In September this year, I will be riding 969 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for the Vodafone Moyo Lesotho Foundation.  Yes I’m slightly mad but you know me, always up for a good challenge and I think you’ll agree it’s a fantastic cause and all your donations will be greatly appreciated.  Please read on for more about how Moyo Lesotho is helping children with HIV.

Lesotho is a country facing an HIV / AIDS challenge and where there are currently 80,000 adults receiving antiretroviral drugs but only 4,000 children, despite ARVs being available through globally funded programmes.  We want all 41,000 children living with HIV to have access to treatment by 2017.

Moyo Lesotho is about using mobile technology to change lives, by getting a generation of young people living with HIV onto treatment.  By using mobile technology, more children will receive life-saving treatment far faster.  Very few children will survive beyond their fifth birthday if they do not receive this treatment and many of these children live in rural areas.

The funds I raise will also be used to provide safe deliveries for mothers, preventing maternal death and the transmission of HIV from mothers to babies.  Every pound I raise will be put to work, changing lives and it will reach more people far faster because of mobile technology, and here’s just a few ways how…

Transport: travel funds will be sent via mobile money, so children and expectant mothers can travel to treatment - this costs just £20

Testing: results will be sent via mobile speeding up both diagnosis and treatment - just £50 will pay for a mobile enabled paediatric HIV test including the transport of the blood sample

Treatment: mobile clinics via mobile will enable nurses to be connected, and more young people and mothers to be reached.