Lottery Winner Donates Almost All Of His Winnings To Save The Planet

Lex Gabrielle
rainforests
Unsplash | Kyle Cleveland

Many people dream of winning millions of dollars in the lottery. We all work hard day in and day out in order to support ourselves and our families. Many of us are lucky enough to make enough to pay our bills and make ends meet. However, we all dream about what we would do with the money we would win if we hit the lotto.

Some people want to get expensive items.

rich
Unsplash | Sharon McCutcheon

Some people dream about buying themselves a mansion if they win the lottery. Others want to get expensive cars and other luxury items. And there are also those who would go on a worldwide vacation, traveling to new, exotic places.

Some, however, would want to give back to the world.

charity
Unsplash | Marcos Paulo Prado

Some people who dream about winning the lottery would want to take their money and give it back to those who need it the most. There are many people all across the world who are in dire need of things—especially the planet.

One man decided to do what he felt was right when he actually did win the lottery.

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Unsplash | Mandy Choi

One man from France who played the lottery actually won the Euromillions jackpot—which came out to 200 million dollars. Instead of spending it on a luxury yacht or a sports car, he decided to invest the money back into the world—giving it towards a reservation of tropical rainforest in West Africa.

While many people have won the Euromillions, this was historical.

money
Unsplash | Jason Leung

The Euromillions have been won before, however, this is the second-largest winning in the lottery's history. The man has decided to remain anonymous, aside from the fact that he is living in the south of France and wanted to change the world.

With his winnings, he established the Anyama Endowment Fund.

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Unsplash | CHUTTERSNAP

The anonymous lottery winner decided to establish the endowment fund that was named after a town in Côte d’Ivoire where he spent a lot of time apparently. The endowment fund is set towards “the protection and revitalization of forests, the preservation and regeneration of biodiversity and the support of family caregivers.”

He had this dream in mind should he win.

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Unsplash | Cassie Smart

"My dream has never been to acquire boats, castles or other sports cars, it is to be useful and to give meaning to this money, with maximum positive impact. So that's what I'm doing today by creating Anyama, which acts for the benefit of the common good of all, with one watchword: protect the living," he said on the endowment fund's website.

The mission of the endowment fund is to protect the rainforests and their inhabitants.

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Unsplash | Jeremy Bezanger

The Anyama Endowment Fund is set out to support projects that keep the "protection of life at their heart." The focus is on three fields of action, according to the website. As forests are home to 80% of terrestrial biodiversity, the fund hopes to protect these.

The reason, for the lottery winner, was also personal.

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Unsplash | Claudio Schwarz

“During my life, I have witnessed in Côte d’Ivoire the incessant passage of trucks loaded with trees cut in the forests of Burkina Faso,” he said to Le Parisien.

The endowment fund wants people to see that humans and nature are both living things.

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Unsplash | Tobias Tullius

"Nature and human beings are one, we also consider it essential to support those who come to the aid of their loved ones affected by illness, addiction or loss of autonomy," the website states.

Overall, the endowment fund is going to help the future generations who live on the planet, as well.

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Unsplash | veeterzy

"Anyama makes it possible to bring to life and transmit the values ​​that are ours, namely the fundamental importance of preserving the environment and the planet, for the future of humanity and the good of all, but also that of trust."

He had one message to share with the world.

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Unsplash | Tim Swaan

“Above all, it is the expression of a conviction that I want to share with as many people as possible: giving makes people happy, and constitutes a tremendous lever for transforming indignation into concrete and useful actions,” the man said, according to Euro News.