The 'Rongol Malliers', including Thomas, Caleb and David are fundraising on behalf of United World Schools as part of the 2017 Mongol Rally.

The challenge.....drive a £500 car with 100,000 miles (160,000 km) on the clock for an additional 10,000 miles (16,000 km). I hear you say, 'how difficult could it be to drive to Paris 17 times return in a terrible car'......well, let me explain.

The drive departs from London (UK), ending in the capital city of Mongolia, 'Ulaanbaatar', taking us through a handsome array of countries including Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and of course Mongolia itself.

Now comes the obvious, WHY!?!? Well, apart from the opportunity to raise a bucket load of money for one of our favourite charities, we'll have an unnerving, unforgettable and chassis shattering experience whilst barreling (or perhaps limping) through some of the most beautiful scenery, spectacular countries and savoring experiences of a lifetime. We are of course painfully aware that, alongside the more positive elements of the trip, we can look forward to getting frequently and terribly lost, becoming F1 grade tyre changers, and cursing our shameful Cyrillic skills as we stare perplexed at the 243rd Kyrgstani road sign.  

Enough about us, the charity we are raising money for is 'United World Schools' (UWS) who we hope to raise over $5,000 for. UWS build schools and supports communities by providing free primary education for children living in the world’s poorest regions. Working in the poorest parts of the world means they can keep their costs low and make an impressive impact.  

Now for the numbers...for those constantly looking to maximise their return on investment, UWS offer an extremely efficient high value service. They estimate that for every $200 donated, $33,000 of incremental income is generated over that student’s lifetime – in other words, your donation offers a social return on investment of 16,500%. Beat that!

Of course you can give any amount you like, from £1 to £100,000 but this should give you an idea of how far your contribution can go:

• $120 (£80) stocks a classroom library with reading books in Cambodia
• $450 (£300) secures annual training for teachers and support staff
• $600 (£400) builds a tube well providing clean drinking water to the school and village
• $1000 (£650) pays the salary of a locally sourced and employed teacher for a year
• ...and for those with deep pockets, each UWS school costs $30,000 to build and $10,000 to run

If you're intrigued, or just afraid for our safety and sanity, then feel free to follow us on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/RongolMalliers) where we'll do our best to update you on our preparations and throughout the journey (although we doubt we'll have data on parts of the Tajikistani Pamir highway)

Thanks for taking the time check out our 'Rongol Malliers' fundraising page and making a donation. We look forward to having you join us virtually on the adventure while doing a small bit of good in the process.

Wish us well, we need it!