My story...

My name is Cyrus Sharma and I am a first year chemistry student at the University of Nottingham. After hearing about this challenge and the work of Amnesty International UK,  I have decided to raise funds for this fantastic charity with a goal of £1,490 by March 2023.

Who is the charity and why should you donate?

Amnesty International UK is an independent non-profit charity focusing on defending and upholding our human rights in the UK but also over the world. Regardless of race, gender and background, Amnesty International work towards equality, ensuring people receive rights and working tirelessly for those who do not. 

In the UK for example, the "Triple Lock" on pensions, which ensures that our pensioners have their payments increased in the events of tough economic periods, was threatened to be abolished by the government. Amnesty covered this through raising awareness and mobilising people to sign petitions. It has been said this was a big factor in the continuation of the triple lock and pensioners now receive over 10% extra funds -  in line with current cost of living inflation data.

Overseas, through first hand documentation of injustices, such as those occuring right now in Ukraine, Amnesty aims to educate people and bring awareness to situations the media will not cover. Through government lobbying Amnesty pressures the powerful into keeping promises and making them accountable. 

For example, the many 1000s of migrant workers in Qatar  who  have endured countless human rights abuses to build the infrastructure for the 2022 world cup. With 14 -18 hour work days 7 days a week, while living in squalid conditions and often not recieving their pay, the workers deserve compensation. 

Amnesty brings light to this situation and pressures FIFA and the Qatari government to compensate these workers fully for all the hardship they have endured to make this World Cup a reality. This, along the countless other humanitarian projects Amnesty are working on means with your donation, you are helping to uphold vital human values locally but also all over the globe.

What am I doing?

 The main challenge is a 6 day trek in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains, trekking around 7 hours per day with the aim of  reaching the summit of Mount Toukbal - the tallest peak in Northern Africa standing at 4167m above sea level. I will be dealing with extreme temperatures and tough terrain while ascending to the top so it will be a difficult trip. Also, through to March, I will be organizing fundraising events to help reach the donation goal, such as the Christmas Charity raffle event I set up + running 150km in January.

 With this challenge in mind, I hope to bring attention to Amnesty International and support the great work they do. With many current injustices occuring, there is a great need for more coverage on the truth of the injustices occuring across the world and pressurising those in power to change these situations.  Climate change issues, unjustly held prisoners and refugee crises threaten the human rights of many. I plan, with the help of you, to enable Amnesty to continue their work and make a difference to those who need it.

Thank you so much for reading my message. Even if you do not choose to donate, sharing this page will have a huge impact and will really help with my journey.

Many thanks,

Cyrus :)