The Global Triathlon Chosen Charities-WildHearts

On the Global Triathlon I’ve chosen to support four charities that help some of the poorest people on earth. One of the things that is key to me is to ensure that 100% of the money reaches the projects on the ground and that the aid is a hand up not a hand out.

The first charity I’m going to talk about in a series of blogs in WildHearts.

On my first expedition from London to Cape Town via the Middle East I raised money for a charity that I later found out spent a vast amount of the donated funds on administration, the money I donated to them was a drop in the ocean compared to the millions they were given by the UN and governments. This left a bitter taste in my mouth and made me commited to finding a charity with a simular ethos to my own. That charity is Wildhearts. They do phenomenal work both in the UK and internationally. The admin costs (staff, offices, electricity etc) are all paid for by Wild Day an online outdoors store. This allows all money raised to spent where it counts and where it’s needed. Their main international project is a microfinance bank in West Africa giving out small loans along with advice and help for small businesses. These loans are paid back over time and go on to start other small businesses.

You can donate to WildHearts directly here.

WildHearts (registered charity SC037072) was founded by serial entrepreneur Mick Jackson, whose life was transformed by tragedy during a climbing expedition. In 2001 Mick made headline news when he turned back from his attempt to climb K2 to save the life of a dying Sherpa. He swore that if he made it home alive he would do everything in his power to make a difference. WildHearts is the fulfillment of that promise.

WildHearts is committed to launching companies that benefit humanity. We believe in helping those who wish to help themselves. We are dedicated to investing in the human spirit and generating wealth for those. Our vision is to inspire people to strive to be the best they can and to provide them with the necessary confidence, skills and local infrastructure to fulfill their potential.

On a domestic level WildHearts is dedicated to encouraging people, especially children, to adopt healthy, active lifestyles and to become fitter. We aim to help reverse the current trend that sees more and more people in the UK becoming obese and suffering from the associated physical and emotional problems this causes. We also strive to bring communities closer together and focus on projects and activities that encourage people to come together.

Internationally, WildHearts takes a unique approach to fighting global poverty by running microfinance trust groups. This gives some of the poorest people in the developing world a chance to help themselves, by giving them a hand up, not a hand out. Currently focused on West Africa, WildHearts lends small sums of money to people to start up their own mini-businesses, be that a simple market stall or sewing shop; anything that enables them to support their family with dignity. The power of microfinance rests in the sheer number of lives it can touch; the people who receive loans will soon begin to help their wider community by employing their friends and neighbours and by supporting other local businesses. What’s more, once they pay back their loan the funds will then be lent out to someone else. In this way, supporters of WildHearts can directly help to transform the lives of hundreds of people, through just one donation. Just imagine what a difference you could make…

This is a short video highlighting the charities work in Ghana-not sure you’ll find a bank meeting like this anywhere else in the world!