**RAISING MONEY FOR MERLIN (Medical Emergency Relief International)**
Hello and thanks for visiting my fundraising page.
Marathon over and what a great and emotional experience it was! 4h 48mins 36sec my time. A little longer than the time I was going for but I was very proud not to stop at all and run it all the way.
What kept me going - apart from the cheering of the crowds and a quick glimpse and the screams of my loved ones on a couple of occasions - is the response from people towards my fundraising. During the last three miles when my body wanted to go into shut down mode I had to keep on reminding myself why I'm doing this. Merlin is a fantastic charity and they're doing amazing work around the world. The last few months they have mobilised their Emergency Response Team in Haiti but they currently also work in places like Sudan, Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories, Burma, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Nepal, etc.
I chose Merlin because their vision is of a world that provides basic health care to all. Their mission is to respond immediately to save lives in times of crises, but also to look beyond emergencies to safeguard long-term health. Their teams get remote medical clinics up and running, train health workers as they go, ensure drugs and essential equipment are available and give vulnerable people the chance to lead healthy lives. Their difference from other health charities is that wherever they work, and even during emergencies, they always try to support the health services that are already in place. They always work with the Ministry of Health of each country to ensure that they don’t set up ‘parallel systems’, as it's important for them that any services they provide or systems they put in place are going to work once they have left.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and very secure. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure 28% on Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to sponsor me. I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now. Every single penny of yours will be invaluable.
Cheers,
Dimitrios
