At 6am on Friday 16th May 2014 I ran 26.2 miles with two colleagues out into the remote rural villages of Sierra Leone where Street Child operate.  It was amazing! The actual Sierra Leone Marathon will be taking place on the 25th May but I will be pretty busy that day making sure it all runs to plan. This is an event that has previously been billed as the "craziest and most worthwhile" marathon in the world. As the race organiser, I want to test the route I have created and raise as much money as I possibly can at the same time.  It will be hot, humid and a real challenge but all for a very worthy cause! 

As you may know, from 1991 to 2002 Sierra Leone was engaged in a brutal civil war that left over 50,000 people dead and more displaced. Among the displaced were many young children who have been left vulnerable. In 2008 the UN Global Development Index named Sierra Leone as the least developed country in the world, which further compounded poverty, and vulnerability among the people. 

I've experienced first hand being out here that Street Child is having a significant impact by providing educational opportunities and empowering some of the most vulnerable children in West Africa. In 5 years Street Child has  helped 2,000 children off the streets and provided 20,000 children with the chance to go to school. Street Child works in both urban and rural areas, within local communities, to offer street children support and structure through education and family reunification.

How does your money help the children of Sierra Leone?

·         £40 sends a child to school for a year.

·         £100 starts a business that supports a child and their entire family.

·         £500 trains and supports a rural teacher for a year.

·         £1000 pays a social worker to counsel and support 100 street children.

·         £2250 builds and furnishes a first ever semi-permanent school in a rural village.

Please, please donate or offer something if I finish. This is a tough one and it will help me through! Everything will be doubled too by UKAM!

Many thanks,

James

http://www.sierraleonemarathon.com/