Hadrian- 12th June

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Tuesday 12th June



It's finally happening. 11 months of planning, deliberation and gaining of logistical support is finally escalating to a wonderful climax. That climax is the reality of the South Africa Challenge; being in South Africa, helping others, learning about ourselves and learning about the world.



I couldn't help but feel bubbly and excited from the moment I set foot in the Heathrow terminal 4 building this morning, only to be met by the enthusiastic team that I have come to know during the learning process of developing this project. As I write this, I am at 35,000 feet in the air and am current passing over the sahra desert. The immeasurable and vast and rolling sand dunes are almost hypnotic in effect. They have given me time to think amidst the flurry of excitement in travelling to South Africa to put our ideas into practice.



Yes, it is happening, but I will never forget how the team and I got to this stage. Like the deserts below me, I felt lost at the beginning of my journey to pioneer an international charitable project, with the added inclusion of our teams own leadership challenge. Making an idea a reality is a difficult thing if only thoughts are one's aim in the beginning. I made sure exactly a year ago that that wouldn't be the case.



The one thing that was quickly established between everyone in the team is that we were not going to fly high until we get off the ground. A step by step approach was taken. We had to think about the HOW at every single point. A step forward every week and be adaptable to overcome the barriers before us. Even with this approach however, we were still having to build the plane itself by drafting reports, mission statements, funding breakdowns and presentations to would be sponsors and partners for the trip.



Obtaining funding for a project of this kind was hard. It felt at times as if we were canoeing uphill. The response was taking a step back and then coming back with a bigger paddle; a different course of action to get us there. In a country that has slipped back into recession and the charitable sector, that is supposed to pick up the slack of government, also feeling the pinch, people genuinely able to assist a project who's focus was in another country were few and far between. Indeed, there is a struggle to fund UK based charitable work and I don't think that should be overlooked.



On the brink of securing sponsorship that would have covered the remaining cost of our return flights to Durban in March, the proposal fell through. The would be sponsor was South African based and they admitted that even they were being streched to their limits in this harsh global economic climate. The silver lining was that they still remain behind the idea of the South Africa Challenge and that we should approach them again next year, once they are in a better position. For the continuity of this project, that will only ever be a good thing.



But what to do in the meantime? How do to get the engine, those additonal funds, to get our plane off the ground? Our teams individual fundraising efforts were going well but there were things we needed assistance in funding, due to the fact we had to divert our financial resources into funding the rest of our flights and a few of our more costly activities in South Africa. It took grit, sponsorship forms and asking everyone within our circles to act in the spirit of charity and assist us fund the project.



There were sleepless nights. There were many phonecalls and emails exchanged. There were many moments where the words "give up" came to the fore but were swiftly dispached with another two; "we can". Brunel University and in particular Andrew Ward, head of corporate relations, donated a small package that would allow us to fund some of the miscelleanous areas of the South Africa Challenge and produce themed garments for the trip, which we will be wearing with excitement and humility towards the partners who gave us that final push off the runway.



WAYN.com have been there from the beginning and even up here in the clouds I get butterflies at my recollection of that first presentation we made to Steve Wakeling at WAYN's offices. They'll be broadcasting these posts through their networks so that others may see what we are trying to start for future groups to benefit from. They've also steered our ideas in the right direction when we needed that bit of expert knowhow or that otherwise hard to reach contact. To them I can only ever say thank you.



Adams and Moore Chartered Accountants went as far as catering for the additional financial needs of some of the team. One thing I wanted from the beginning is to provide people with equal access to this project. I wanted people who wanted to be on board because they believed in the cause to be on board, regardless of their financial capabilities. To the firm who believe in always supporting the underdog, thank you for helping us when our odds were stacked against us.



So our plane is now off the ground and hopefully our maiden flight into working with young people and developing communities in South Africa will be a successful one. The challenge of getting there is over, but it will never be forgotten. We have learnt so much on the road to Africa but we are on the brink of learning so much more in all that we do with World Changers Academy and our partners in South Africa. We will all learn together. Let the South Africa Challenge begin!

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[WorldChangers]

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