Ian Pond
Ian's Hell and High Water page
Fundraising for The Body Shop Foundation
Story
Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and a special thank you to all those who have supported me with donations, but don't stop at 100%!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
From September 22nd through September 25th an intrepid group will cover 50km of hiking through the Zambian bush and 50km of rafting down the Zambezi from Victoria Falls and yours truly will be amongst them!
Why is this group facing the challenges of Class V rated rapids with dense populations of crocodiles and hippos in between and an inhospitable bush that contains more critters and nasty plants than you can shake a stick at? Not for fun, that's for sure! But four very worthwhile organizations need our help and your money!
Read below my diary for details of the groups we will support.
September 1st
Knocked off kilter for the weekend with side effects from the vaccines but it's given me the opportunity to assess my clothes and supplies for the trip - objective, one carry on for nine days!
August 29th
Big Day! Visa returned to me and Yellow Fever and Typhoid jabs done - all ready to go. Didn't have time left to complete the rabies course (thanks to health insurance snafus) so I'll be steering clear of the local wildlife! Now I move on to confirming my clothing/supplies are complete and practicing packing them. Shoulders are aching a bit from the jabs so a good weekend to walk.
August 24th
11.5 miles with a 30lb rucksack, exhausting! Lessons learned - don't walk 11.5 miles continuously; don't carry a 30lb rucksack; check the fitting of your shoes before you set off!
August 21st
A regime of Pilates, Yoga, gym, lake paddling ensures you sleep well! Visa application to the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia and should deliver to them tomorrow.
Last formal step is to complete the immunisations - Typhoid, Rabies and Yellow Fever. I'd rather take a hike!
August 18th
Did my first ten mile walk yesterday in 90F and high humidity, 2 hours 31 mins for 10.3 miles. The legs are feeling it a bit today but overall, not too bad. Hopefully from here on in I'll do at least one double-digit walk weekly.
August 11th
Training is going well even though I've just started a new job that takes me away from home for two nights a week. The good news is we have a gym in the office at work so I have zero excuse for not making use of it.
Next job on the list is a visa from the Zambian Embassy in Washington and my remaining inoculations (including Yellow fever and rabies) - yuk!
July 7th
Just back from Week of Rivers with Carolina Canoe Club - four days of extensive paddling and hiking. Regular 7-8 mile hikes and paddles locally and the regular schedule of Pilates, gym and yoga.
Many thanks to all those who have donated to date. This week I'm researching and booking the air travel routes/fares!
May 6th
Training has stepped up with a return to two Pilates and one gym session per week with weekend work thrown in. A 4.75 mile hike through Eno State park gave me a baseline time of 58 minutes which I'll be looking to beat.
Fundraising emails will be issued this week and I'll schedule my next set of inoculations - already done Hep A and B and Tetanus. Typhoid, Rabies and Yellow Fever next with Malaria medication during the trip.
April 25th
Figured out how to send email messages although I haven't figured out yet how to change the verbiage so apologies if it seems a little stilted!
I'll be working on my page over the weekend inbetween bouts of training - time to turn it up a notch from hitting the gym once a week and Pilates once/twice. I'll let you know how big the notch is!
April 24th 2014
OK guys, time to get this show on the road!
WHO ARE THE GROUPS
1. Play pumps www.playpumps.co.za
This incredible invention doesn’t just change their playtime, it changes their lives. As the merry-go-round spins, it pumps clean water up from deep underground and stores it in a huge tank. Rather than walking miles for water, children are able to get an education, have fun and still obtain water. An amazing invention which makes children smile and laugh and also save their lives.
2. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust embraces all measures that compliment the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife. These include anti-poaching, safe guarding the natural environment, whilst enhancing community awareness. They also rescue & hand rear elephant and rhino orphans, amongst other species, that can ultimately go on to enjoy a life in the wild
3. Street Child Africa www.streetchildafrica.org.uk
Street Child Africa supports street children by funding prevention work, outreach programs, education and family reintegration services. When a child is forced onto the streets in Africa, the situation can be hopeless, these children will often go without any form of formal education, and have no proper access to healthcare. Many children have lost parents to HIV/AIDS, have lived in ‘broken homes,’ been exposed to alcoholism, sexual abuse and domestic violence, have dropped out of school and worked in hazardous jobs. Street Child Africa allow children to be children educating them to allow them to live a life they deserve.
4. The Body Shop Foundation www.thebodshopfoundation.org
The Body Shop Foundation is a charitable organisation who’s vision is to give a global helping hand to small charities and projects all over the world, using the expertise and local knowledge of staff, franchisees and consultants of The Body Shop International.
As you can see, the difference and human impact we can make through these four organizations is huge. So please, dip your hands in your wallets and donate to this worthy cause.
For my bit, I commit to being in the best physical condition possible so that I can run and swim faster than those around me if danger arises! Seriously, I am working with a personal trainer weekly and separately have a Pilates instructor helping me improve core strength. At the moment I am overcoming a back injury but am still able to train to 80% - I will post updates as training continues.
Many thanks for your anticipated support. Let's make a difference!