Andrew Patterson is an avid hiker and entrepreneur, he has put together an innovative crowdfunding campaign in hopes to transform 1 million lives in 365 days by doing 365 climbs!
Andrew has pledged to hike up Table Mountain every day in 2018 to raise R1 million on the donation-based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy. The money raised will go to three charities close to Andrew’s heart.
“I aim to empower 1 million South Africans that through no fault of their own started on the back foot in life.” – says Andrew
His goal is to help people who have had no choice in life and have faced hardship from birth due to poverty, lack of education or health issues. His three charities not only help uplift, but they save lives daily. His charity choices are:
- Habitat for Humanity, to build homes for the disadvantage and fulfil their basic right to safety against the elements.
“Habitat for Humanity is an organization I got my previous company involved with after Nelson Mandela passed away, where we hoped to build two homes a month for the less fortunate.” – says Andrew
- One Heart For Kids, to teach children the value and importance of reading and writing to positively impact South Africa’s literacy rate.
“ I met, Lisa Thompson-Smeddle, the founder of One Heart For Kids, the day after I had my idea and she had so many ideas and was so supportive.” – Says Andrew.
- The Sunflower Fund, to create awareness around Leukaemia in South Africa, in hopes to increase their donor base.
“I’ve worked with the Sunflower Fund in the past, raising money during Argus season for the past 5 years.“
Andrew wants his 2018 to be bigger than himself and more about others. He was inspired by the idea at the end of 2017 while staring up at the mountain. He started training, hiking the mountain at least three times a week because the strain this task will have on his body will be immense. For his final training challenge, Andrew conquered 9 peaks in a row, completing a hike up Lions Head and Table Mountain on the same day.
Andrew started his 365 Ubuntu Climbs at 4:33 am on the 1st of January 2018. His mantra for 2018 is “It’s one step at a time”.
“Sometimes you might feel overwhelmed by an idea you have or a task you need to complete. These can all be broken down into bite-size chunks. 365 sounds a lot; focusing on the one I need to do today sounds much more manageable doesn’t it? Focusing on just the very next step means before you know it – you’ve completed a quarter of the climb; half the climb; the whole climb. Whatever you tackle in life.”
He has already completed 15 climbs and managed to raise over R33,000.00 towards the final goal of R1 Million.
“Some people were very supportive and understood right away what the scope and potential of the BackaBuddy campaign was; others needed more time to get there. The reality is when I had this idea; it didn’t matter what anyone told me. I knew that it was a powerful idea it was and nothing would stop me from doing it.”
You can donate to this incredible cause here.
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