#17 | Choosing Love Over Borders: Josie Naughton’s Journey to Transform Humanitarian Aid

RefugeesHumanitarianOverseasPowered by WomenActivismCommunity

Apr 25

CLICK ABOVE TO WATCH VIDEO RECORDING

In this week’s episode, Josie Naughton shares the incredible story of how she and a few friends started helping refugees arriving in Europe in 2015 by posting a social media post for donations, and how that small act of kindness turned into a full-fledged organization that has raised over 100 million dollars in just eight years funding over 400 partner organizations who help millions of displaced people.

Josie Naughton is the co-founder & CEO of Choose Love, a British charity and now US non-profit dedicated to providing aid and support to displaced individuals and families in 34 countries worldwide. From lifesaving search and rescue boats to food and legal advice, Choose Love provides whatever it takes to support the lives of those fleeing war to those experiencing massive earthquakes or other disasters.

“The mission of Choose Love is to work toward a world that chooses love and justice every day for everyone.”

hwctw-e017-josie-naughton-choose-love 26.JPEG

hwctw-e017-josie-naughton-choose-love 12 2.JPEG

With an incredibly lean team and hundreds of volunteers, Choose Love finds local, community-based groups able to provide help to those who suddenly find themselves without a home and often, without a country. Josie and her team determine what the immediate needs are, finds a way to fulfill them, and then goes to work fundraising to pay for it all. In just eight years of their existence, the Choose Love team has raised over $100 million dollars, an unheard-of figure for a new organization.

Check out Choose Love’s innovative online store built to help support refugees!

hwctw-e017-josie-naughton-choose-love 40.JPEG

775343844_dm_4017_a34476611e21a06c53b3a8c64356c446-e1558365952928.jpg 4.jpg

Josie takes listeners on a journey through some of the places where Choose Love is making a difference, from Syria to Ukraine to Afghanistan to Mexico, and explains how they work with local groups to identify the needs of displaced communities and then fundraise to provide the necessary support. She also talks about the challenges that she has faced in her work and how she stays motivated and focused despite them.

It is clear that Josie is a woman with a huge heart and an unstoppable spirit, dedicated to spreading the message of choosing love as a way of life. Her courage and determination are truly inspiring, and her organization is making a powerful difference in the lives of those who need it most.