Alana Hurd wants to build a home for abandoned disabled children in Southern Africa. She was asked to help whilst volunteering in the area and so approached a couple of local charities in the area and they agreed to help by adopting the children and providing them a home on the proviso that Alana found money every year to pay for the children’s home, plus all their needs, education and rehabilitation costs – and guarantee that the money would be provided for their lifetimes. So… she challenged herself to raise £1million – enough to build the orphanage itself and then enough money to bank so the centre can run off the interest payments.
£1million is rather a large sum to raise, but she’s come up with an idea that might just mean she can do it. Basically, she is looking for one million people to donate £1 each. That’s it. Easy peasy, right?! Well it sounds it, but unless you know one million people you’d be a bit stuck. Even Alana doesn’t have that many friends, so she’s set up My Million to One (MMTO), a project to encourage people to donate their £1 towards the orphanage.
Everyone deserves to be happy. So, to help encourage you to donate your £1 to help these children in Africa have a home and some happiness of their own, MMTO will return the favour by offering inspiration, advice, events and offers to help you achieve happiness also. Whatever your hopes and dreams are, whether it be adventure, travel, music or love, MMTO strives to give you the things you need to make them happen. It’s a dream for a dream, if you like.
“Giving these kids a home for life means everything to me and I don’t see any better way to make their dream of a home come true than by making your dreams come true along the way. I think there’s something beautiful about a ‘dream swap’ where everyone wins and it’s a wholly positive experience for everyone involved. It also honours the kids too. They’re not victims… They’d like to know that they’ve helped you too and been empowered in that way.”
Alana Hurd, MMTO Founder
What I like about Alana and MMTO, and what made me decide to donate my £1 and become a member, was the combination of fundraising with a desire to encourage those who join in to make the most of their dreams.
So far, since I joined MMTO thanks to an invitation from Sophie Radcliffe (who’s blog is well worth a read), there have been a number of opportunities for me to join in with inspirational events and activities. I haven’t been able to physically attend any of them yet but I’ve been involved by asking my questions (such as to Leon Taylor, Olympic Diver) and having videos sent to me with the answers. There are a whole load of events on different topics coming up, and competitions to enter (free for members). There are also a wide range of offers for MMTO members on things that may well help you achieve your dreams. And apart from that, I’ve already learnt that Alana is one of the most encouraging people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting – she is so positive and obviously trying to do the best she can with her life.
This is not an ongoing campaign, it is a one off fundraising effort to provide a home and care for disabled children in South Africa. If you would like to help Alana reach her goal, and maybe even find something that helps you achieve yours, please visit the My Million to One blog or follow on twitter to find out more.