Around The World In 40 Days: Help Refugees
My most prominent memory of culture shock comes from a trip to The Gambia when I was twelve. It goes without saying that everything and everyone was drastically different to anything I’d ever experienced before. My little world wasn’t quite turned upside down, but it was definitely tilted on its side. Yet despite sticking out like a sore thumb, we were greeted with an overwhelming warmth, invited into homes, introduced to friends and treated like family. I remember feeling incredibly grateful towards the Gambian people for making me feel so WELCOME. Though at the time I took it all in my stride, I think these early experiences of culture shock, of being an outsider looking in on an alternative reality, permanently altered my perspective. I became acutely aware of how privileged I was, of how different my life would look if I had been born in another era or country, and of how little control we have over these aspects of our lives.
Fast forward a few years to last summer, when I graduated in Music and Spanish from the University of Sheffield. Since then, I have been searching my dream job, one that would allow me to use my passion for music, language and culture to bring about some kind of positive change in the world. Turns out, dream jobs are notoriously difficult to pin down, so I’ve had to settle for working in my local pub for the time being. That was when Corona virus hit, and everything ground to a halt. My thoughts turned to the millions of refugees trapped at borders, unable to go back, unable to move forwards. I’d like to think that we, as a human race, could pull together and pool our resources in order to help those born into less fortunate circumstances. But instead, Europe is closing its borders. Not only have refugees been used as pawns in our political negotiations, but now cramped living conditions and a lack of sanitation in the camps effectively makes them sitting ducks, waiting for the virus to hit.
I couldn’t sit back and watch this disaster unfold, but under lockdown rules, what could I realistically do about it? This is where the wonderful charity Help Refugees comes in, with their ‘Around the World in 40 Days’ campaign - a people powered journey around the world (a total distance of 24,901 miles) in order to raise vital funds for people facing Covid-19 in refugee camps. So, between 23rd May and 1st July, I will be walking, running, cycling, climbing and yoga-ing a distance of 200 miles, as my contribution to the effort.
Help Refugees provide vital aid to people fleeing war, persecution and climate change. They do not have any highly paid executives, and 89% of money raised goes directly to the frontline. They have a fast, flexible and effective method of getting help quickly to the people who need it the most by sharing funds, aid and materials out between local organisations doing the most effective work on the ground. If you feel able to donate anything at all, it would be much appreciated as this cause means a lot to me.
— Maddy Blatherwick-Plumb
