April 25th 2010 will be the end of months of hard work and sweat!! Sunday morning hangovers have been traded in for long runs. Watching TV has been replaced by running, Beer swapped for energy drinks (well not yet, but will happen) and lunch breaks are now - you guessed it, run breaks. All of this training so I can run 26.2 miles (42 kms) through the streets of and raise much needed funds for the fantastic charity 'Kiya Survivors'.
Kiya Survivors is a small, British registered, family run charity working with children with special needs in . Children that are seen as a curse of God, by their own families, neighbours and communities. Little or no government provision is made for them, and they can be subject to neglect or abuse.
Kiya helps these brave children to make a new start and gain independence through education and therapy, love and laughter. It offers regular food and showers for the children, most of whom come from very poor backgrounds, and it has residential care for children who have no one.
I have been lucky enough to see this fantastic work first hand, where in 2005 I visited my sister who was volunteering as a Physiotherapist in one of their schools in Urambamba. It was an overwhelming day, one that I will always remember. The smiles on the children’s faces, their infectious laughter and the pride they showed in their accomplishments was humbling. Without Kiya these kids would not have had a school to go to at all, and many would be left hungry, unstimulated and with no hope for the future.
Kiya is a small charity that relies completely on donations. No money is wasted, every penny goes directly to the school and the children that need it. The recession has hit Kiya hard. Their funds are low and they are struggling to continue. At the moment, they can't even afford petrol for their minibus, so those children collected by it will not be able to come to school until they can.
Please sponsor me, to help ensure this fantastic work can continue, please also donate 'GiftAid'.
Thank you so much,
Jo
To find out more about Kiya, see their website http://www.kiyasurvivors.org/
