How my madness took hold

The crunchy golden leaves were falling on a reflective autumn day, October 8 last year. I was sitting in the stylish Mermaid Theatre near St Paul’s, in the buzzing audience of an inspirational event organised by my spectacularly successful son Daniel, who at the tender age of 21 started his own company, Triumphant Events in Australia. And now, less than 10 years later he was gracing the stage in London, a charismatic speaker, leading The Entrepreneur Revolution, motivating Brits to reject the doom and gloom of the recession and fight back by starting their own businesses and living their dreams.

But I was dejected, frustrated and lost. My promising new job had suddenly fallen in a heap and I was forced to start all over again. In that rarefied anything-is-possible atmosphere, I asked myself what I really wanted to do with the rest of my life.

In my mid-50s, I wanted to use my lifetime of experience, knowledge and talents to make a meaningful contribution to the world, not slide aimlessly into early retirement. I wanted to work in poor countries and help alleviate the immensity of human suffering.

But how could I make this heartfelt desire a reality? That catalytic day launched me into a frenzy of brainstorming and research. I hatched the idea to start MAD for humanity, using the catchy acronym for Making A Difference.

If I wanted to make a positive difference then plenty of other women of my generation of feisty Empty Nester-Baby Boomers did too. So I decided to organise trips for adventurous mature women to volunteer with projects in Africa and also experience the magnificent countryside and wildlife. I had stumbled into the brave new frontier of ‘voluntourism’.

Over three months, I approached directors of leading charities to enquire if they needed teams of mature-aged women volunteers. I wanted to partner with worthy organisations and add value, not so much in monetary donations, but value measured in human skills, expertise and heart.

I realised I would need to build an impressive website, generate publicity and climb a steep learning curve, mastering countless travel, health and legal details of working in foreign countries. It dawned on me that this massive project would take ages to set up. Such MADness could consume me for the next 10 years! But still I was undaunted.

But Thank Goodness for a BFO! (Blinding Flash of the Obvious) Perhaps I should google search ‘MAD”! That’s when I struck gold! Eureka! On January 7, 2012 I discovered Madventurer, a vibrant website about an amazing voluntourism organisation for energetic young students on their gap year. Now this was an intersection of dreams!

Madventurer is well-established, having grown and thrived since 1998, the brainchild of a remarkable, visionary engineering graduate John Lawler, inspired by his own life-changing gap year in a village in Ghana.

Another BFO! Why re-invent the wheel! Why not partner with Madventurer, adding a new dimension, a niche market of MAD women?

Over 14 years teams of young Madventurer volunteers had helped build and renovate schools, pre-schools, orphanages, clinics and water and sanitation systems.

While mature-aged women might not be keen on heavy construction work, they could offer their knowledge and skills in fields such as medical, counselling, education, micro business, crafts and farming and food, mentoring women and nurturing children.

Volunteering is a two-way street; improving quality of life for people unfairly disadvantaged by poverty while enriching well-off volunteers (whose materialistic lives can ironically feel empty) with a sense of purpose and paradigm shift of values.

Volunteering heals the denial and disconnection between affluent and poor countries so that cultures can join hands and people of all colours can form heart to heart bonds of friendship with mutual respect and equality.

By pitching in, volunteers help correct the unjust imbalance between those who live in excessive consumption and those who live in abject deprivation. Yes, ordinary people, despite destructive global politics, can change the world.

So yesterday, I threw on my coat and scarf and travelled up north by train to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to meet with John and discuss how we can collaborate! To my absolute delight he embraced the idea of expanding Madventurer to cater for mature-aged women (and once wives lead the charge, husbands often follow!)

My MAD Women’s Club is off and racing on the fast track. I am heading off on an exploratory trip to Africa in June to volunteer with Madventurer’s projects and trial an exhilarating itinerary tailored especially for adventurous women ready to break out of their comfortable lives, hit the dusty road and go MAD for humanity! Join me on my journey of discovery.