Podcast SiGMA World: Keith Marshall y la Fundaci��n SiGMA

Keith Marhsall of the SiGMA Foundation is used to our audience. Keith is known on the island for being an energetic, delighted, lively and charitable person. Kamil caught up with him and they talked about what the charitable side of SiGMA has done

When discussing the foundations of the SiGMA Foundation, Keith Marshall describes how Eman Pulis, the founder of the SiGMA Group, and himself have almost 20 years of friendship. For Pulis, it’s not all about events and climbing the ranks. True to his roots, beyond the growth of SiGMA, Keith describes how Eman pitched him the idea of the SiGMA Foundation: the ikigai way to be able to give back to society.

“I jumped at the chance because I’ve always wanted to do something important in the world and make my mark so it can continue.”

We are all part of the circle of life and this could be seen as something we could pass on. From there the SiGMA Foundation emerged. It has been in operation for three years and we hope that it will continue to exist for many decades.“

The main activities of the SiGMA Foundation? Having always hated the idea of philanthropy being associated only with giving, Marshall explains how the Foundation has created a business model that takes it lightly. “We gather a group of people, train them for any expedition they participate in, and raise money while having fun.”

Keith has a strong desire to help others, as evidenced by his several successful charitable endeavors, including his personal “Kilimanjaro Challenge”, which raised an incredible �1 million for various causes in Ethiopia and Kenya. For this challenge, Keith, along with a team of trained people, committed to reaching the top of the highest free mountain, at 6,000 meters high.

“It was a challenge, as you can’t simulate the conditions on the mountain, but we have done well enough to hold the record for people up to Uhuru peak, which is the peak of Kilimanjaro, with 7.5 billion people, and we are proud of that.”

The Foundation during COVID

COVID-19 has posed many challenges in maintaining communication with SiGMA Foundation beneficiaries abroad, as restrictions and social distancing made it impossible to provide means for donations and practical help. Knowing the extent of Keith Marshall’s efforts, this wasn’t something that stopped him.

“Obviously, during the pandemic, we ran into a huge wall. Tanzania was a dangerous area, so we had to change course. It was no longer Kilimanjaro, but we were approaching home. We shift the focus to a new challenge, the Camino de Santiago, which is a famous religious pilgrimage in Spain and which has taken off very well.”

Assuring that the Kilimanjaro challenge has not been put aside, but has only taken a back seat for now, Marshall says that the new Santiago Challenge has 26 expeditionaries who will participate next week. The second has almost 30 people confirmed, with another two to follow in September.

Another interesting project that had to be postponed due to restrictions, for now, was Mount Toubkal in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. This expedition is a fundraising project formation in Africa that unfortunately had to be shelved, as Morocco was still a dark red zone for Malta.

How can I become part of the SiGMA foundation? How can I contribute?

Keith Marshall says that a very special person close to his heart once told him, “If you want people’s attention, you have to lead by example,” and this has been an idea he has lived by ever since. Over the course of 20 years, Keith, together with the foundation, has built 10 major projects in Ethiopia, which have cost the organisation more than one million euros in total, as well as forcing 220 people to participate in the highest mountain on the planet. He goes on to explain that if people can see what is being done and experience, even from a distance, what is being said, this can be a breakthrough for individuals.

The contribution can be at any level, and he urges our listeners to forget about typical monetary contributions, “it doesn’t have to be money,” he says. Having been confronted with several surprising ideas, Marshall believes that anyone can approach and contribute to the expedition at any level. Being a contributor can take many forms, whether it’s within the confines of a donation, a sponsorship, or actually jumping on board and physically being part of the bandwagon.

“Whoever feels that they want to contribute, should reach out through our Facebook page of the SiGMA Foundation, and that will be the first level of commitment. From there, what we do will largely depend on the person and possibly the circumstances. Everybody has something to give in this world, and the devil’s playing field is in the fact that you know there’s this voice speaking to you and you choose to make a cup of tea instead of actually saying, listen, let me give value to this voice. Let me see if I can, somehow, take this to a higher level.”

Just contributing and being there for the next person is already valuable. When you get the symbiotic effect of many people united by a common goal or cause, it’s a very beautiful thing.”

Keith also believes that’s the point of creating different expeditions, as each person has different aptitudes. As for the challenges, each person sets the bar at a different level.

“We’ve been doing this for years, so we know what challenge suits each person. Last year we had a 68-year-old person who signed up for the Camino de Santiago. I wouldn’t go for Kilimanjaro, because it could be too demanding, but with only a few months of training to dedicate yourself to 115 kilometers in five days, it’s huge.”

So I encourage anyone who wants to contribute to stop by our office, where we can sit down to discuss the best way forward.“

Where does Keith Marshall’s inspiration come from?

20 years ago Keith had the opportunity to meet a priest from Brazil. After being shot twice while trying to dismantle a child prostitution ring, Marshall recognized his efforts and found it very inspiring that someone risked his fate by going there and being proactive about the situation. This priest explained his actions by saying that you have to lead by example. Offering the now founder of the SiGMA Foundation paintings in exchange for donations, Keith met with him once again, giving him the cash and thinking that his obligation to the work is done.

Asked if the money will really save the lives of 200 children, the priest returns the money to Keith and offers him the experience of a lifetime: visiting Ethiopia with him. Saying that there was no spirituality behind the move, Keith takes this experience as a challenge. He describes this moving participation as life-changing.

“I was mortified by what I saw and experienced there, how can we live peacefully within the safety of our homes knowing that other people live in hell? When I came back from Ethiopia, I didn’t really get along with it.”

I became really bitter toward our society and knew I had to be meaningful. I needed to create a structured way in which we could really contribute to this abyss and in life. Knowing that we were living within the boundaries of safety and insularity and that these children only live day to day, struggling to survive, was completely unacceptable in my eyes.“

There are no excuses

“There are 99 excuses that slap me in the face every day for not committing, but there’s always a decent reason that drives me to keep going, as these kids deserve it.”

His passion for the subject is evident, underscoring the fact that there are no excuses. Keith is confident that there is a future for these children that he tries to help and getting lost in all the reasons and excuses for not moving forward, is not the way to do it. Imagine that a deck of 52 cards is dealt, and that the outcome of your life depends entirely on the card that has been dealt, you say, “how is this fair?” A child’s future can never be determined, but the fact that that child was born in a third world country is no excuse to abandon it.

Keith tells listeners who tune in that the least we can do is provide them with the basics in life: dignity, shelter, protection, food, and education. Every child on this planet deserves at least the basics in life. “If we keep this ethos, this mantra close to our hearts, the 99 excuses, which keep hitting us on the ankles, will never bring us down because our goal is noble, it’s human.”

Do you have anything prepared for the future of the SiGMA Foundation?

There is a really interesting project that the SiGMA Foundation has presented in Sri Lanka. After returning from there, Marshall believes that the SiGMA Foundation has the potential to carry it out.

“If there’s something really important you want to do in life, don’t wait until you’re 60, try to do it now. The road to hell is lined with tiles of good intentions.”

You can do it today, next week, next month, possibly next year, who knows? We never know what’s around the corner. So take advantage of that moment and run with it. Carpe diem, seize the day.“

For more fun discussions regarding all things gaming, check out the entire SiGMA podcast here.

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