Event Description

When the first raging winds struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013, at wind speeds up to 300 km/h, the world held its breath. We all knew that there would be damage, suffering and death but not exactly how much.

In Sweden, half way over the globe, Kristian Rankloo was devastated. The land which he had visited 10 times or more -- and the wonderful inhabitants he had shared so much time, joy, laughs and love with -- had been totally destroyed beyond any imagination. In the aftermath of the typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst of all times, more than one million homes were wrecked and families were shattered. 14 million people suddenly found themselves in desperate need of help -- and the surreal impact in terms of general destruction was almost too much to bare, let alone understand. But we all know it by now.

So, being an entrepreneur and a man of many, a good idea paired with a good heart, he made himself a promise to help. To really help. And so the idea slowly turned into a plan of how to be able to make a difference for the land he loved so much.

Through his vast network of friends, companies and colleagues combined with a focused campaign on Facebook (which by the end of December 2013 counted more than 1,000 members) he started to raise funds and directing them to a bank account for the purpose. But he also found himself with a wide range of useful things to help. Things like protective/safety gloves, wildlife cutlery, signal vests, flashlights and much more that would come in use in the debris on the islands.

On the 4th of December, three weeks after the catastrophe, he took off to face and live the mayhem, and to help as best he could. Not surprisingly, this would end up being the 10 most messed-up, terrifying, rewarding and meaningful days of his life.

Now, four years later, Kristian has extended his operations also to include three orphanages in Uganda, and his organisation Help@Hand have helped more than 8 000 children around the world.

Agenda

17:45 Mingle
18:00 Short presentation about JCI
18:05 Kristian Rankloo talk about his social business adventures
19:00 Workshop- solution to a social problem, brainstorming
19:50 Wrap-up

Maybe we can come up with a social project after that.