It is now over 10 years since Daniel Braden the son of Alex and Mandy Braden died in a terrorist attack in Bali in 2002.
Alex Braden was one of the founding partners of Yachting Partners International and a great influence behind what is today the business we are pround to call the Super Yacht Industry.
His son Daniel died not because of who he was but because, to the bombers, he was just one more representative of a set of values that they despised and did not understand”.
“It was this realisation that led us to set up the Encompass Trust,” Alex told me last week at the MYBA Charter Yacht Show in Genoa. He added, “Encompass was founded on the principle that when people truly understand each other, one to one, prejudice and hatred give way to bonds of friendship which transcend political and religious divides.”
“This principle has been proved time and again since the trust was founded in 2003. Encompass is a small charity, funded largely by private donations.”
The trust has a tight-knit team of eight staff, with offices in
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- UK
It is supported by a dedicated community of alumni and volunteers. In the work that it does and the personal stories that follow it is easy see what the trust does, and the impact that it has on individuals.
“However much we may long to do so, we cannot change the past. But we can change the future”, says Alex.
Alex and Mandy Braden continue to fund raise for the trust and hope that fellow members of the industry will consider their work of vital importance and consider making a generous donation to their cause and the memory of their son.
Tune in to BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 12th May to hear Mandy Braden and Amit Lavi talk about Encompass and the work it does.
The programme airs at 07.55 UK time so 08.55 French Time and is repeated at 21.25 UK time (22.25 French Time).
The programme airs at 07.55 UK time so 08.55 French Time and is repeated at 21.25 UK time (22.25 French Time).