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GULF FOR GOOD

CHARITY CHALLENGE - MACHU PICCHU 2023

16th to 24th July 2023

CHALLENGE:

It’s just over a year since my last trek up the mountains in Ladakh, India and it’s really been quite the year, so it’s about time I dusted off my hiking boots, got out my trekking poles, and got lost in a wilderness.

Machu Picchu, Peru, has been on my list of “must trek” for quite some time and the minute it was added to the Gulf for Good calendar for 2023, it was a must to get signed up. The additional push from Kat as part of “Kat Fest 2023” is a lovely extra bonus! So, it’s off to Peru and Machu Picchu I go! I will be trekking again with a fabulous bunch of people and cannot wait to start the journey to Cusco, although this is quite a challenge in itself, London to Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo to Lima, Lima to Cusco!

We’re off to trek the legendary Inca Trail trail & enjoy cultural visits along the way while marveling at the stunning Machu Picchu in the panoramic Andes Mountains. We are also including a one-day hike to the iconic Rainbow Mountain, famed for it’s unique and colourful panorama.

However, as usual, it is not just about exploring the world with fabulous people, but we are over there to aid a wonderful charity that supports abandoned children, the Chicuchas Wasi, which gives them a safe house, education, healthcare and more.

CHARITY PROJECT:

Chicuchas Wasi began in 1987, focusing on the society’s tolerated human rights violations of the many abandoned children, as young as 6 years old, surviving alone on the streets of Cusco, Peru. Chicuchas Wasi created a safe house which includes nutrition, healthcare, schooling, life skills, and much more.

Chicuchas Wasi School for Girls provides free, primary education, emphasizing on personal development, empowerment, and academics. They stress personal values, integrity, self-esteem and social responsibility for an adult life of quality, dignity, gender equality, and financial independence. Chichuchas Wasi School maintains a big presence in the community with cultural celebrations, supporting socials issues and women's issues and to spread the value and importance of education for girls.

The school currently does not have an indoor facility larger than a classroom to host events, sports, theatre presentations or otherwise. The goal is to fundraise to build a dry multipurpose room for such activities .

Chicuchas Wasi, Peru

FUNDRAISING:

Each participant is tasked with raising a minimum of AED5,000 (USD1,360) to support this project and, together, change the lives of these children and families.

This challenge is held in association with local not-for-profit Gulf for Good, whose purpose is to change the lives of underprivileged children around the world.

The breakdown of how donations are distributed are as follows:

- 75% of funds raised go to the Chicuchas Wasi, Peru

- 15% of funds raised go to Gulf for Good (not-for-profit in the UAE and registered UK charity) for their sustainability

- 10% of funds raised go to International Humanitarian City for their emergency response work

To learn more about Gulf for Good and what we do: Gulf for Good

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