GOODWILL AMBASSADOR
Samantha Gash
Samantha Gash is a former lawyer turned ultramarathon runner who has committed her life to running for change.
She has run through some of the most extreme locations on Earth, from the deserts of Australia, Chile, China, Egypt and Antarctica to the mountains of Nepal, New Zealand, India and South Africa. At the same time, she has raised awareness and funds
to support children and communities in need. In 2010, Samantha became the first woman and youngest person to run four 250-kilometre-long desert ultramarathons.
In August 2016, Sam began a 3,800-kilometre run across India to learn about and raise awareness around the barriers to education facing Indian children. The run lasted 11 weeks, seeing her travel for more than 3,000 kilometres through busy cities,
across mountains and in the wettest places on Earth. She averaged about 50 kilometres a day.
Sam visited 18 communities supported by World Vision along her route to see firsthand the challenges holding children back from reaching their full potential, as well as the work being done to overcome them.
Sam shares her story with audiences around the world and inspires people with a simple message: use what you're good at to lead change in an area you're passionate about.
World Vision’s work
World Vision Australia works globally with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Our work in long-term community development, policy advocacy and change, and emergency relief addresses not only the symptoms
of poverty, but also its complex and interrelated causes.
Samantha is a passionate advocate for our work in education, having visited 18 communities we support when she ran across India in 2016. Over 120 million children under 15 miss out on education due to challenges including
poverty, gender inequality and a lack of learning resources. Our development programs aim to bring quality education to more children around the world.