Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page. For my first 100-mile race I'm hoping to find 100 people to donate £19 each: 

100 donors to free 100 kids in Egypt's slums from the misery of intestinal worms.

Running reminds me of the freedom of childhood, that unselfconscious delight in movement. Hundreds of thousands of children in Egypt lack that freedom because they live in slums, and for many of these this is compounded by the blight of parasitic intestinal worms. 

It's not a glamorous cause, but I am running so that 100 Egyptian children can enjoy their childhoods again, so that they can enjoy moving freely and without pain. 

The symptoms of intestinal worms include malnutrition, anaemia, swollen stomach and constant diarrhoea. Mandisa, a girl in Alexandria, has all of these symptoms and she is in constant pain. Not only does this keep her from schooling, from building herself a future that might free her from slum life, but it robs her now of her childhood.

During a 100-mile race, there are periods of struggle and hours of (literal and metaphorical) darkness. It might just keep me going to know that each mile represents a child freed. 

In places where there is little access to adequate medical care, children are particularly susceptible to all sorts of dangerous diseases and worms are rife. There have been promises of better housing for the 210,000 families living in these difficult conditions, but right now most people are still living with virtually no sanitation. Diseases and malnutrition caused by worms are a continual problem for such vulnerable families.

Happily, treatment is cheap - £19 per child - but this is out of reach for Egypt's poorest in the slums. Embrace the Middle East partners with a medical centre on the ground in Egypt which is able to treat children like Mandisa. Not only that, the medical staff ensure that children and families receive a nutritious meal as well as the medical treatment, ensuring they are on the best road to recovery.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thanks for your support.