Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I am raising money for Apopo by running in the Amsterdam Marathon on 20th October.

Apopo is a fabulous organisation, training rats to detect landmines which are still a huge problem in Cambodia and many other areas including Ukraine, still killing and maiming years after conflicts have ended and putting what would otherwise be good agricultural land out of use.

The rats are African Giant Pouched rats and it was discovered that they have an acute sense of smell and can be trained to detect TNT in landmines. They work safely and much more quickly than humans, enabling larger areas to be cleared more efficiently. They are also too light to set off the mines and no rats have ever been harmed doing this work.

They are very well cared for, work for a few years and then go into a happy ratirement at Apopo's headquarters. To date, they have helped to clear thousands of square kilometers of land which can then be returned to local communities.

If you are planning a trip to South East Asia, maybe to Angkor Wat, include Apopo, it's in the same area. You will be fascinated by their work and you can meet the rats. Look up the website for more details.

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.