Hello everyone!

Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page!

Since I arrived here a month ago I have been training hard with my faithful dog, Chiro, for the Lilongwe half marathon. I now feel like I might just stand a chance of actually completing the course.

It is taking place this sunday, in Lilongwe, Malawi, at an altitude of 1000m, in the heat. I think it's going to be quite hard work, so knowing I'm making lots of money for this fantastic charity will really help.......

"The MicroLoan Foundation is a microfinance charity that provides small loans, business training and ongoing mentoring support to some of the poorest people in the world.  Its innovative microfinance model enables people living on less than $1 a day to develop self-sustainable livelihoods, to feed, clothe and educate their families, and work their own way out of the poverty trap. Within four months, the majority of loans are repaid in full so cash is recirculated; it is therefore a very different approach to charity.   Similarly, costs are kept to an absolute minimum, allowing small contributions to go a long way."

They mostly work in Malawi and have just given out their 50,000th loan! I met one of their volunteers selling beautiful handmade clothes at the Lake of Stars festival and felt compelled to try and help raise them some money.

http://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk/

I am really grateful for all your good wishes. If you would also like to donate some money, here's a bit from JustGiving on how it works:

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Wish me luck!!! And please pass this on to anyone you think might like to donate. With love, Olivia