why rippl. and why now?
18 years ago, in our early twenties, we developed a multi-award-winning hotel in rural Mozambique. Last year, that hotel was razed to the ground, destroyed by Cyclone Kenneth, along with the homes, schools, clinics and livelihoods of the 40,000+ people and communities it supported.
Experiencing the effects of the Climate Emergency first-hand was a body blow.
When it struck, there was no mass evacuation in our region. There were no rescues or support for our team and the 60,000 people who lost their homes. There was no food for weeks. And, I can categorically say, there was no support or hope to rebuild a business that provided a lifeline to thousands of people.
Now, while all eyes are on the Australian wildfires, hundreds of thousands more people around the world are suffering, under the radar. The horror of the Climate Emergency is that those least responsible for creating it, are also the least resilient and suffer the greatest.
There’s no doubt, we are in the midst of a Climate Emergency. We need to unify and harness businesses, large and small, to become part of the solution, not compound the problem. rippl. is our attempt at catalysing this movement.
We’ve worked hard to create a model through which even the most disconnected business can see the commercial sense in joining us, offering a path of least resistance.
This isn’t a silver bullet. But, if we are to get on the right side of the curve (and of history), we all need to be doing more. This is one way we can.
For more about the Guludo story, prior to the cyclone, read Ahead of the Game, by Sue Watts
