Words by Smiley Team
Stuck indoors, there’s little excuse not to leap at the opportunity of diversion. International development charity Tearfund is offering just this with 21 for 21, a new fundraising exercise challenge. Over 21 days participants will complete 21 different exercise routines in order to raise money for people facing hunger across the world.
Promising to keep you fit and keep you connected with the world around you, the challenge will link those who can help, to people suffering from poverty and hunger. Such people include Tearfund beneficiary Jessy from Malawi, a grandmother whose family regularly struggles to find enough food to eat.
Wellbeing brand founder and Tearfund ambassador Liz Earle MBE said: “Doing this challenge is a great way to remind me that I’m essentially still connected to Jessy and others who live far away, despite lockdowns. Their struggles are different from my struggles but 21 for 21 gives me a way to show I care, as well as benefiting my own physical health.”
Tearfund is a Christian charity mobilising communities and churches worldwide to help end extreme poverty and injustice. Its local partners assist communities like Jessy’s to farm in ways that are more resilient to the fluctuating climate. They train farmers to produce and use organic fertilisers, to plant crops that can withstand difficult weather conditions and to create natural flood defences.
Their global fundraising director Jane Pleace said: ‘Funds raised by the challenge will help Tearfund’s work to make sure families like Jessy’s can provide for themselves, even in challenging circumstances. But, we also really want our supporters to enjoy themselves and feel a sense of achievement through staying fit.”
To participate in the challenge, sign up via their website. Daily video tutorials will guide you through the challenge with the option to select a resilience level of beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Participants are asked to create a JustGiving page and share what they’re doing via social media with the hashtag #21for21. Every £21 donated could train 16 families in farming skills that will help free them from poverty and hunger.
People with health conditions are discouraged from participating and all exercises can be completed at home to avoid spreading Covid-19.
