During lockdown, I challenged myself climb the height of the Shard on my stairs. It was 330m and it took me 26 minutes.

4 years on, I am going to take on a much bigger version of this challenge, and climb 7500 steps in under 4 hours.

Why 7500 steps?

Each step represents a mile to Lilongwe, The capital of Malawi. Next July a group of students from my school (Fulham Cross Academy) will spend 2 weeks in rural Malawi, working on a project to build a clinic for disabled children and their families.

Children with disabilities in the poor areas of Malawi have little access to healthcare, diagnosis or therapy to support their needs. Whilst some free healthcare is available in Malawi, families can often not afford to take their children to the hospitals to receive this.

Sadly, having a child with a disability means families can be stigmatised and may find it difficult to find work or support within their community. In addition to this, caring for a child with disabilities often means that one parent is unable to work or farm their land, resulting in increased financial hardship for the family.

As a brother of a child with Down's Syndrome, I completely understand the difference support can make and how important centres like these are. I am delighted to be able to be part of a project like this, that could dramatically improve the lives of children and their families.

7500 steps works out to be 278 times up and down our stairs at home. I will be completing this challenge on Sunday 3rd of November.

Thank you in advance for your donation,

Peter