You think you are doing a good deed for a successful, trustworthy cause, only to end up losing out
Hannah Goldie, 21, a third-year pharmacy student at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, and originally from Glasgow, raised more than £1200 and said the charity’s actions had left a “sour taste”.
Hannah, who was due to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in August, said that students received an email saying Childreach International had ceased operations.
Students were given the option to go on a trip with a different charity who offered to reduce registration fees or fundraising targets.
She said: “This seemed ideal but I felt bitter about the situation and conned out of my money so it felt very dishonest to be asked to join a charity I know nothing about because it’s an easy option.”
Hannah was refunded her registration fee. She said: “Other fundraisers I know have had difficulty getting their deposit back, some being rejected and others still in dispute with their banks.
Hannah is yet to receive any of her fundraising efforts.
She said: “I am confused about what has happened to this money if they haven’t paid anything to Rare Adventures and are not continuing any activities.
“I am trying to get this money back and want to donate it to a charity of my choice if and when I get it back.
“Some was donated just before the charity went bust and they couldn’t have spent it in that time.
“You think you are doing a good deed and putting in a lot of work to raise money for what you think is a successful and trustworthy cause only to end up losing out.”