Hi everyone Thanks for taking the time to look at this page,

   As you may or may not be aware my friend archie and I are taking part in the Africa rally this christmas. This involves us nursing our 1993 VW polo from London to limbe, Cameroon. We will be leaving from England on the 13th December and will be heading through France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina faso, Benin, Nigeria and end up in Cameroon around January 10th 2010. Find out more about the Rally here http://africarally.theadventurists.com

As part of this challenge I am raising money for Charity. The charity I have chosen to raise money for is Stepping Stones Nigeria http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/. I chose this charity after watching a very moving documentary on channel 4. If you have time please watch this documentary http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-43/episode-1

This programme shows the extreme hardship suffered by young children in south Nigeria. In this area some people belive that if a member of a family dies or becomes ill it is the work of "witchcraft" or "wizardry" . In many cases young children in the family are blamed for causing this bad fortune, they are outcast from the family and are branded witches, they are often killed and horribly abused. This may sound rediculus to us but is very real in south Nigeria.  

Stepping stones works closely with an organisation in Nigeria called CRARN. http://www.crarn.org/index.html

CRARN takes in these children and provides them with shelter and some much needed care. This Organisation looks to provide education for these children and ultimatley aims to re-introduce them back into the comunity. 

As we are traveling through Nigeria as part of our trip I feel this is a very worth while cause.

I realise money is tight at the moment but please give what ever you can by clicking on the donate tab on the page. This transaction is very safe and secure.

Thank you,

Joe x