One Small Step to Change the World

When I first saw a photo of an Orangutan I was touched by the humanity, in fact, the name "Orangutan" is derived from Malay and Indonesian and translates to "person of the forest".

I become aware of their plight, directly at our hands, either through destruction of their natural habitat for the cultivation of palm oil (or the next most lucrative crop) or from poachers killing adults and selling the orphans as village pets; I knew this was a cause I had to support.

I initially began donating to an Australia charity, The Orangutan Project, and eventually received an invitation to visit the conservation areas and see the incredible work the teams were doing to rehabilitate adults and educate the young.

It was on this trip, I met Leif Cocks, the CEO of The Orangutan Project, and after a day of observing the orphans learning to be Orangutan at “Jungle School”, I asked Leif, “how do we actually solve this problem?”  

Leif replied, “It’s a $20M problem. It’s not about boycotting palm oil, it’s about securing enough land to ensure a large and diverse enough population of orangutan for the species to survive. “

"It’s a $20M problem."

Whilst $20M is a large amount of money, it didn’t feel out of reach. Considering over $1B was donated to restore Notre-Dame finding $20M to guarantee the survival of a critically endangered, intelligent, vulnerable and noble species seemed within the realm of possibility. 

Next week, in partnership with Leif Cocks and The Orangutan Project, we take a small step towards solving this problem. A group of #trailblazers from Salesforce will embark on an adventure of a lifetime, deep into the Sebangau Forest in Kalimantan, Indonesia. 

We’ll observe the magnificence of wild & reintroduced Orangutans, contribute to the work at the research station and raise funds to support the vision of solving Orangutan extinction for good.

We would love your help! If this cause resonates with you please make a donation to support The Orangutan Project via this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/salesforceteam

If you would like to join the next #Trailblazer Tour with The Orangutan Project or to arrange one for your company; drop a comment here or email [email protected].