Just over 10 years ago, two UAE-based pals, Brian Wilke and Paul Oliver, were on a cycle tour of Cuba to raise funds for the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity in the UK. Shocked by the poverty in the Latin American isle, they had a revelation – why were they working to raise money for a rich nation such as Britain when there was so much deprivation elsewhere?
On returning to the UAE, a friend of theirs told them he raised funds for ambulances in Africa, so they decided to climb Kilimanjaro to help the efforts. Realising there was little scope in the UAE for expats and locals to undertake voluntary work, they founded Gulf 4 Good (G4G).
The premise of the charity is simple; people sign up for one of the overseas challenges, which in the past have included trekking through Ethiopia, ascending to Everest Base Camp and Machu Picchu in Peru or, closer to home, cycling through the seven Emirates of the UAE. The participants have to raise a set amount, and then Gulf 4 Good provides physical training before the trip and transport to the country, as well as guides, accommodation and food while there. All the money raised goes towards children’s projects in the country of the challenge, and volunteers get a chance to visit the projects they are funding.
Over the past decade, G4G has organised 33 trips overseas, had more than 750 participants from 40 different nationalities, helped charities in 23 different countries and raised US$1.7 million for them. An outstanding amount, but organiser Patricia Anderson says there have been some serious hurdles to overcome, none more so than tailoring challenges to the UAE’s melting pot of cultures.
She says: ‘It’s a challenge, but it’s also a great advantage. For example, I went to Ethiopia last year, and in a group of 20 people, we had nine different nationalities. So we always have a mix of high altitude and low altitude, cycling, walking, kayaking and the like. You’re with these people for days on end, but it does mean that when you’re on these trips you get to have some amazing conversations.’
But surely, hauling your average overfed slob off to some of the most destitute regions in the world must be fraught with danger? ‘Actually, we’ve only had one serious injury in all the time we’ve been running the challenges,’ says Patricia. ‘That happened on one of our trips when someone tried to rescue a donkey that had fallen into a ditch and they had their thumb bitten off. But that was here in the UAE, actually.
Obviously, you have people who have tumbles, or sprain an ankle. Altitude sickness is relatively common, but there’s nothing you can do to predict this because some people are just really susceptible to it. Explorer Adrian Hayes for instance did Kilimanjaro with us last year, and he’s probably the fittest guy I know but just couldn’t manage it because of altitude sickness. He’s climbed Mount Everest before, but the difference is you climb Everest ultra-slowly, whereas with Kilimanjaro you only have six days. ’
Although G4G’s headquarters are still in Dubai, over the past few years it’s been extending its reach into Abu Dhabi, with more and more participants coming from the capital. Patricia says, ‘It’s hard work, but we have a great organiser in the city – Richard Lawson – and he’s gathered a good group of volunteers together who are spreading the word. We run regular informal networking events in the city, where new people can come along and ease their fears about taking part in the challenges. We’re also running regular training sessions in Abu Dhabi.’
And what’s next for G4G? Patricia says there are some far-reaching plans. ‘First of all, we have nine challenges in the pipeline for the next 18 months, with a really exciting trip to Borneo in June,’ she says. Eventually, we’d love to be the World 4 Good charity, but we’re happy to be Gulf 4 Good at the moment. Up to now, we’ve been very UAE based, but we have volunteers in Kuwait and Bahrain, so we’re trying to push our Gulf-wide following. One of our reasons for being was to unite people from around the Gulf in a good cause, so that’s the future for us.’
For more information, visit www.gulf4good.org.
