I Inherited Billions. I Must Use it to Help People

I had a very normal Norwegian childhood. I'm from a small island near the middle of the country, called Frøya, which had a population of around 4,000. It was coastal and cold; nature is pretty rough out there.

I'm an only child, so growing up it was just me and my parents. My closest neighbor was my grandmother; that was always my safe place to go to if I wanted to get away.

Weekends were usually spent out on the sea or running around. I love to play soccer, so that's been my main hobby since I was 6 years old. I had the best childhood you can imagine—I wouldn't trade it for anything at all.

Many people think my life altered dramatically when I was 18 years old, but it never really did.

My dad had previously told me I would become the main shareholder of his salmon-fishing company, making me one of the world's youngest billionaires, but that didn't change much for me.

I wasn't born into money. My father is an entrepreneur who has always worked really hard, but I don't think his motivation has ever been financial. Whether the company was doing well or badly, it didn't matter in my life—I went on just as before.

The only dramatic change, which took place when I was 18 years old, was that my involvement in the company became public. The media became aware that the value of the company had been transferred to me, so I started to get a lot of attention.

Seeing people write about me was strange. So was how much others seemed to care about what I was worth financially, particularly when I met new people.

Some people expect a different person when they meet me. I'm naturally shy, but occasionally I feel new people expect me to be a little cockier. At times that was hard, but over time I got used to it.

Being from a small family, I was always fairly involved in the business. After leaving high school I worked there for two years, on a fisher boat taking care of the settlements.

That was a fantastic time in my life; working out on the sea, being outside every day, seeing nature, experiencing that level of work, and how great of a business it is. I had a fantastic time.

Being the son of the owner, the other workers on the boat gave me a relatively tough time in the beginning; they wanted to test me as much as possible. Instead of treating me more favorably, they gave me a harder time, which I really appreciated. I think I learned a lot more that way.

In my early twenties, a friend of mine suggested that I try modeling, which I thought would be a good way to challenge myself. I am quite reserved, but I found modeling fun because it's like pretending to be a different person—almost like acting.

As a kid, I was never really that interested in fashion, but as I've gotten older, I really appreciate how you can express yourself, and be more in touch with your creative side through clothing.

I believe there is a preconceived notion about fashion models, and many people have a lot to say when I tell them I do modeling. But it's fun, challenging, and helps me develop myself. As long as I keep enjoying it and feel like I'm learning something, I'll keep doing it.

I don't care too much about what people think. If you worry about that all the time, then you'll feel pretty miserable.

People will think things about you that you can't do anything about. But as long as your friends and your loved ones know who you are, and you know who they are, that's the most important thing.

While I had a normal upbringing, I have certainly always been aware of my privilege in terms of having a safe childhood in a beautiful place, without anything else to worry about.

For a long time, it's been a dream of mine to give something back. Coming from a position of privilege, you do feel a sense of duty to do so, but that desire also comes from a strong wish to help people who have not had the same opportunities.

I had been thinking about the best approach to this for a while when the COVID-19 lockdown hit in March 2020. I found myself in the perfect position to start a new project and in August, we launched the "W Initiative"—a humanitarian foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and young people through funding charitable projects all over the world.

Inequality in the world is increasing. Growing up in a safe and sound coastal community in Norway with a loving family alone is winning the lottery. When you inherit wealth as well, reaching out to help other young people who have not had the same luck is an obligation.

Also, on a personal level, it is deeply rewarding, providing a sense of meaning and purpose. I travel quite a bit these days, but no trips are as motivating as the ones I do following up on and investigating new projects for the "W-Initiative".

It seems giving a face to your cause is getting ever more important, so in that regard, I hope modeling contributes. Along with providing the funds and following up on the work in the projects, identifying new projects that can have a big impact on young people's lives is an important task.

Although some may brand modeling and fashion superficial, you actually get to meet quite a few people with an engaged interest in the world we live in. People who could play a role in helping, in some way or another.

The first project we supported was The Right to Play's iWASH project in Uganda, which aims to improve drinking water and handwashing facilities in schools and has so far helped over 15,000 children access better hygiene facilities.

Work was completed in November, and we recently went to visit some of the schools that received help from the project. It was a very humbling experience.

It was my first time in Uganda, and I have never felt so welcomed in my whole life. It's a beautiful country and I met some beautiful people. It was wonderful to see how the project came together. We visited six different schools to talk to children and see what their needs are, and how we can further help them. It was a fantastic experience.

My vision for the future of the "W-Initiative" is straightforward: To be able to provide help toward a better life and future for more young people around the globe. The need for help is limitless, so the funds need to grow, both through skilled management and possible new contributions.

Keeping a close eye on the projects to ensure help gets where it is intended is vital, and at the same time profoundly rewarding. I cannot see my personal involvement diminishing over time, quite on the contrary.

I want to try to leave the world a better place than I found it.

Gus Witzøe is a model and philanthropist. He launched the non-profit humanitarian foundation W Initiative in August 2022.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

As told to Newsweek's My Turn associate editor, Monica Greep.

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