Why is it important that our charities get funded?

We are raising money for two really great charities.

The hummingbird project is a small grassroots charity which sends doctors, nurses and medical supplies from Brighton to the refugee / migrant camps in Calais and Dunkirk. The money goes towards buying much needed supplies for the projects’ medical centre. This medical centre provides the first and only medical attention some of these people will receive after weeks, months or years of arduous and dangerous journeys. A member of our team, Iain, has worked alongside the project within the Calais ‘Jungle’ over the winter. He has seen first-hand how the money raised will be put to good use and that’s why this charity is personal to us.

At the time of writing this blog there were 129 unaccompanied children within the camps

The Calais 'Jungle'

Why is it important to raise money to help these people?

Politics aside we cannot deny others basic human rights. The hummingbird project’s doctors and nurses volunteer their time to tend to some of the most vulnerable victims of the current violence; children, teenagers and desperate young men, helping those who have been put through much devastating trauma. It also gives confidential support to women within the camp many of whom have been subjected to sexual violence and exploitation along their journeys.

This is a very real medical ‘shituation’ at our countries front door. If you like it or not the bigger issues will not be going away any time soon. Especially now with bombs landing on Syria, we will only be seeing more of this kind in future years. Whilst the UK government spends millions erecting barbed wire fences and the giant NGOs are focused further afield, the hummingbird project will be giving its time and limited resources to those which no country wants responsibility over.

Our other charity, Cool Earth is the official charity of the Mongol Rally, which works in partnership with indigenous communities to protect rainforest that is in immediate threat of destruction. Half of the world's rainforest has been destroyed in the last 40 years and it continues to be lost at a faster rate than ever. Local people stand to lose the most from deforestation, but the most to gain from its protection, and so through community-owned and led partnerships. Cool Earth helps not only to prevent deforestation but also to protect the livelihoods of indigenous communities.

https://www.coolearth.org/

The Hummingbird Project

What makes our project unique?

Apart from MSF the hummingbird project is one of the only UK charities operating within the camp giving much needed medical attention. They provide care on the weekends where others won’t and can mobilise quickly the resources and people needed to react when crises hit the camps.

Cool Earth – what makes this charity awesome is the fact that it is creating strong, self-determining communities – not dependency (unlike a lot of our western, first world aid and development). By developing local livelihoods, their mission is to end the cycle of deforestation entrenching villages into further poverty.

If you would like to donate to our charities then please follow this link:

https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/wheels-of-misfortune-mongol-rally-2016