Dear friends,

I am taking on The Paul Lowe Challenge to fundraise for The VII Foundation — a cause I care about deeply and have been committed to for many years.

This work feels more urgent than ever, given the state of the world and the growing pressures, threats, and shrinking protections that independent journalists face globally.

As part of the challenge, I will be cycling for six days and 500 km across Bosnia, a place of great significance for The VII Foundation.

Bosnia was not only a frontline of the brutal Yugoslav Wars, but also a place where journalists came together to bear witness and expose the truth at great personal risk. VII has opened a regional office here to give back to a region that has been essential to its establishment and mission. Bosnia remains a symbol and a reminder of why independent journalism matters.

I will be joining athletes and supporters around the world to raise funds for: scholarships for journalists from overlooked, under-resourced, and conflict-affected regions worldwide; and initiatives supporting visual journalists living with trauma and PTSD.

Your donation helps provide support of independent journalism at a time when it is most needed.

Together, we can support the voices that bring truth to light and tell the world’s most vital stories.

A special thanks to VII photographer Ziyah Gafic for the beautiful picture of a Bosnian landscape he kindly let me use for my cover page.

Thank you so much for joining me in this endeavor.

Simba