SBN Chairman's Challenge

Check out the campaign website www.sbnchairmanschallenge.com/

During my career, I have been very fortunate to spend time in India one of the most amazing countries in the world, but one today being ravaged by COVID-19.

Memories of India flooded back to me during lockdown when I was contacted by the amazing Aarti Naik a true "ChangeMaker". Aarti created, in 20008, and runs the organisation SAKHI for Girl's Education with the goal of creating learning spaces for young girls living in Mumbai slums.

Do Like, Share and donate for Sakhi. A beautiful word, which means a friend. The name by which Lord Krishna used to call Draupadi, one of the most important woman characters from the epic Mahabharath. Himanshu Verma

Aarti is a true inspiration to me and someone who has taken on a challenge of such enormity it is difficult to imagine.

This short minutes video introduces Aarti.

Aarti's goal, of course, must seem even harder to achieve as we now face the scourge of COVID-19.

But undaunted, and as a true entrepreneurial leader, Aarti has looked as to how she can increase the help she provides at this critical time. Her solution to this question is "The Girls Audio Storytelling Project" where stories for children are recorded and shared with those young girls living in isolation.

When Aarti shared her plans with me I felt motivated to help and the inaugural SBN Chairman's Challenge was born.

My goal is to raise the ￡7,000 Aarti requires to deliver her dream. But rather than simply asking you to donate to this challenge I felt I should let you see me sweat for every penny. Hence I intend to run 109KMs on a route around the four Borders Abbeys over the 25th and 26th of July. I should point out I have as yet never completed a marathon distance hence an ultra-endurance run represents a real challenge. Training during lockdown has gone well and you can track my progress on Strava.

So here's the ASK and yes I appreciate this is being made at a difficult time for us in the West, so only donate if you can afford it. Will you please donate to my campaign so that we can ease to some small extent the suffering of isolation and poverty through storytelling.

Click this link and it will take you straight to the GoFundMe donation page https://www.gofundme.com/f/chairman039s-challenge.

If you are able to share this campaign with your network, colleagues and friends this would be incredibly useful to me and if you would like to get involved as a sponsor, partner or supporter then please get in touch with me at [email protected] or tel. +447920008187.

Thank you

Please note this challenge will be executed in full compliance with legislation and advice at the time in respect to social distancing and control of the spread of COVID-19.