Philanthrobuzz

By Sarah Keyston

When someone mentions the seven wonders of the world, I usually think along the lines of “Yeah, it’d be nice to see those some day”—you know, in a distant life-goal sort of way. But for Chi-chi Ekweozor, seeing the seven modern wonders is a goal to be accomplished in a week. Yes, you read that correctly. Chi-chi plans to see 7 wonders in 7 days, raising 777,000 pounds (she’s from Manchester, UK) for 7 charities.

In order to fully grasp the extent of her travels, take a second to imagine a globe. Imagine you are in the United Kingdom to begin your (mental) journey. You fly to Rome via Brussels to see the Colosseum. Before you know it, you’re back on a plane, traveling to Amman, Jordan via Beirut to see Petra. Next you travel to the Taj Mahal in India, where you make a brief stop before flying on to Beijing, where you dart up to the Great Wall for a visit (Keep in mind that it has only been 4 days… are you tired yet?).

Continuing on, you fly to Lima, Peru via Toronto to see Machu Picchu at Cuzco. Next it’s on to Brazil to see Christ the Redeemer (Is your head spinning? Mine is!) before a jaunt up to Mexico to see Chichén Itzá. Finally, it’s back to the UK via Chicago for a grand total of 7 wonders in 7 days.

I’m exhausted just thinking about that jet lag! Chi-chi admits, “I know it’s a massive physical challenge to see all seven wonders in seven days: I will be crossing multiple time zones in that time but I’m willing to do it if it raises money and awareness for the seven charities I’ve chosen.” There is nothing like hearing about an individual’s personal sacrifice on the behalf of others to inspire me to give!

You may be wondering just what motivated Chi-chi to venture on this trip. She was brought to tears while watching a British TV show, saying, “I saw an elderly man caring for his elderly wife who suffers from Alzheimer’s and the memories of what my Gran went through before she died came flooding back.” One of the seven charities that her trip is benefitting is a foundation started by her parents in honor of her grandmother—the Jessie Ekweozor Memorial Foundation will provide educational aid in Nigeria. The other charities are the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, Diabetes UK, British Red Cross, Open Doors, Young Minds, and Feed the Minds.

Chi-chi officially launches her campaign with a Charity Auction in the UK today, though most of her efforts are being made virtually. An Internet TV and social media consultant in the UK, Chi-chi is raising awareness for her cause largely through social media like Twitter (follow her: @7wondersin7days), Facebook, and her blog.