Real Way Down - supported 22 charities in 22 countries in 22 weeks on an overland expedition from the UK to South Africa
Last updated 11/14/2011 12:24:21 PM
Real Way Down - supported 22 charities on an overland expedition from the UK to South Africa
On April 4th 2011, the ‘Real Way Down' team embarked on a journey to visit 22 charities in 22 countries in 22 weeks, on an overland expedition from the UK to South Africa. Driven by a desire to unite people working towards a better and fairer world, they would pass through 3 continents, and visit a wide range of humanitarian projects, and charitable work. Over the course of the next 6 months they would have to face many challenges, all of which they hoped to overcome through positivity, spirit, and a firm belief in humanity. Here is their story.
So, the time has come to put into words something for which I can find none. How is it possible to condense such a journey, such an experience into something easily digestible? I once studied a Creative Writing Bachelors for this very purpose, but along with everything else, these rules seem to have shifted somehow.
I would love to start somewhere more appropriate, but my mind simply falls upon a moment in the midst of everything; a moment, which to me perfectly defines our entire experience. We were in North Ethiopia; we had just crossed the border from Sudan, and were running dangerously low on fuel. Our GPS signalled one last potential salvation in a small mountain village ten miles away, just about in our range. I turned to Phil, whose eyes were flickering across the scenery like a newly born fruit bat, and said, ‘This is it, if we can't get fuel here, we will have to stop the night, and hitch ahead tomorrow.' Phil nodded in reply, and we pressed on, my foot nervously caressing the gas pedal, with a distinct reluctance, desperately clinging on to every last drop of benzene.
Half an hour earlier we had made the decision to continue our journey onwards, rather than to turn around and head back to the border where we knew there was petrol. We should have gone back; it was completely irrational to head deeper into the mountains at night, without any assurance, or indeed much hope of finding petrol. We did, however, almost instinctively follow our noses, and somewhere within there was this acceptance that everything would be okay. As we rolled into the village, literally, saving our last weeps of petrol, we were besieged by a storm of sound, smell, sight, and sense. It was unlike anything. A chorus of ‘you, you, you, you...' rang out from the choir of children who raced to surround our car. A thunderstorm lit up the sky, and the rain had begun to fall quite steadily. A man with a cross between a guitar and a violin serenaded us, as I leant out of the window shouting ‘Benzine? Benzine?'.
As we drove out of the village half an hour later with a now full tank of petrol, we both sat in silence. There was no discussion, no debate, no analysis, just a continued sense of calm. The scenery continued to amaze, but all the more beautiful was what was building up inside us, upon our congenital beliefs. This journey had been catalysed by a desire to endorse humanity. Bizarrely, we had been giving ourselves a bad press for too long. We had a belief that contradicted all of the news stories, and political scare mongering; a belief, which placed hope, spirit, and harmony at the core of all of us. We felt that to focus on the achievement of human strength and kindness in the face of a catalogue of adversities, would empower, enrich, and ultimately unite us in our struggles. As we overcame each obstacle, and witnessed each kind act, and inspirational fight, our faith was being rewarded tenfold, and as we rolled on, there was a sense that help was never too far away.
We saw many horrendous sufferings during our journey, but what was all the more overwhelming was the strength and hope in the face of such troubles. Still, it is true that some things were just unacceptable, and indeed many of these were in Europe, not as far from home as you may think. Africa has suffered now from disease, famine, poor education, violent leaders, and a lack of many human rights and freedoms for a number of years. There is, however, a sense of change in the air, and the young people who will be the leaders of tomorrow, have much more of a sense of equality, freedom, and human rights, than their predecessors. As for the Middle East, and indeed Northern Africa, change is clear to see for everyone. The Syrian crisis, which threatened to end our journey, rages on, and with the International community merely playing a spectator's role, who's to know when a resolution will come. One thing is clear, however, and that is that people are prepared to fight until the bitter end for the rights and freedoms that we as Western Europeans take for granted. There are still many issues, however, back at home in the UK and Western Europe, and sometimes they are even more complex and subtle in their nature. There are still millions of people who fall outside the protective gloves of such nations, and there is a need for a deep and thorough investigation into how we can limit this.
The world is a small place, I truly feel that way now, and the differences so minute and subtle, that to an outsiders eye we would all be deemed to be the same. Religion, race, tradition, and shoe size apart, we all have the same foundations at our core, and to focus on this in a world where leaders are determined to create divisions, is a challenge which we should all strive towards. For too long our world has been under the 'management' of weak men, driven by fear, greed, and self-importance, when truly it is the people who have the power to create, progress, and develop our world. One thing which is for sure is that the journey rolls on. It is all part of the one same vision. Having turned around immediately upon the completion of our project in South Africa, to scarper back two thirds of the way through Africa, to Ethiopia, I will now be focussing my energy on education in Ethiopia, with EEF (Ethiopian Education Foundation).
Many of the charities we visited along the way had common issues. Issues that included; sustainability, dependency, donor relations, resource management etc, and all could certainly benefit from increased cooperation with one another. Occasionally, however, you find one with a simple and functional model, which can produce tangible benefits to people, and EEF is certainly one of those. In six years the charity has grown massively, and with a 100% success rate, of helping incredibly intelligent, but impoverished children achieve their dream of reaching University, the foundations are impenetrably strong. There is, however, of course room for improvement, and I was attracted by a desire to play a role in the growth of the organisation, and to one day work to introduce the model elsewhere.
The ‘Real Way Down' taught me a lot about the delicacies of charity work, and the virtual minefield you have to navigate in order to create tangible and sustainable benefits. My belief in humanity has now been solidified, and the battle we face against misguided minorities, is one that I am convinced we can win. I am an idealist, and I take great pride in exclaiming that fact. Limitation is something for which rationally we should never conceive or indeed endorse. There are many of us willing to share, create, progress, and develop for the good of all, and hope can be found, even in the darkest of places. We must continue to focus forwards, and be united in our struggles. You can follow our journey online at www.realwaydown.com, and read about EEF's work at www.ethio-ed.org
The charities we have visited and supported on our Real Way Down are:
- Uk - Centrepoint - Youth Homelessness
- France - Basiliade - HIV/Aids
- Italy - ARCI Regazzi - Youth Development
- Slovenia - Morigenos - Marine Wildlife Research and Conservation
- Croatia - Zagrebacki Bokci - Community Support
- Bosnia - Zmelja Djece - Youth Developmenbt and Roma Communities
- Kosovo - Balkan Sunflowers - Roma Development
- Bulgaria - Helsinki Commitee - Human Rights.
- Turkey - KAMER - Women's Rights
- Syria - Charity pulled out
- Jordan - SPANA - Working Animal Support
- Egypt - The Brooke - Working Animals
- Sudan - St Vincent de Paul Society - Poverty Alivietion, mainly in IDPS
- Ethiopia - Kindu Trust - Education and Community Development
- Kenya - Mustard Seed Project - Community Development
- Kenya - Hope and Kindeness - Community Development
- Tanzania - Futuresense - Volunteer Organisation
- Malawi - Expand - Education Development
- Zambia - Kasanka National Trust - Nature Conservation
- Zimbabwe - Goromonzi Project - Pre Primary Education Development
- Namibia - Children of Zion - Orphanage
- Botswana - Tachila Nature Reserve - Nature Conservation
- South Africa - Sparrow Schools - Children with Learning difficulties