It occurred to me that I haven’t given much information on the charities that I’m raising money for on this crazy adventure. So here we go a little update…
The Horse Rangers Association
As I previously mentioned I have been a member of this organisation for nearly 30 years. It is a very unique place that supports many children and young people from all walks of life. The organisation recently held their annual RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) Open Day and Awards Day. The Open Day sees members from 4 special needs schools compete against each other in races gaining points for their school and the awarding of a trophy for the winning school. Riding is proven to not only help from the physiotherapy and motor skills perspective but also helps build confidence. When you watch the children take part in the Open Day these benefits are clear to see.
The annual Awards Day rewards the hard work and dedication of the mainstream members. Throughout the year the children are given marks for their riding, attendance and the smartness of their dress that are tallied up for provision of awards. There are also awards for mentoring and a special leaders award where the leaders of each session award one member for their work, achievements or improvement over their previous 12 months. It really is an enjoyable day rewarding the achievements of the previous year.
To support the Horse Rangers Association please click on the link below
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/gemmaractliffe
Save the Children – East Africa Food Crisis Appeal
East Africa is in the grip of a critical hunger crisis. 21m people across Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya don’t have access to enough food. A combination of prolonged drought and conflict has left families trapped in a cycle of hunger and disease. In May alone Save the Children helped thousands and thousands of people in these drought stricken lands. Here is an example of how… In Somalia they provided free health services to more than 37000 people including treating young children for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea, as well as vaccinating children under 5 against measles. In Ethiopia they treated over 3500 children suffering from life threatening acute malnutrition. In Kenya they provided 1500 cash grants to families whose livelihoods have been decimated by back to back failed rains. In South Sudan they distributed more than 7000 fishing kits and 4.64 metric tonnes of high nutrient peanut paste to families in need. They are literally saving lives on a daily basis!
To support Save the Children please click on the link below
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/gemmaractliffe
Cool Earth
This is the official charity of The Adventurists, the crazy people who created the Mongol Derby and many other equally challenging events. To date over 3000 ‘Adventurists’ from 41 countries have raised over £1m for the charity by taking part in 6 lunatic adventures. This money has empowered 16 Ashaninka villages, provided 74 families with safe water, saved 56 lives through emergency evacuations, trained 75 women in basic newborn care and supported 14 rainforest schools, amongst other things… The charity’s ethos is simple ‘Homo sapiens have razed half of the rainforest and every worthy attempt to save it has made matters worse. The only thing that works is putting local people back in control. Cool Earth is the only charity out there that does that. The money raised by the Adventurists has helped fantastic people in Peru, the Congo and Papua New Guinea to stop over 600,000 acres going up in smoke.’
To support Cool Earth please follow the link below
https://www.coolearth.org/campaigns/22215/journey-to-the-derby/