Continuing that connection is something I take seriously, and this visit felt like an extension of that responsibility, as well as a way of honouring what they had helped to start.

From Seasonal to Sustainable: The Sparkle Greenhouse Secures Nutrition

By Talhia Le Berre • April 23, 2026
A fully funded greenhouse is now operational at The Sparkle Foundation Farm, made possible by a generous grant from the Australian Government
podcast guest reihan sagar on left and the sparkle foundation founder and ceo sarah brook on right

From Bake Sales to 40,000 Dirhams: How One 18-Year-Old is Changing Lives

By Talhia Le Berre • April 20, 2026
The Sparkle Foundation Podcast is where we shine a light on the extraordinary people behind our mission: volunteers, changemakers, and champions who show up, roll up their sleeves, and prove that one person really can make a difference. Each episode is an honest, unscripted conversation about what drives people to give back, and what happens when they do. Hosted by Sarah Brook , Founder and CEO of the The Sparkle Foundation. Meet Our Guest Reihan Sagar is an 18-year-old student at Brighton College Dubai, currently serving as Head Pupil. Since joining The Sparkle Foundation in October 2024, he has raised over 40,000 dirhams for children in Malawi through bake sales, a school-wide t-shirt design competition, a raffle, and a secondhand uniform drive. He was recently awarded the Ed Goodwin Award by BSME (British Schools Middle East) for his outstanding contribution to the charity.