For Gordon Foot (FIMarEST), a love of adventure and a gift for fixing things laid the foundation for a career in the maritime world. Now, he is channelling those lifelong passions towards a new goal – raising money for the Sailors' Society and Safer Waves with the Zambezi River Challenge 2025 – ‘Inspiring the Maritime.’
While Foot has enjoyed a successful maritime career, he has all too often come across stories of abuse, harassment, abandonment, bullying, unpaid salaries, and more.
“I’m privileged as a white, grey-haired guy that does have a voice. So… I use that voice for other people,” says Foot. Among other activities, Foot regularly speaks out about bullying, harassment, and sexual assault and champions women in maritime through his role as a STEM ambassador supporting school outreach programmes. Raising money for the Sailors' Society and Safer Waves is another way Foot says he can use his privileged voice.
Established in 1818, the Sailor’s Society is a global welfare charity dedicated to supporting seafarers and their families 24/7, year-round. They provide a crisis response network, emergency grants, peer-to-peer support, e-learning support tools, and more.
Safer Waves is a newer charity. First started in 2019, they focus on supporting seafarers who have experienced sexual abuse, harassment, or gender discrimination while working at sea. They provide an anonymous email support service run by specially trained volunteers and provide fact sheets, and other information.
Read the full article IMarEST Fellow paddling down African river to help stop sexual violence at Marine Professional - Interactions.
You can donate to the Zambezi River Challenge at JustGiving.