Having taken on various endurance endeavours over the last 6 years, the next challenge promises to be the most difficult and dangerous yet. This August, I will be competing in the Mongol Derby, the longest and toughest horse race in the world, and in doing so, I will be aiming to raise at least £5,000 for the TRIBE Freedom Foundation, which is fighting to end modern slavery and human trafficking. Having been inspired by the Foundation’s previous ‘Run For Love’ adventures across the world, this is my chance to do a 1-man ‘Ride For Love’ in the name of a great cause.

The Challenge:

In the course of 7 days, I will be riding across 1,000km of Mongolian mountains, grasslands, valleys, and floodplains, following the old messenger route established by Genghis Khan. Having ridden all my life and having completed various endurance events in the past, this felt like the perfect adventure when I signed up, but now that I have been accepted at the last minute off the waiting list, the fear has begun to set in.

First of all, I will have to cope with 25-27 wild Mongolian horses, some of whom will be far from enthused at the prospect of me getting on and racing it the 35km to the next checkpoint. In the past, participants have suffered life-changing injuries, so I will need a heavy dose of luck and courage to survive unscathed. Second, I will be competing against 40 other riders, some of whom have had 2 years to prepare for the race compared to my 4 months. Although I will be spending as much of the next few months in the saddle as possible, I doubt this will be sufficient to escape the inevitable chafing and saddle-sores, so I am not expecting to be able to sit down for the remainder of 2022. Third, those of you who have ever been in a car with me will know that my navigation skills leave plenty to be desired, so the chances of me getting lost and ending up closer to the Chinese border than the finish line are high. Here’s hoping my GPS doesn’t run out of battery or fall off in a river.

In short, this will be a challenge unlike anything I’ve ever undertaken before, and it will require depths of physical and mental resilience that I am not currently sure I possess. As well as financial donations, any moral support before August will be gratefully received!

The Charity:

All of the challenges above will be more than worthwhile if I can hit my £5,000 target and raise some hugely valuable funds for the TRIBE Freedom Foundation. The Foundation have so far fought: i) to increase awareness about the horrific prevalence of modern slavery, with an estimated 40.3 million victims of modern slavery across the world and 136,000 victims in the UK alone; ii) to provide holistic and long-term support for survivors of modern slavery across the UK and beyond, including safe-houses and specialist care; iii) to prevent modern slavery by developing tools to understand, identify, and report modern slavery. Since the community began, they have made a life-changing impact for over 10,000 victims and potential victims of modern slavery.

Distressingly, the problem of modern slavery is more urgent than ever. Among the many atrocities currently occurring in Ukraine, I have been particularly horrified by reports of sex traffickers preying on refugees fleeing the conflict. Closer to home, the number of child victims of exploitation in the UK increased by 45% between 2018 and 2019, and is predicted to have worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst I believe that these predators represent the worst of humanity, the efforts of the TRIBE Freedom Foundation and its partners represent the best, and it is through this hopeful community that the fight to end modern slavery can prevail.

Lucia, one of the survivors supported by a partner project, has said “It is as if I have been reborn after many years of not knowing what it was to have the will to live or smile”. With your donations, future survivors can be supported and empowered in a similar way.

Thank you in advance for your donations,

Tom x

 http://tribefreedomfoundation.com/our-impact/