Dear Friends,
As many of you already know Shared Interest Foundation does some amazing work in order to help people in the developing world work their way out of poverty. This work, whether it be a small grant to pay for an organisation to attend a trade fair or an intensive three year training course changes poeples lives. It empowers them to break out of the poverty cycle. I would like to share one such story with you. Rachel is a lady I met whilst out in Rwanda in January this year.
Rachel is an 18-year-old who takes care of her 15-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother. She was just 4 when her dad died from stomach ulcers and only 11 when her mum died from AIDS. Her aunt eventually took them in but was too burdened by having three mouths to feed. She made life very difficult for Rachel including making her get up at 4 in the morning to do a heavy workload of chores. This led to many school absences and a lack of time to complete homework. She went from the top of her class to the bottom in just a year. Rachel and her two siblings soon moved back to the mud house they had lived in with their mother. By the time she had died, her mum had sold everything to buy food for them, The children were left to sleep on the floor of a completely empty mud house, wear tattered clothes, and when they did find food, it was a very poor diet.
Since Rachel started working for a fair trade craft business she has been able to do a great many things. She is now able to pay the yearly health care fee in case her brother and sister fall ill and need to see a doctor. She has purchased furniture for her home as well as new mattresses for them to sleep on. Her brothers and sisters are both eating well and wearing better clothes. The joy and dignity that come with providing for everyone's needs is a new experience for Rachel.
We would love to help more poeple like Rachel achieve their true potential, however this can only be achieved with your help and this is where the swimming come into it.
I will be swimming the length of the channel in only 4 weeks to support more poeple like Rachel. I will swim 22 miles which equates to 35,405 metres, which is a whopping 1416 lengths of a 25m pool.
So to do the maths for you....that amounts to 354 lengths per weekfor 4 weeks. Which is a bit of a step up from my current 30 lengths per week!
I will start this challenge on the 1st May and will be providing short updates on here to chart my progress.
I would be really grateful if you would support this worthwhile cause - remember that every little bit helps!
Thank you for visiting my fundraising page,
Andrea x
Well I am up to mile 10 now and I can't see the white cliffs of Dover or France yet, but I know it is there so I'm still going strong! I have swam a mile before work every morning and will be swimming 2 miles tomorrow!!! I had to pop out at lunchtime to buy some swimming shampoo as I am starting to resemble Diana Ross at the mooment - I'm blaming the chlorine!!!! I'll be in touch again soon.
Well after swimming two miles yesterday I am back on track and due to reach France on Friday!!
I have 4 miles to go, (18 miles done!) so in order to complete the challenge by Friday (the aim was by the end of the month, however I’m off camping and kayaking this weekend and don’t really fancy catching up on those extra miles in the sea!) I will be swimming a mile tonight, two miles tomorrow and one on Friday – that’s 384 lengths in 4 days!!
Wooohoooo! I've finished!!!! All 1416 lengths of a 25m pool complete. Thank you for sponsoring me in this challenge.
There is still time to sponsor me for this challenge...
A x
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Shared Interest Foundation gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
