On the 4th of June 2022 I'm going to Uganda to run a half marathon as part of the Uganda Marathon event. Mrs Kelly (Kate) was due to run the event in 2020 for the same charity but due to COVID the event didn't take place. I'm taking the baton and off to run the event with her support and that of the children at Sacred Heart School. 

The trip is self funded and I will be staying in a town called Masaka, which lies 23km south of the equator. Some of the activities I will be involved in will include: 

- Helping to organise a sports morning for 200 local children, many of whom are disabled or have been orphaned due to Aids and HIV ravishing the country.

- Learning about how they up-cycle plastics and helping out with a recycling project.

- Spending time at the Masaka Vocational Rehabilitation Centre, a project which supports disabled youths make a living through simple crafts.

-Running with the Masaka running club some mornings, ending the week by running a half marathon (in 30 degree heat!) with the other international volunteers and up to 3,000 locals. My personal entry fee will pay for 16 locals to participate free of charge in the sporting event. 

- Spending a day with Bright Angels, our chosen charity:

Bright Angels is a school in Masaka who have 360 students and are 3km from the nearest water source. Whilst apparently this is a common situation for many schools in Uganda (🥺), Bright Angels stands out as a particularly amazing project because they have 62 orphaned children who are fostered by the staff at the very basic school.

Currently, students are required to fetch 50 jerry cans a day from the tap and carry them the 3km back to school. This is a huge disruption to the school’s syllabus and the children’s education. To make things worse, the water source that they use is not protected and is often subjected to animals who carry infectious diseases.

It is hoped that the money raised will be enough to install a rainwater tank and a dig a fresh water well. This not only will give them safe water, but provide them with a small income as they can charge a small fee to other locals using the source. 

More information on the project: 
https://ugandamarathon.com/charity/the-2022-projects/bright-angels/

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.