Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I am running the Great North Run 2009 half-marathon with a team organised by Jubilee Debt Campaign at Newcastle University, in association with Make Poverty History - North East, to raise awareness and provide money to fight HIV/AIDS for Oxfam and for JDC-UK.

Last year, I crawled round the 13.1 miles in just under 96 mins, spurred on by the generosity of my sponsors who contributed £1,059. Together with the other 41 runners in the Newcastle JDC team, we raised £14,993. This year, my target is to beat 95 minutes and raise another £1,000. Please dig deep and sponsor me online to help the Jubilee Debt Campaign and Oxfam.

WHY GIVE TO JUBILEE DEBT CAMPAIGN AND TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS?

Half of the sponsorship money raised will be sent to the Jubilee Debt Campaign (JDC) for its work to reduce global poverty by the cancellation of unpayable debt.  The other half will be sent to Oxfam for their work with HIV/AIDS and AIDS orphans.

"We believe AIDS is the worst catastrophe ever to hit the world", says Carol Bellamy, UNICEF's Executive Director - small wonder, given that 40-45 million people are infected with HIV globally and 3 million die from AIDS each year. However, the tragedy extends far beyond the sick and dying. By 2010, over 18 million African children will have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Millions of children not yet in their teens now find themselves totally responsible for younger siblings; millions of weak and impoverished elderly people are left to care for grandchildren.

The fight against HIV/AIDS can be won. The rate of new infections can be slashed, as it has been in Uganda; transmission during birth and the development of full-blown AIDS can be blocked by drug use; the plight of the sick and dying can be mitigated; and the carers of orphans can be supported. The medical tools and the financial resources are available - all that is needed is the exercise of decency and will to deploy them.

Jubilee Debt Campaign

As that advert might put it: “We don’t do global poverty reduction, but if we did, it would probably be the best global poverty reduction in the world”. But since they don’t do it, that distinction probably belongs to JDC, if the almost ludicrous contrast between the magnitude of its impact and the modesty of its budget is taken into account.

Most charitable trusts reject our applications for funding, explaining that, whilst they have every sympathy with JDC’s objectives, they prefer to use their resources in ways that bring direct and immediate help to the poor. However, the campaign is already benefiting some of the most impoverished countries by billions of pounds each year; can “direct and immediate help” compare with this?

The Commission for Africa found that Benin was using 54% of its first tranche of debt relief on health; in Tanzania, relief has put an extra two million children (mostly girls) into primary school; in Mozambique, it has been used to provide universal vaccination for children; in Uganda, an extra two million now have clean water; and so on. The fight against HIV/AIDS has been a major beneficiary of debt relief in many countries.

Just over 20 countries received substantial debt relief during the last year, but at least 60 are in urgent need of it - even after the recent write-offs, the western world will still be extorting over $100 million from them each day in debt repayments.

The Newcastle Team Patrons are Prof Sir George Alberti (former President of the Royal College of Physicians), Jonathan Edwards CBE (Olympic Gold Medalist) and Rt Rev Dr Tom Wright (Bishop of Durham).

Your gift

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: the Jubilee Debt Campaign and Oxfam will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails.

So please sponsor me now!  Many thanks for your support.

Hugh