Climbing the Himalayas to Save The Children!

My friend Christine at work had the great opportunity to participate in the Global Challenge that took place in June of this year. She shared with me her experience of the trip.

Can you explain what The Global Challenge is about?

C: The Global Challenge is a company event with the objective of raising money for Save The Children. Save The Children is the charity that RB supports throughout the year – this is a bi annual event that gives a group of colleagues the opportunity to witness the positive impact our work with the charity has on the children. After a 5 day trek in the Himalayas in India, we visited 3 of the schools that will receive a portion of our fund raising.

Why did you decide to participate in The Global Challenge?
C: My reason for participating was twofold. First and foremost, I wanted to be very involved in supporting Save The Children. I find their work to be admirable and inspiring – they help millions of under privileged children and their work has such a strong impact all across the world. When RB offered the opportunity to be involved by fund raising, trekking and interacting with the children, I knew it was a perfect event for me.
Second, I love every aspect of the trip! Aside from the charity work, I love travel, trekking, camping, exploring. I very was passionate about fund raising before leaving and being a member of the group once I was there. It was the opportunity of a lifetime!

What was your experience there?
C: My experience was incredible! It was one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life. The highlight of the trip for me was spending time with the children in the Tulka School in Ladakh. They had prepared for our arrival and treated us to traditional songs, costumes and dancing. I was so excited to spend time with them – these children are so happy and thankful, it was very eye opening. It was incredible to be a part of their lives for a couple of days and do my little part in helping make their lives better.

Can you describe your best memory of the trip?
C: My best memory of the Global Challenge was sharing the experience with people who were just as passionate as I was. Before we even left, the group from RB was so enthusiastic about fund raising (we raised almost 250K GBP!). Once we arrived, each person that I met really had their heart into the experience – pushing themselves on the trek, taking themselves out of their comfort zone, being so excited to spend time with the children and help their schools in any way that we could. The energy was amazing throughout the entire trip. I was happy to spend the time getting to know my colleagues but, more importantly, partaking in an experience that meant so much to each and every one of us. I know that our excitement and desire to help had a positive impact on the children of Ladakh – and I have no doubt that every Global Challenge participant will continue to do their part in supporting Save The Children.

Was the trip the way you had imagined it would be?
C: I was imaging a wonderful trip that would stay with me forever – it was even better than that. The Global Challenge was beyond my expectations.

Would you recommend people to take part in The Global Challenge? What would they need to know before committing?
C: I would absolutely recommend that people partake in the Global Challenge. It was an amazing experience that taught me a lot – about the Indian culture, about Save The Children, about the smiling little children whose lives are improved by the RB’s charitable work.
There are two things that I would want a future participant to know. First, you need to be physically prepared for the trek. The altitude makes it very challenging so it helps to be in the best shape possible. Second, I would want them to remember to bring a camera – it is a beautiful country that you’ll want to remember forever! If you want to learn more about The Global Challenge, you can go to Reckitt Benckiser’s Global Challenge.