By: Kai Wang

Alexander Campbell is embarking on a four-year hike around the world.

Alexander Campbell, who grew up in Sydney, Australia, has embarked on a hike that will see him walk 40,000km across 30 countries and four continents. This trip will raise funds for the Fred Hollows Foundation, which treats and prevents blindness and other vision problems.

Leaving in February from the Sydney Opera House, Campbell has already traveled to Penrith and to the Blue Mountains through western Sydney. He has completed the 800km Colorado Trail, 1600km Great Himalaya Trail, and 3750km hike from the Flinders Ranges to Sydney, among other long-distance hikes.

While raising money is a worthy cause, it’s not the only reason Campbell chose to this hike.

Campbell wanted to do something larger than he had done. Campbell said, “I wanted to do something bigger than I had done before, across multiple years and it snowballed from there to the point I said ‘Why not do the whole world,”

Campbell chose the Fred Hollows Foundation because he wanted to raise money for a charity that worked in the countries he was traveling through.

“The foundation operates in more than 25 countries, including many that I’ll pass through on my walk including Indonesia, Thailand, and Nepal, “ Campbell said.

He explained that “by supporting the foundation, I hope to give back to the people and communities I’ll meet on my journey and repay the kindness and hospitality I’m sure I’ll encounter.”

Currently, 43 million people around the world are blind, but more than 90 percent of vision loss can be prevented or treated. Campbell’s journey will cross Asia, which has the highest rate of blindness in the world.

In conclusion, Campbell’s globetrotting hike will help many in need.