mytropicalescape.com

Those of you who have been hanging around MyTropicalEscape for a while now know that I have had a project on the back burner for quite a few months.

Today, I am really happy to announce that after a tremendous amount of hard work, Leo Babauta, Dan Clements, Andrew Flusche, and I (with design assistance from Joshua Clanton and Sean Hodge) are launching the online non-profit humanitarian organization:

TrainforHumanity.org - getting fit + social media + blogging = social good

Background Story – Train for Humanity

While I was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the jungles of Papua New Guinea ten years ago I was present the evening that the young woman below died from the effects of cerebral malaria simply because the proper medication was not available in our village. Following that incident, I didn’t know how I was going to do it or what I would create, but I new someday I would start a humanitarian organization.

Of course, life moved on, I went and got a master’s degree in International Development, continued to travel and live in various countries, and worked my way through numerous jobs. But, the idea to create “something” that could assist those who are facing humanitarian crises was always in the back of my mind.

Idea Germination – Train for Humanity

About two years ago I was heading out the door to go running when a news clip on CNN wound up stopping me in my tracks for a minute. The story was about the horrific activities that were (and still are) taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan.

When the piece was over, I continued on my way and headed out the door for my run. However, during the workout the images of what was happening in Darfur stayed with me.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere as I was listening to Lucky Dube on my IPOD, I began to think of the successful campaigns that the Team in Training (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) and Joints in Motion (Arthritis Foundation) have waged to raise funds and awareness for their respective health-based organizations by utilizing everyday athletes and their training efforts.

Then it HIT me - Why hasn’t anybody implemented a similar model of using endurance athletes in training (getting fit) to assist with humanitarian fundraising and awareness?

And thus, the intial idea for Train for Humanity was born.

(first “idea” stick diagram for what would become TFH)

Around the same time, I was in the process of researching online marketing strategies, web development, and blogging because I was about to purchase a business in the Caribbean that had essentially been closed for two years. In fact, in the eyes of GOOGLE and the internet the business did not exist at all, which was not good if I was going to make my mortgage payments every month.

The research that I undertook taught me a lot and it also introduced me to the ideas and concepts that were being presented by some amazing people like Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Jeff Pulver, Steve Rubel, Matt Cutts, Brian Clark, Darren Rowse, Maki, Chris Garrett, and Skellie.

Final Idea Conceptualization - Train for Humanity

What I really learned and gained from the folks listed above was the fact that you don’t need tons of money or have to have a million dollar budget to promote yourself, your business, or your humanitarian community online through blogging and social media.

You just need to be giving of yourself and have some initiative, creativity, and persistence!

Therefore, the Train for Humanity concept came full circle and it was finalized. The organization would combine the efforts of “everyday athletes,” who are training for various endurance events, with blogging and social media to help empower people for social good while at the same time creating a humanitarian movement

Humanitarian Crisis

At present, the situation in Darfur is dire. Over the past five years, more than 200,000 men, women, and children have died due to violence, malnutrition, and disease associated with genocide and an additional 2.2 million people have been displaced.

The Train for Humanity pilot project, blogger-athletes, Mark Hayward, Leo Babauta, and Dan Clements, are seeking to raise awareness and $50,000 for those who are being affected by the crisis in Darfur. Funds raised will be given to the Darfur Peace and Development Organization.

Five things you can do to help Train for Humanity:

1. Draft a post announcing the launch - we have composed a brief sample post that you are welcome to use for information, or you can even just copy, paste, and publish it.
2. Help us in our “TFH Launches 1000 ReTweet Campaign” the following is a “Tweet” that you can copy and paste (feel free to modify): bloggers join forces and launch trainforhumanity.org an online humanitarian nonprofit to support genocide victims (pls retweet!).
3. Place a Train for Humanity badge on your site (you might need to scroll down).
4. Forward our press release to any news media contacts that you might have.
5. Of course, you could sponsor one of our athletes.

Thank *you* for taking the time to stop by and read this post today.

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