Here is an adrenaline-pumping adventure happening this June. A self-funded team of 12 women are embarking on a unique triple-challenge expedition, incorporating mountain climbing, biking and stand-up paddle boarding across Switzerland to raise awareness and funds for the plight of the Rohingya people. The team will aim to raise a total of $50,000 USD to support a UNHCR Environmental programme in Bangladesh which includes reforestation, human-elephant contact management and youth-led climate action training activities. This challenge is in recognition of 20 June as World Refugee Day.

• What World Refugee Day promotes?

World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.

• Why HER Planet Earth?

-HER Planet Earth, a non-profit organisation, headquartered in Singapore, aims to empower women to mitigate climate change. One of its core objectives is to inspire more women to become policymakers and agents of change to achieve social and economic equity and a healthy and thriving planet. It organises challenging, often pioneering, and self-funded expeditions around the world to increase awareness on environmental degradation and raise funds for programmes that empower and educate underprivileged women affected by climate issues.

• How climate change impacts more on those who have already been displaced?

When people are displaced from their homes due to conflict, poverty, or other reasons, they often end up in vulnerable situations, such as overcrowded refugee camps or informal settlements. These populations are already facing numerous challenges and have limited access to resources, infrastructure, and social support systems for example, Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change as many of the refugees’ makeshift shelters, are built on deforested, unstable hillsides, providing little protection against tropical storms of increasing intensity. Last year alone, flooding and landslides forced some 24,000 refugees to abandon their homes.

Overall, HER Planet Earth's triple challenge in Switzerland has the potential to generate significant attention and support for climate action and refugee causes by combining physical challenges with a powerful message. This can inspire individuals, communities, and policymakers to address the urgent issues facing our planet and its most vulnerable inhabitants. The impact of these efforts will extend beyond the event itself, creating lasting change and building a better future for generations to come.