I am soon doing a triathlon! This might be interesting as somewhat ironically, I have never been a huge fan of running, swimming or cycling. That said, I enjoy a challenge, and this certainly will be one.

Even better than a personal challenge, I'm excited to raise money for amazing charities doing great things in the world. I'm very privileged to live and work in a wealthy country, with access to lots of opportunities and a social safety net, but this is far from the norm globally. To put my money where my mouth is, I will personally donate £1 for every £1 donated by someone else, up to £500. Even better, my partner has pledged to match £500 herself so overall, all donations up to £1000 will be matched. Long story short, your donations will be doubled for the awesome charities below! Without further ado, here is some background on the two amazing charities I want to support:

1) The Humane League UK - The Humane League is one of the most effective charities to improve the lives of animals. They campaign against large food corporations to improve the cruel treatment of farmed animals, such as the billions of egg-laying hens that are confined in cages each year. These hens are put in cages so small they get no more than a sheet of A4 paper worth of space each. They spend their whole lives, around two years, in these conditions where they cannot even open their wings, before finally being killed. Globally, The Humane League already managed to secure over 3,000 commitments from food companies to free millions of hens from cages. Independent research suggests that these corporate campaigns affect roughly 42 chickens per $1 USD, so, if we raised £1000 for The Humane League UK, we might collectively improve the lives of over 52,000 chickens!

2) Hamlin Fistula UK - Hamlin Fistula UK raises funds to support work with women in Ethiopia who have been affected by obstetric fistulas. A not particularly well-known injury, an obstetric fistula is a hole between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum due to obstructed labour without adequate healthcare. Its health and social impacts are massive. It leaves survivors leaking urine or faeces – and sometimes both – through their vagina. Sufferers of obstetric fistula are often subject to severe social stigma due to their smell and perceptions of uncleanliness. Almost all sufferers of fistulas are in very low-income areas with poor healthcare, so they often receive little medical treatment to cure this. Even worse, 93% of children from fistula survivors are stillborn. But, there is good news: There is a straightforward and cost-effective surgery to fix this, which only costs (about) £750. So I'm hopeful we can fundraise enough money to *significantly* improve the quality of life for one woman, for the rest of her life.

I hope you'll join me in this mission to raise money for two important causes! Thank you for all your support :)