FOBISIA Race4Good School League 2020: Lockdown Students Are Changing The World John Gwyn Jones MBE, CEO, FOBISIA
Imagine having the power to change the lives of families living on the other side of the world without ever having to leave your home or classroom.
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ix months ago, the FOBISIA HQ team was introduced to Linda Cruse – frontline humanitarian, leadership expert, author, and all round powerhouse. Having read her bio, in which Sir Richard Branson described her as “being able to make the impossible, possible” – we were soon to discover for ourselves what that meant. Two decades ago, Linda Cruse suffered temporary blindness while driving, brought on by extreme stress – an experience that prompted her to reassess her life, sell everything she owned, and fulfil her dream of becoming an international humanitarian aid worker. To this day Linda
only owns the contents of one suitcase, leaving her free to head wherever her skills are needed – from the snowy Himalayas to the Amazon jungle. Linda specialises in providing economic recovery for communities affected by major natural disasters, such as tsunami, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and typhoons – taking them from the grip of poverty and the depths of despair. When not providing humanitarian uplift Linda is passionate about sharing her leadership skills with businesses, universities, and schools around the world. Constantly inspiring others to step out of their comfort zones and be the change they want to see in the world.
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Imagine for a moment being told that even in the middle of a pandemic lockdown, student teams from across Asia would have the opportunity to create bee-keeping cooperatives in the Himalayas, uplift families living on the other side of the world and put smiles on the faces of pupils in a remote school – all without ever having to leave their bedrooms. If someone had voiced this idea a year ago, our reaction would probably have been one of disbelief – but all that changed when we met Linda! From that first meeting it became clear that Linda had a deep passion for her work, whether sharing her leadership skills with others, developing tomorrow's
