******** LAST UPDATE - CLOSING DOWN 10TH MARCH 2010  *******

Because I like tidy sums, I have upped the target to see if we can't close on a nice round number!

To you all - a very very special thank you - you've been wonderful :)

 

This is starting out as MY story.

It was ME that went on that trip earlier in the year.

It was ME that stood at the border and knew that my life had changed forever.

I wasn't the first one to feel that way and I won't be the last.

But I want to turn it round.

I have had an amazing life (not without some really grim times but heck I am still hanging in!) and I now want to give something back.

To do this, I need your help.

I know, I know. It is not the best of times. But you know whatever you can manage is just great. A child can do a lot with the price of a round of drinks, a meal out or the cost of the latest Wii. Your help can go a very long way.

In the Band Aid song, they happily sing "The greatest gift they'll get this year is life". Well, I want to give some of these poor little kids the chance of a better life. That's all.

The two little boys on the bicycles are my Godsons - Vachana and Vachanak. They would be on the streets if it were not for me. At 13 their education is over. They must fend for themselves. Without me, they may be forced to run away, become boy soldiers, pawns in the sex industry.... There are plenty more like them.

So this is what I will be doing for 4 weeks starting at Christmas. I will be working amongst some of the poorest people in the world. http://www.anjali-house.com/html/index.php?p_lang=en

I have asked what I can do and this is what they have come back with:

   $200      Build paths between the classrooms (raised for during the rainy season)

   $200      Landscape the gardens between the classrooms

   $1000    Build 2 new toilets

   $1500   Build a kitchen (there isn't one)

   $4500   Build a new classroom

There are many other smaller things to be done (sponsor a class, buy rice, but water filters, pay for travel to hospital, eye tests etc etc) but, selfish though it may be, I'd like to leave something physical behind. Hence the above. Let's start aiming for a kitchen and see how we go........

So that's it. Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I have known others use this procedure (including Globalteer) so I know it works.

Thanks too for Michael, Ed and the team at Skyros. Without that holiday and you guys none of this would be happening.

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. From the bottom of my heart - thank you.

Marianne