Story
<p><strong>The challenge: 125 miles in a two-man kayak</strong>, starting at at dawn on Easter Saturday at Devizes in Wiltshire - and aiming to end on Sunday morning at Westminster Bridge. ('Video' shows us in action. Read more on the <a title="DW" href="http://dwrace.org.uk/" target="_blank">DW</a> website.) </p>
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<p><strong>The aim: To raise £3000 to help <a title="International Needs" href="http://www.ineeds.org.uk/" target="_blank">International Needs</a></strong><strong> provide a borehole to supply clean water to a village in the Volta Region of Ghana. </strong>Contaminated water is the world's largest cause of death in young children; clean water is one of the greatest gifts we can give. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">Click 'Read more' to see the project details: </span></p>
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<p>International Needs is a Christian development agency that works with some of the world's poorest people, regardless of race, religion or gender. They raise and spend about £500,000 per year.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">International Needs </span></em><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">works in over 100 villages in the Volta region of Ghana. We demonstrate care for each community by providing clean water, education and food for children. We run a residential vocational training centre<span style="color: navy;"> </span>providing rehabilitation for freed slave women and<span style="color: navy;"> </span>micro finance to help them start up a small business.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Providing clean water for the villages is one very important way to help. Women and children often walk for hours, morning and evening to find water. Water sources are polluted with parasites like schistosomes (bilharzia) which causes kidney damage or guinea worm which causes painful swelling and blisters in lower limbs from which the worm will emerge. This is especially distressing to see in children.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We want to help by providing a borehole to provide clean drinking water in villages, eradicating illness through waterborne infection and contributing to improved community health on a sustainable basis. </span><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The total cost of providing a village borehole is £6000. </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">This cost includes education of the village community in the benefits of clean water, site survey and contract with a drilling company, drilling and capping the borehole. Volunteers from each village will be trained to maintain the borehole and in simple book-keeping to record minimal contributions from villagers to cover maintenance costs.</span></p>
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<p>Donating through JustGiving is simple and secure. They’ll send your money directly to <em>Ineeds</em>, and reclaim Gift Aid on donations by UK taxpayers.</p>