Hi everyone, my name is Erin and in June I will be travelling to Morocco in the Northwest of Africa to take on the challenge of trekking the High Atlas Mountains. The six day trek will reach an altitude of 4,167m above sea level, at the peak of Mount Toubaki, pushing me both physically and mentally. I am someone who enjoys travelling, experiencing different cultures, and pushing myself beyond what I think I’m capable of, and this challenge will hopefully encompass all of that, whilst raising money for an incredible cause.

My goal is to raise £1940 for Amnesty International UK. For those who might not know, I’d like to explore who Amnesty International are, and why I have chosen to support the work they do. Amnesty International is a global human rights organisation that have been working to ‘protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied’ for over 50 years. Now more than ever due to the current geopolitical climate, the work they do is invaluable. Amnesty International are primarily driven by the fight for human rights: the fundamental rights and freedom that belong to everyone. They conduct important independent research to educate the public and lobby governments into taking meaningful action on geopolitical issues that affect the human rights of global citizens.

I’d like to take a moment to share some details of the incredible work Amnesty is doing right now, particularly the initiatives I feel most passionate about and that inspired me to take on this challenge and fundraise for the charity.

Amnesty has conducted important research and found sufficient basis to conclude that Israeli authorities have, and are continuing to, commit a genocide of Palestinians under the Genocide Convention. Agnes Callamard, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, urgently called for the international community to wake-up ‘this is a genocide. It must stop now.’ They have since been lobbying the UK government to take urgent and meaningful steps to pressure Israel into ending its genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza, and immediately suspend arms transfers to Israel.

Amnesty has also undertaken research into how the climate crisis is affecting human rights, and drawing attention to how this is disproportionately affecting people already marginalised by poverty and discrimination. According to Amnesty’s research, 62% of the people in South Asia will face increased risk of death and poor health as the climate crisis has affected their right to water, sanitation and health with the increase in global temperature. Amnesty is calling for governments to reduce greenhouse gases emissions to zero by 2050 at the latest, and importantly have recognised that the burden of climate change needs to be fairly shared with wealthier countries supporting others.

Additionally, Amnesty is calling for the end of the prosecution of peaceful protestors in the UK. Police have already arrested over 2,100 peaceful protesters and this is a ‘violation of the UK’s international obligations’. I believe protest is a powerful mechanism for social change and in many instances, it has changed the world for the better, illuminating voices that have been underrepresented by the government. Black Lives Matter, the Suffragettes, the Civil Rights Movement, Pride, Fridays for Future, to name but a few, have been powerful movements that have been a force for change and protected human rights.

These examples are only a small part of what Amnesty does, and if anyone would like to look into their work in more detail, please visit the following website https://www.amnesty.org.uk

(All quotes have been taken from Amnesty International UK’s website)

Every donation, big or small, will help me reach my target and support Amnesty International UK's important work.

Thank you so much for your support!