Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
On the 14th of March this year I ran a 10km race in Regent's Park to raise money for the international humanitarian medical aid charity, Médecins Sans Frontières. This year there was around of 250 us running - university students and members of the public from in and around London. We raised over £22,000 for MSF.
But that was just the start of my personal challenge. Here is a list of events I'll be running for MSF this year, culminating with the Berlin Marathon in September this year - my first marathon.
Feb 27 - Competed in National Cross Country Championship
March 14 - Completed 10km for Friends of MSF - Regent’s Park, London
April 25 - Completed Shakespeare Half-Marathon, Stratford-upon-Avon
May 1 - Completed Oxon 40/20 - 20 mile orienteeering / ultra run type event
June 5 - Completed Otmoor Challenge (Trail Half-Marathon), Oxford
August 15 - Completed Palmerston North Half-Marathon, NZ
September 26 - The big one: The Berlin Marathon
I've been meeting all my entry costs, flights, accommodation etc - what you donate goes to MSF, not me. This page on justgiving.com is a great way for you to sponsor me and make sure that MSF receives the donations. It is very easy to use, and if you are UK tax payer this site makes it easy for MSF to claim back an extra 28% from your donation.
What you can do to help
It would be fantastic if you could sponsor me. Médecins Sans Frontières is an international humanitarian medical aid charity which is currently working in around 60 countries around the globe. Some of their recent efforts have been directed towards the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the ongoing unrest in Sudan and the so-called ‘neglected diseases’ such as Chagas. There’s information about MSF at the bottom of this email – please have a read or visit http://www.msf.org.uk/ourwork_where_work.aspx for more information. MSF's YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73zMcdGfXGE) also gives a great overview of the organization.
Those of you who know me well also know that I've done quite a lot of work on psychosocial support after disaster events. In the case of Haiti, MSF's emergency ward are still treating large numbers of patients but the nature of their injuries is gradually changing. Fewer people are appearing with wounds directly caused by the earthquake, but now the indirect consequences of the disaster are beginning to manifest themselves, with more children suffering from diarrhoea and more people coming forward with physical symptoms of mental trauma.
Feel free to get back in touch with any questions. If you'd like to come and support me on the day of any run, please let me know - it would be great to see you and hang out after the race. If you want to join me on a training run, that'd be great too.
Please do sponsor me - any amount will be gratefully received, and it will all help us raise money for a very deserving cause!
Thanks,
Sarb
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About Médecins sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières (www.msf.org) is an independent international medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid in around 60 countries to people affected by armed conflict; epidemics; natural or man-made disasters; or exclusion from health care.
In emergencies and their aftermath, MSF rehabilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, performs surgery, battles epidemics, carries out vaccination campaigns, operates feeding centres for malnourished children and offers mental health care. When needed, MSF also constructs wells, dispenses clean drinking water, and provides shelter materials like blankets and plastic sheeting.
Through longer-term programmes, MSF treats patients with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, sleeping sickness, and HIV/AIDS and provides medical and psychological care to marginalized groups such as street children.
MSF was born in the early 1970s out of the exasperation of a group of French doctors who worked in desperate conditions in the Biafra War (1967-1970).
They were determined to create a movement to deliver independent humanitarian aid wherever it was needed, and one that would speak out about the plight of the victims it helped.
In order to fulfil these goals, MSF was created in complete independence of any political, religious or economic powers. The organisation remains fiercely protective of these core values today.
In recognition of its humanitarian actions in such areas as Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Rwanda, the MSF movement was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize.
The UK office was established in London in 1993. It supports MSF's field work by recruiting volunteers, collecting donations and raising awareness of humanitarian crises through the media. A specialist medical team works directly with the field projects to help solve urgent clinical problems.
